Globalization has brought dramatic changes to the marketplace. A proliferation of global brands brings diverse cultures to a consumer population that is also culturally diverse. This course enables students to understand how globalization changes consumers at a psychological level and provides tools for infusing brands with cultural meaning that can resonate with global consumers. The focus is on understanding that culture exists in the mind as well as in the environment, and that globalization creates multi-cultural spaces in contemporary societies. Consumers can use the cultural meaning of a brand to build their identities or reject the brand’s cultural meaning.

The course will help students identify when assimilation vs. exclusionary reactions are more likely to occur and to devise strategies for imbuing brands with cultural meanings that can elevate them to the status of cultural icons. You will be able to: • Understand how globalization impacts the psychological responses of consumers in global markets • Explain what culture is and how it manifests itself in business environments • Understand how brands acquire cultural meanings and predict consumers’ responses to the cultural meanings in brands • Identify strategies to win-over multi-cultural consumers in globalized markets • Practice the fundamentals of how to build an iconic brand This course is part of Gies College of Business’ suite of online programs, including the iMBA and iMSM. Learn more about admission into these programs and explore how your Coursera work can be leveraged if accepted into a degree program at https://degrees.giesbusiness.illinois.edu/idegrees/.