Enhancing Brand Equity in an Emerging Market: An Investigation of Korean Fashion Brands in China

Although international firms often face challenges as competition for world markets intensifies and as market preferences become global, diverse opportunities appear to be prevalent for international marketers of consumer products and services in emerging economies such as China. In addition to the economic resurgence and future promise, the political and cultural environments in China have provided Korean firms with an opportunity to do business in the country. While some Korean fashion brands have had a strong performance in the Chinese market, other brands have not. Nevertheless, prior studies do not satisfactorily address the reasons that some Korean fashion brands are successful and popular in China. The present study aims to investigate Korean fashion brands’ current positions in the Chinese market and to propose useful strategies that enable Korean fashion firms to be more competitive in China. Based on the perspective of brand-equity dimensions, the current study proposes strategies that allow international firms to enhance their brand equity in an emerging economy.