Abstract

Entering to international markets often represents a cultural challenge for companies, placing them in front of the constant dilemma whether to ignore the differences that local cultures imposed on their offer, keeping it unchanged (standardization strategy), or accepting the diversity, and consequently modify their traditional strategies (adaptation strategy). China represents an emblematic case of this dilemma, due to the great cultural distance, impossible to be ignored conceptually, but sometimes ignored by the companies in their international marketing strategies. The three cases described in the following pages tell how, albeit in different market contexts (cosmetics and food), the influence played by culture imposes unexpected and unusual choices on businesses, on which the companies were not prepared, but necessary to be able to enter in such an important market successfully