A contingency-based approach to the nexus between international strategic brand management and export performance

The vital importance of branding in global markets is accepted by both practitioners and scholars. However, there is a lack of research to explain the relationship between international strategic brand management (ISBM) and export performance. Drawing on contingency theory and the concept of strategic fit, this study develops a model of the ISBM-export performance relationship, and identifies four potential external environment moderators, namely foreign market competitive intensity, foreign market buyer incongruence, national export policy and domestic market competitive environment. Using a sample of successful UK exporters, the findings support the argument that the link between ISBM and export performance is contingent upon particular external environmental moderating factors. The implications suggest that certain multifaceted external environmental conditions may be more advantageous for practitioners to strategically manage their brand in overseas markets than had previously been realized