Cross Cultural Study of Consumer Behaviour

School of Management and Economics Fed 323; International Marketing Strategy Master’s thesis, spring 2006
Examiner: Anders Pehrsson

Coca-Cola or Pepsi; that is the Question
- A study about different factors affecting consumer preferences

Authors: Eva-Lena Andersson 820517
Evelina Arvidsson 820410
Cecilie Lindström 820404

Abstract

Master thesis, School of Management and Economics, Växjö University
FED 323; International Marketing Strategy, spring 2006

Authors: Eva-Lena Andersson, Evelina Arvidsson, and Cecilie Lindström
Examiner: Anders Pehrsson
Title: Coca-Cola or Pepsi; that is the question – A study about different factors affecting consumer preferences

Background: Today, advertising is a multi-billion industry, employing hundreds of thousands of people and affecting billions of people’s lives worldwide. Yet, seeing as advertising clutter has increased tremendously and is more intense than ever, it is vital that companies differentiate themselves from competitors by creating even more powerful, entertaining and innovative advertisement messages, as well as sponsoring different events. Examples of such companies that spend billion of dollars on marketing strategies in order to stay key players in their industry are The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo.

Purpose: The overall purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of different international and local factors affecting consumer preferences on a local market.

Method: A quantitative method was applied, and thus a questionnaire with 150 respondents on the local market was conducted. The respondents were divided into three different age groups:
≤ 18, 19-34, and ≥ 35, and represent a diverse set of people who are at different stages in their lives.

Conclusions: International advertising and international sponsorship respectively influence

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