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The purpose of this paper is to compare how some firms from China and some from other emerging countries (EC) are using a variety of branding strategies to improve their global competitiveness. A total of 14 firms have been compared on criteria related to possible acquisition of foreign brands, development of local brands, personality of the leaders and in some cases use of ideological messages.

The paper is mostly based on case studies coming from literature, interviews from marketing executives of major enterprises from China or other EC. It is mainly exploratory in its approach.

The critical success factors for the competitiveness of emerging countries brands are either coming from the choice to create a local brand from scratch, to buy an existing famous brand, or to imitate successful foreign brands. Few strategic differences appear between Chinese firms and the ones from other EC. The factors explaining success or failure are linked to the type of industry and the way it relates to the country of origin effect, the level of marketing “maturity” as well as the personality and visibility of the entrepreneur.

The study does not aim at being statistically representative, the firms which are selected may not be a full representation of Chinese firms branding strategy or from emerging nations.

The definition of the brand strategy for emerging countries firms is a relatively new subject and this study is a contribution to helping enterprises in finding the best approach as well as giving examples for academic studies on Chinese firms marketing efficiency.

This paper aims to clarify the challenge of emerging countries’ firms regarding their brand policy. The purpose of the paper is to examine the branding options offered to emerging countries companies when expanding internationally.

After having clarified the two paradoxes faced by emerging countries’ brands by way of synthesizing various works, the author formulates a model that provides a representation for the possible brand strategy choices of emerging country companies.

The authors formulate a framework with four brand management options which may be put into practice in emerging countries’ companies and suggest how an emerging country’s company could create and develop the best-adapted international brand policy depending on its specific situation regarding localness emphasis and customers’ risk reduction acceptance.

Results lead to the conclusion that the notion that only global brands are associated with higher product quality or prestige (in relation to local brands) is not a universal truth and thus needs to be interpreted with caution. The research provides support for a branding strategy embedded in the local emerging countries context and tally with research showing that more and more firms from emerging economies are using foreign image association strategies as important components of their branding and marketing strategies.

The proposal reinforces the contingency perspective of international marketing according to which brand policy may depend on company criteria, as well as foreign market specificities. The research confirms the competitive capacity of emerging countries’ companies’ brands, broadens the scope of international branding knowledge by shifting the focus to under-researched regions of the world.

This research aims to clarify the nature of the links between brand architecture and brands portfolio. Although these two themes have been the focus of significant research, the question of a link between the two concepts has not truly been asked; and yet the major role of brands raises the question of brand optimisation and balance at the core of an individual company.

After having clarified the two concepts by way of synthesising various works, the paper examines the similarities, differences, complementarities and oppositions between these two methods of organising and utilising brands.

This work shows that brand architecture corresponds, in its essence, to a hierarchical relationship approach between brands; whereas the brands portfolio concept corresponds to a non‐hierarchical method of organising the brands within themselves. The combination of these two approaches allows going beyond the idea of competition at the individual brand level and rather to replace that with a metadimension better suited to reconcile the needs expressed by consumers with organisational logistics and company profitability.

The research may assist managers in better understanding and controlling brand regrouping because the research illustrates some benefits for a company that executes well‐coordinated multi‐brand management.

The discussion distinguishes clearly the concept of brand architecture from the one of brand portfolio and shows their contribution to a stronger link between marketing and strategy.

The paper seeks to contribute to the understanding of brand portfolio management by examining the brand portfolio strategies of four leading cosmetics companies. The research focuses on two questions: what reasons lead companies to develop, or not, a brand portfolio strategy, and how brand portfolio management can create a higher and stronger level of competitive advantage that is harder to grasp and imitate.

The paper utilises an exploratory approach by means of case studies. Data were collected from the following companies: L'Oréal, Clarins, Estée Lauder and Wella. The research involved in‐depth interviews with 33 company directors.

The research results show that an aggregation of brands is not in and of itself a brand portfolio. The juxtaposition of brands is one of the elements, but not the sole element, necessary for the development of a brand portfolio, which is a combination of a brand ensemble and key factors born out of organisational savoir‐faire.

The results validate the existence of a link between brand portfolios and competitive advantage, a link based on the existence of four key factors identified in the research.

A model is proposed to assist managers in better understanding and controlling brand regrouping, because the research illustrates the benefits for a company that executes well‐coordinated brand management.

This research fits into the complex context of strategic/marketing relationships and broadens the field of brand analysis, notably its strategic dimension. The contribution of this research is to show how a brand portfolio can create a stronger and higher level of competitive advantage, which is more difficult to copy.

The primary purpose of this study is to identify if and how international terrorism has altered the rank and value of brands, and whether the increasing uncertainty of globalizing risks need an adaptation of international brand management.

The methodology for this study was exploratory and quantitative at the same time, and utilized longitudinal brand ranking and a cross‐sector and cross‐industry data in a comparative research design. Both descriptive and relational statistics are used to analyze the data.

The key findings reveal that, in the five consecutive years after 9/11/2001, brands have experienced significant moderation in rank and value. A significant gap in the evolution of US and non‐US brands was found in this period of time. The evidence calls for brand management that reflects the risks that globalized at the same pace as brand reach.

The limitations to the study are that the findings cannot explore all possible causes of uncertainty, but it nevertheless provides strong indications.

Managers should not assume that terrorism and other globalizing risks only cause direct physical destruction; they need to be adequately prepared to handle indirect impact that can alter the rank and value of their brands. The paper identifies specific areas for future megabrand strategy and calls for its internationalization.