Lifestyle branding: a cross-cultural perspective through MUJI and IKEA's experiences.

Abstract

The growing search for identity and self-expression through consumption in postmodern society pushes brands to reconsider the way they build emotional connections with consumers, eventually leading them to turn into “lifestyle brands”, i.e. brands who seek to inspire, guide and motivate people by influencing their way of life. The phenomenon is widespread all over the world, with an impressive number of companies evolving into lifestyle brands over the last few decades. However, academic research related to this topic is still very limited. The purpose of this thesis is to add understanding of the lifestyle branding phenomenon by conducting research from a cross-cultural perspective. In the first part, a literature review will explain (1) the reasons behind lifestyle branding, (2) the development process of lifestyle brands and (3) two strategic issues for lifestyle retail brands when going global: whether to standardize or localize and how brand perception changes across cultures. Then, to provide a practical view of the matter, MUJI (4) and IKEA (5) lifestyle branding experiences will be analyzed, putting into comparative perspective some key features of these two brands which, despite proposing a similar lifestyle, approach markets with different strategies as they come from different cultural backgrounds and aesthetics. Some further considerations (6) on MUJI and IKEA’s values and cross-cultural perceptions will finally conclude the research.