<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?><article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id>1646-2408</journal-id>
<journal-title><![CDATA[Revista Encontros Científicos - Tourism & Management Studies]]></journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title><![CDATA[Encontros Científicos]]></abbrev-journal-title>
<issn>1646-2408</issn>
<publisher>
<publisher-name><![CDATA[Escola Superior de Gestão, Hotelaria e Turismo]]></publisher-name>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id>S1646-24082010000100012</article-id>
<title-group>
<article-title xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[Understanding the internationalisation process of Havaianas: the important role of brand]]></article-title>
<article-title xml:lang="pt"><![CDATA[O Processo de Internacionalização da Havaianas: A Importância da marca]]></article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Silva]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[Susana Costa e]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A01"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Sousa]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[Maria João]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A02"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Freyre Filho]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[Fernando]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A03"/>
</contrib>
</contrib-group>
<aff id="A01">
<institution><![CDATA[,Catholic University of Portugal School of Economics and Management Marketing Department]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[Porto ]]></addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="A02">
<institution><![CDATA[,Catholic University of Portugal  ]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[Porto ]]></addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="A03">
<institution><![CDATA[,University Estácio de Sá  ]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[Recife ]]></addr-line>
<country>Brazil</country>
</aff>
<pub-date pub-type="pub">
<day>00</day>
<month>00</month>
<year>2010</year>
</pub-date>
<pub-date pub-type="epub">
<day>00</day>
<month>00</month>
<year>2010</year>
</pub-date>
<numero>6</numero>
<fpage>118</fpage>
<lpage>130</lpage>
<copyright-statement/>
<copyright-year/>
<self-uri xlink:href="http://scielo.pt/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&amp;pid=S1646-24082010000100012&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><self-uri xlink:href="http://scielo.pt/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&amp;pid=S1646-24082010000100012&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><self-uri xlink:href="http://scielo.pt/scielo.php?script=sci_pdf&amp;pid=S1646-24082010000100012&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><abstract abstract-type="short" xml:lang="en"><p><![CDATA[In today’s economy, intangible assets account for a large amount of the value created by firms. A brand is one of those intangible assets crucial to the attraction of customers and for the creation of emotional bonds with them. Nevertheless, many organisations keep focusing on products and services with often limited functional and technical characteristics, which do not really add value. This paper intends to show how it is possible to reverse this kind of situation: adding value through the creation of a strong brand, and using it to leverage a firm’s value, whether national or internationally. With a case study carried out with the sandals business São Paulo Alpargatas, we intend to understand the factors that made its Havaianas brand one of the biggest Brazilian icons abroad. The communication strategy used, the new position achieved with the brand, and the implementation of a long-lasting strategy were some issues we studied, along with Havaianas’ internationalisation process. As a result, we were able to find that the brand’s repositioning was crucial to the successful internationalisation process of the firm.]]></p></abstract>
<abstract abstract-type="short" xml:lang="pt"><p><![CDATA[Nos dias que correm os actives intangíveis são responsáveis por uma fatia importante do valor criado pelas empresas. A marca é um activo intangível crucial para a atracção de clientes e para a criação de laços emocionais com aqueles. Todavia, muitas organizações continuam a focalizar a sua atenção em produtos e serviços com características técnicas e funcionais limitadas e que se revelam incapazes de diferenciar a oferta e acrescentar valor. Este artigo procura mostrar como é que se pode reverter esta situação: acrescentar valor através da criação de uma marca forte e aí alavancar o valor da empresa, quer no mercado doméstico quer em mercados internacionais. Com este estudo de caso na área do calçado - a São Paulo Alpargatas - procurou-se compreender os factores que fizeram da Havaianas um dos maiores ícones brasileiros no mundo. A estratégia de comunicação usada, a nova posição conseguida pela marca e a implementação de uma estratégia de longo prazo, foram algumas das questões estudadas, para além do processo de internacionalização da marca propriamente dito. Foi possível concluir que o reposicionamento da marca foi crucial para o sucesso do processo de internacionalização prosseguido pela Havaianas.]]></p></abstract>
<kwd-group>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[Internationalisation]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[Brand, Entry modes]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[Footwear industry]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[Brazil]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="pt"><![CDATA[Internacionalização]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="pt"><![CDATA[Marca]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="pt"><![CDATA[Modos de Entrada]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="pt"><![CDATA[Indústria de Calçado]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="pt"><![CDATA[Brasil]]></kwd>
</kwd-group>
</article-meta>
</front><body><![CDATA[ <p><b>Understanding the internationalisation process of Havaianas: the important    role of brand </b></P>     <p>&nbsp;</P>     <p><b>Susana Costa e Silva<sup>1</sup>, Maria João Sousa<sup>2</sup> and Fernando Freyre Filho<sup>3</sup></b></P>     <p><sup>1</sup>PhD in Marketing, Lecturer and Head of Marketing Dept., School    of Economics and Management,&nbsp;Catholic University of Portugal - Porto. <a href="mailto:ssilva@porto.ucp.pt">ssilva@porto.ucp.pt</a>     <p><sup>2</sup>MSc in Marketing by the Catholic University of Portugal, Porto.    <a href="mailto:maria.j.guedes@gmail.com">maria.j.guedes@gmail.com</a></P>     <p><sup>3</sup>MSc in Marketing, Lecturer at the University Estácio de Sá, Recife,    Brazil. <a href="mailto:ferdfreyre@hotmail.com">ferdfreyre@hotmail.com</a></P>     <p>&nbsp;</P>     <p>ABSTRACT</P>     <p>In  today’s economy, intangible assets account for a large amount of the value  created by firms. A brand is one of those intangible assets crucial to the  attraction of customers and for the creation of emotional bonds with them.  Nevertheless, many organisations keep focusing on products and services with  often limited functional and technical characteristics, which do not really add  value. </P>     <p>This  paper intends to show how it is possible to reverse this kind of situation:  adding value through the creation of a strong brand, and using it to leverage a  firm’s value, whether national or internationally. With a case study carried out  with the sandals business São Paulo Alpargatas, we intend to understand the  factors that made its Havaianas brand one of the biggest Brazilian icons abroad.  The communication strategy used, the new position achieved with the brand, and  the implementation of a long-lasting strategy were some issues we studied, along  with Havaianas’ internationalisation process. As a result, we were able to find  that the brand’s repositioning was crucial to the successful  internationalisation process of the firm.</P>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p><b>Keywords</b>: Internationalisation, Brand, Entry modes, Footwear industry,    Brazil</P>     <p>&nbsp;</P>     <p><b>O Processo de Internacionalização da Havaianas: A Importância da marca</b></P>     <p>RESUMO</P>     <p>Nos dias que correm os actives intangíveis são responsáveis  por uma fatia importante do valor criado pelas empresas. A marca é um activo  intangível crucial para a atracção de clientes e para a criação de laços  emocionais com aqueles. Todavia, muitas organizações continuam a focalizar a sua  atenção em produtos e serviços com características técnicas e funcionais  limitadas e que se revelam incapazes de diferenciar a oferta e acrescentar  valor. Este artigo procura mostrar como é que se pode reverter esta situação:  acrescentar valor através da criação de uma marca forte e aí alavancar o valor  da empresa, quer no mercado doméstico quer em mercados internacionais. Com este  estudo de caso na área do calçado – a São Paulo Alpargatas – procurou-se  compreender os factores que fizeram da Havaianas um dos maiores ícones  brasileiros no mundo. A estratégia de comunicação usada, a nova posição  conseguida pela marca e a implementação de uma estratégia de longo prazo, foram  algumas das questões estudadas, para além do processo de internacionalização da  marca propriamente dito. Foi possível concluir que o reposicionamento da marca  foi crucial para o sucesso do processo de internacionalização prosseguido pela  Havaianas. </P>     <p><b>Palavras-Chave:</b> Internacionalização, Marca, Modos de Entrada, Indústria    de Calçado, Brasil</P>     <p>&nbsp;</P>     <p><b>INTRODUCTION</b></P>     <p>Currently,  the brand has a critical role in an organisation’s success. It is its mission to  promote positive associations in the consumer’s mind, targeting the creation of  concordant relations between the client and a product and/or a company. It acts  as the main differentiating element among the countless offers available in the  market, reinforcing the position that institutions try to achieve in the  consumer’s mind, now no longer on a national scale, but internationally. This  paper intends to examine thoroughly the existing studies about the impact that  brand repositioning exerts, through the actions of variable components of the  marketing mix, over an organisation whose main strategic option is  internationalisation. We will study in particular the successful case of the  Brazilian company São Paulo Alpargatas, especially in the Havaianas business  unit, whose brand is now sold in more than 70 countries.</P>     <p>This  paper intends to fill a gap which exists in the study of the relations between  the variables under discussion: brand repositioning and internationalisation.  According to Cheng et al. (2005), the literature available about the process of  creation of international brands is restricted and has not received a lot of  attention from the scientific community. Burt and Sparks (2002) state that, due  to the limited bibliography on the subject, there currently appears to be little  interest in studying the relation between corporative brands from the  perspective of the internationalisation process.</P>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p>The  choice of the successful Havaianas brand was initially made because, due to the  extremely positive results it has achieved, it is currently one of the most  discussed organisations in Brazil. This has also led to international debates  focusing on the organisation in world-famous business schools such as Harvard  Business School. Another relevant factor in the making of this study is that,  despite having its sandal production concentrated in just one industrial company  situated in Brazil’s northeast region, Havaianas carried out  internationalisation in a very effective way. It has reached the most varied  international markets such as Europe, Japan, the USA and Australia, with 2006  exports reaching an approximate 15 million pairs, representing more than 10% of  the company’s total production (Alpargatas, 2006). Besides representing an  example of well-planned and successful internationalisation, Havaianas is also a  reference in terms of marketing actions. The deep change carried out in the  variables of the marketing-mix performance allowed the original product, the  rubber sandal, with a low added value, to become a fashionable article and very  often even a luxury item.</P>     <p>This  paper is divided into four parts, in addition to this introduction. In the  first, literature review is made concerning internationalisation and branding.  The next section concerns the method used in the case-study analysis. The  following section describes the case study itself and events connected to the  organisation. In the last part, the discussions, analysis, research conclusions  and limitations are presented, including some suggestions for future  research.</P>     <p>The  underlying research question of this study is: how can brand repositioning  influence a company’s performance in the process of internationalisation? Its  purpose is to study, in general terms, the way in which brand repositioning,  driven by the actions of the marketing-mix variables, can influence the  company’s performance in the internationalisation process. Thus, on the one  hand, it is intended to identify, describe and analyse the relations between the  adopted marketing-mix actions (4P) and brand repositioning; and, on the other  hand, to identify, describe and analyse the relations between brand  repositioning and the internationalisation strategy adopted.</P>     <p>&nbsp;</P>     <p><b>LITERATURE REVIEW</b></P>     <p><b>Internationalisation and operation modes in international markets</b></P>     <p>The increase of globalisation, technological evolution and the advances in    organisational setting of firms reveal the need to carry out a wider analysis    of the variables of the internationalisation process. In it, process dimensions,    whether external or internal, are very important. External dimensions try to    answer questions such as “what”, “how” and “where” to carry out internationalisation,    while internal ones are related to characteristics inherent in the company itself    (Lorga 2003). Welch and Luostarinen (1990) point out some examples of dimensions    susceptible to analysis, such as: products or services offered, markets, structure    of the organisation, finances, ways to operate, and personnel. Simões (1997)    includes a new and important dimension: the ability to manage relations of international    co-operation. </P>     <p>Several  theories have studied behavioural patters of internationalisation and the  orientation taken in terms of its process with the purpose of identifying the  fundamental principles which explain the reasons for the existence of  international trade and international investment. According to the Uppsala Model  (Johanson and Vahlne, 1977; Johanson and Wiedersheim-Paul, 1975) the company’s  internationalisation, through exports or IDE, is a result of its growth. This  theory is based on two basic assumptions: lack of knowledge and the  psychological and geographical distances as the greatest obstacles to  internationalisation; and also the assumption that a company’s expansion takes  place in a gradual and incremental way: one step after the other and each step  being subsequently based on the previous one. Thus, initially the company acts  through exports, evolving until sales and production subsidiaries are opened.  Also, companies at first seek locations that are geographically and physically  close, and then move to distant markets. It is a process of continuous learning.  The knowledge gathered by the company with the experience acquired by acting in  a certain foreign market is seen as a fundamental factor for the continuation of  the process, in which the company carries out its internationalisation by  investing resources in a gradual and incremental way.</P>     <p>We can say that the decision regarding the choice of the entry method into    a foreign market is very complex. This decision demands a greater complexity    in order to be adapted, because its effects will directly influence other decisions,    such as those related to the product, price and positioning (Kotabe and Helsen,    2000). The decision about the most suitable entry strategy in approaching a    certain foreign market has to take into account several elements such as the    production place (Sarathy and Terpstra, 1991), the level of control required    by the operation (Leersnyder, 1986), or a combination between the risk, the    commitment and the degree of control demanded by this operation (Nickels and    Wood, 1999). The main entry modes into external markets are abridged in Table    1. </P>     <p>&nbsp;</P>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p><b>Table 1 - Entry modes in International Markets</b></P> <TABLE class=MsoNormalTable  style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse"  cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=1>   <TBODY>     <TR style="HEIGHT: 13.1pt">        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; WIDTH: 156.15pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; HEIGHT: 13.1pt"      vAlign=top width=208 rowSpan=2>     <p><B>Export: </B>a direct way to internationalize            a company’s activity, with fewer costs.</P></TD>       <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 286.65pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; HEIGHT: 13.1pt"      vAlign=top width=382>     <p><B>Direct: </B>the company sells directly to an importer            from a foreign country.</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR style="HEIGHT: 9.8pt">        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 286.65pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; HEIGHT: 9.8pt"      vAlign=top width=382>     <p><B>Indirect: </B>the company sells to a middleman            from the destination country.</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR style="HEIGHT: 43.35pt">        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; WIDTH: 156.15pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; HEIGHT: 43.35pt"      vAlign=top width=208 rowSpan=5>     <p><B>Contractual forms: </B>includes several            contractual settlements, usually involving cooperation between companies            which intend to internationalize themselves and local economical units.</P></TD>       <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 286.65pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; HEIGHT: 43.35pt"      vAlign=top width=382>     <p><B>Licensing/transference of technology: </B>one            company gives to another the right to use a technology within an established            area and in exchange for royalties. While the licensing involves giving            up patent rights, the transfer applies to technological knowledge’s            with no patent.</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR style="HEIGHT: 7.1pt">        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 286.65pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; HEIGHT: 7.1pt"      vAlign=top width=382>     <p><B>Franchising: </B>a type of licence or aid contract            through which a company (franchised) obtains from another (franchiser)            the right to explore exclusively and under certain conditions, a product,            a service, a name or a registered brand, or a technology within a certain            area.</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR style="HEIGHT: 7.1pt">        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 286.65pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; HEIGHT: 7.1pt"      vAlign=top width=382>     <p><B>Management contract: </B>an agreement through            which a company guarantee the total or partial creation of an economic            unit in a foreign country, afterwards giving away their management to            an independent company, generally based in the destination country.</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR style="HEIGHT: 7.1pt">        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 286.65pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; HEIGHT: 7.1pt"      vAlign=top width=382>     <p><B>International subcontracting:&nbsp; </B>the main            company or subcontractor orders the subcontracted products, parts of            products or simple operations carried out over those products, based            in pre-established specifications.</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR style="HEIGHT: 7.1pt">        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 286.65pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; HEIGHT: 7.1pt"      vAlign=top width=382>     <p><B>Strategic alliances: </B>includes several situations            of commercial relations between companies belonging to an economy (often            rivals), and companies from different countries, whenever the association            does not fit in the licensing and joint-venture scope.</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR style="HEIGHT: 40.2pt">        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; WIDTH: 156.15pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; HEIGHT: 40.2pt"      vAlign=top width=208 rowSpan=3>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p><B>Foreign Direct investment: </B>includes            all the investments made with the purpose to acquire a long-lasting            interest in a company which carries out their activity in the territory            of an economy that is not the one of the investor, with the purpose            of having an effective power of decision in the company’s management.</P></TD>       <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 286.65pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; HEIGHT: 40.2pt"      vAlign=top width=382>     <p><B>Joint-venture: </B>consists of the participation            of several companies in the funds on an economic unit, juridically independent,            with the purpose to carry out a productive and/or commercial activity,            allowing therefore the sharing of the respective property, profits and            business venture.</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR style="HEIGHT: 42.3pt">        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 286.65pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; HEIGHT: 42.3pt"      vAlign=top width=382>     <p><B>Partial property: </B>the company has a portion            of the capital, with power of decision, of a productive economic unit            in another economy. It may result in the need to quicken the process            and/or to overcome some economic and legal problems.</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR style="HEIGHT: 37.3pt">        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 286.65pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; HEIGHT: 37.3pt"      vAlign=top width=382>     <p><B>Total property: </B>involves the creation/acquisition            of a subsidiary abroad, owned completely (100%) by the company, which            demands a bigger initial investment, giving in compensation the total            control of the market businesses. It may be achieved through creation            or through take-over.</P></TD>     </TR>   </TBODY> </TABLE>     <p>Source: Lorga (2003).</P>     <p>&nbsp;</P>     <p><b>The influence of the brand</b></P>     <p>According  to the AMA (American Marketing Association) definition, the brand is a name, a  sign, a draft, or a combination of these elements, that identifies the products  and services of a salesman, or a group of salesmen, and distinguishes them from  competitors (AMA 1960, p.8 trad.). Lencastre (2007, p.33) defines a brand as a  “sign of a benefit next to a target-segment”. Zyman and Miller (2001) say that  the brand signals the company and its orientation.</P>     <p>Present  relationships are no longer based in simple one-shot sales transactions as  seemed to happen in the past. The focus is now on the creation of long-lasting  relationships, on the future and on repeated businesses. This perspective allows  the brand to be regarded, more and more, as one of the company’s most strategic  and precious assets.</P>     <p>A  growing number of studies point to the success related to concepts of “emotional  branding” upheld by Gobé (2001), and reiterated by Brito (2007), recognising  that no relation is more emotional and less dominated by reason than the one  between the customer and the brands. Great brands invest in this kind of  experience, believing it is possible to create an emotional bond between  customer and brand, just like a beautiful courtship. The “brand relationship” it  is also characterised by Grönroos (2001) as brand management through a  continuous process of creation of value, widely influenced by the relation  between customer and brand.</P>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p>Regarding the benefits originated by the creation of loyalty by the brands,    Kotler and Keller (2006) mention that it is highly likely that a satisfied client    will purchase the product or service again, allowing the company to estimate    and predict with more efficiency the search for their products. Moreover, this    loyalty also becomes a barrier to competitors’ entrance and strengthening. It    also allows the brand to demand a higher price from its clients (usually 20    to 25% more). Thus, a brand’s distinctive character gains strength. Actually,    given its differentiating capacity, Lindon et al. (2004) see the brand as synonym    of competitiveness and durability in the market.</P>     <p><b>The brand triadic structure </b></P>     <p>Around  1903, the American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce developed a positivistic  idea of signs, studying the relationship between them and the environment. For  him, there was something more in a sign than just its “signifier” – the form,  its expression – and the “signified” – the content. In his opinion, a third term  would become involved in the relationship: a “referent”, which establishes a  connection between the former two terms through the way the sign is interpreted.  Based in the Peircean triadic conception, Lencastre (1999, p. 33) defines a sign  as “anything, which is in the place of anything, in order to be interpreted by  someone”. He developed what is called as “brand triangle”, where the  relationship between the three elements was established schematically. The first  is about the brand identity where the brand is represented. The author calls it  the identity mix. The second vertex is imputed to the marketing mix, which has  the marketing actions to put the brand in the market. The third pillar is  connected to the brand response, the set of the cognitive, affective and  behavioural responses of the different markets to the brand. Lencastre  and Côrte-Real (2010) call this combination the “response mix”.</P>     <p>This triadic approach to the brand, with a more integrated vision, is widespread    today in both the academic and business related worlds, contributing also to    the brand definition proposed by David Ogilvy (in Strunck 2003, p. 137): “The    brand is the intangible sum of the properties, name, package and price, its    history, reputation and the way it is promoted. The brand is also defined by    the consumer’s impressions about the people who use them; as well as their own    personal experience.”</P>     <p>&nbsp;</P>     <p><b>METHODOLOGY</b></P>     <p>We  attempted to uncover the reasons behind the internationalisation process of  Havaianas. To analyse this, several variables at play simultaneously are  considered to be important. This encapsulates a phenomenon in which political,  economical and social contextualisation is necessary, and for situations like  this Yin (1993) advises the use of a study supported by a qualitative approach.  This is mainly due to the diversity of variables and the importance they  establish in the results achieved by the organisation under analysis. We also  followed Eisenhardt (1989) in the idea that overlapped data fosters the analysis  of the case and stresses possible adjustments on data collection. </P>     <p>In our case, it is relevant to stress that Havaianas have maintained a trajectory    of solid growth since their transformation and repositioning in the market –    which started in 1994 – developing an increasingly strengthened brand on the    world stage. The political, economical and social contextualisation exerts great    influence on Havaianas’ course in the Brazilian businesses environment and their    expansion abroad, We therefore consider a case study to be the best approach    to uncovering this process. We also relied upon triangulation, a data confirmation    method proposed by Yin (1994). This method assumes that a result may have different    proveniences since there is information convergence. Thus, several sources of    information were used (annual financial reports, press releases, news, interviews    and the authors’’ observations of the facts) in order to enrich the study and    guarantee the quality of the conclusions. Hence, we proceeded accordingly and    conducted interviews with managers involved in strategic management, and collected    data including the firm’s reports, archives and news published in newspapers    and magazines. </P>     <p>&nbsp;</P>     <p><b>Figure 1 – The Dimensions of Internationalization</b></P>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p><img src="/img/revistas/ec/n6/n6a12f1.gif" width="519" height="341"></P>     
<p>&nbsp;</P>     <p><b>Figure 2 - Brand triangle</b></P>     <p><b><img src="/img/revistas/ec/n6/n6a12f2.jpg" width="622" height="463"></b></P>     
<p>&nbsp;</P>     <p><b>THE HAVAIANAS CASE</b></P>     <p>Havaianas  were so successful in building an image with strong, favourable and unique  associations (Keller, 1998) that, in less than a decade, they became world  phenomena. Nowadays, even Americans, English and Australians can name the brand  of their flip-flops (as the sandals are called outside Brazil): <I>“the  Brazilian ra-VYAH-nas”. </I>However, it was not always that way. The story of  São Paulo Alpargatas, the company that afterwards would create Havaianas  sandals, began about a hundred years ago in Brazil. What started as a popular  product, seen by many as an exclusively functional commodity, became a fashion  in less than four decades.</P>     <p>São  Paulo Alpargatas, the owner of the Havaianas brand, appeared in 1907, on the  initiative of the Scotsman Robert Fraser in association with an English group.  Together they started the production of “alpargatas”, a type of footwear very  popular at the time when working the land, and especially when growing coffee  (an activity that then dominated the São Paulo region). Its shares have been  quoted on the São Paulo stock market since 1913.</P>     <p>In 1962, Alpargatas launched a new product in the market: the Havaianas. This    new model was inspired by the traditional Japanese sandals, Zori, which were    made of wood. The Brazilian national version had a specific characteristic:    they were made of rubber. In less than a year, São Paulo Alpargatas, still limited    to the national market, was selling more than a thousand pairs of Havaianas    every day through local shops and small businesses. The idea of this new sandal    was so simple that its fame grew rapidly and began to be copied by several rival    brands.</P>     <p>&nbsp;</P>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p><b>Figure 3 - Havaianas advertising campaign in the sixties and in the eighties</b></P>     <p><img src="/img/revistas/ec/n6/n6a12f3.jpg" width="612" height="232"></P>     
<p>&nbsp;</P>     <p><b>Segmentation and positioning until 1997 </b></P>     <p>Until  1994, Havaianas’ performance was a simple one, in a certain measure effective,  but not efficient. It is considered effective because of the portion of market  achieved, having been the leader in the national sandal sector since they were  launched. Meanwhile, the low contribution margins created by the product did not  favour investment and changes in marketing variables. The orientation to the  market was made under a perspective of sales, taking into consideration only the  companies’ and vendors’ needs. </P>     <p>The  sandals were distributed uniformly to all market segments and exhibited without  any attempt to allure: piled up in powdered soap boxes or tied up with wires and  hung inside tents. At fairs they were left exposed to the elements; in  traditional businesses they were relegated to areas with less movement and  visibility; in malls they were kept among the stock, and in some stores they  wouldn’t even be displayed in the windows. Limited to only five basic colours  (black, blue, green, red and yellow), all with a white sole, they did not bring  any added value to the product and stayed like that for 30 years. Exchange  relations were based almost exclusively on the price. The Havaianas were simply  recognised as the cheapest way to wear shoes. Because of this, they carried the  stigma of being slippers for ”poor people and domestic staff“. </P>     <p>Segmentation  efforts practically did not exist. The market segments which adopted the sandals  as a regular item of consumption – the C, D and E classes – did so more as a  result of the price policy, the easy accessibility to the product and its low  added value, than as a result of the will or attitude of the company itself.  Marketing was one of the company’s weaknesses. Furthermore, their communication  actions, for example, were limited to the seasonal transmission of advertising  campaigns on television, always presented by the comedian Chico Anysio. These  campaigns always approached the product’s originality and legitimacy, showing  the consumers that they should avoid counterfeits.  </P>     <p>The  brand’s mission at this time was limited to the product’s physical and  functional characteristics: durability, comfort and hygiene, at a low price. As  result, the sandals had their positioning in the market limited to the simplest  of the benefits that they could transmit: protection for the feet at a low  cost.</P>     <p>Success came, as well as the growth of the organisation, but not in a sustainable    way. The company, which had a 90% share in the national market of rubber sandals,    with sales reaching 100 million pairs per year, found itself in trouble in 1993    when sales were cut down incredibly to 65 million pairs. This was how the company    understood it needed to change. </P>     <p><b>The gradual transformation</b></P>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p>From  1994, the Alpargatas went through a complex transformation. Even though its  products were still market leaders, results were worsening every year and did  not stop falling. Sandals were seen as real commodities, the production process  was fairly simple, and therefore very easy to counterfeit, which made the  creation of long-lasting competitive advantages difficult, as stated by Porter  (2007).</P>     <p>Considering  that marketing was not one of the company’s strengths, its managers saw in  advertising the only tool to get close to the consumer, though no studies were  made in order to know what was effectively assimilated by the public. Facing  these difficulties, the company started to implement a series of changes from  1994. At the identity-mix level, the changes occurred in a very subtle manner.  The central identity or the name <I>stricto sensu</I> remained the same. The  tangible identity, both design and lettering, were also unchanged. The only  change made was to colouring: the brand received a new combination of colours.  </P>     <p>Effective changes happened only in the marketing mix, through the product,    price, communications and distribution variables and, later, when the company    decided on active and structured internationalisation in search of an international    positioning similar to the one achieved locally.</P>     <p><I>Marketing  mix changes</I></P>     <p>Changes  in the marketing mix happened in a gradual way. Initially, the plan set was  centred in what the company considered its two biggest potentialities: product  and communication, although the latter did not present itself in a very  effective way, due to the facts mentioned above.</P>     <p>The  company launched the Havaianas Top, whose purpose was to reconquer the Brazilian  middle class. This brought a revision of the <B>product’s</B> concept. Although  the design was kept, the colouring was changed to a limited series; packaging, a  box very similar to the ones used for shoes, was added; and a rack was issued to  assure the product’s exhibition near shop windows and avoid its being piled up  in shops’ stock. At the same time, a media campaign was carried out whose main  focus was centred on the users valorisation of wearing these sandals and no  longer on the product. Recorded testimonies of famous artists were used, giving  credibility to the message in an irreverent manner, two items which made the  messages more appealing to the public.</P>     <p>The  results achieved by the end of the first year of the Havaianas Top project  signalled the way forward. The financial results, and especially the great  spontaneous exposure which the brand achieved in the media, without the need of  big efforts, pointed to the need to develop a structured strategy with public  relations and press advice.</P>     <p>At the <B>product</B> level, the company increased its portfolio from two to    25 different models, including for the first time new designs and fashionable    colours; and added new customised packaging. </P>     <p>&nbsp;</P>     <p><b>Figure 4 - Havaianas, new designs, colours and shapes; and the new customized    packaging</b></P>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p><img src="/img/revistas/ec/n6/n6a12f4.jpg" width="314" height="472"></P>     
<p>&nbsp;</P>     <p>Concerning  <B>price</B>, although the new sandals cost five or six times more than the  traditional ones, the business unit tried to maintain a price relation that did  not affect the association that the customers had towards the old models: “an  excellent value for money”. Since the old product was not taken off the market,  it was possible to keep the former consumer. Regarding <B>communication</B>, the  campaigns continued in the media, characterised by humour, and famous people  using Havaianas in the most ordinary situations. The focus was centred on the  image of people and on lifestyle, and no longer on the product characteristics.  The message to the public was: “Everyone (people of all classes) wears them.”  </P>     <p>At this stage, the role of public relations and press advice was crucial: both    were responsible for giving credibility to the message passed to the public    and assuring that personalities would appear in public using the products, whether    at events, on the beach, at parties, etc. The artists were photographed and    the photos published in magazines, which were read by the target chosen by the    company. Finally, concerning <B>distribution</B>, contracts were made with exclusive    distributers in order to guarantee greater levels of commitment to the strategy    and the results. Its function would be to exhibit the products in the most attractive    way for the clients, using new display cases.</P>     <p><I>International  performance</I></P>     <p>Another  significant change for the company was its option for new markets in different  countries. Alpargatas knew how to overcome the barriers usually associated with  internationalisation since it also licensed foreign brands (initially Nike and  later Timberland and Mizuno) in Brazil, and was responsible for representing  these brands in other Latin American countries. The company had exported  indirectly to Latin American countries since 1998, using the same price strategy  and the same products as in the national market. Internationalisation was, in  this sense, seen as a simple extension of the national territory due to the  similarities of the new markets, the small geographical distances, and the  knowledge they already had of the market, which therefore had less associated  risk.</P>     <p>Three  factors contributed strongly to the company exporting directly, through their  own distributors, to regions with more potential purchasing power. The first was  the measure of notoriety that the brand had achieved in Brazil: according to  research carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics  (IBOPE), about 75% of Brazilians, when questioned about sandals, mentioned  Havaianas in first place. Secondly, the control necessary to ensure brand  positioning abroad did not compensate the venture of leaving the product in the  hands of someone without any commitment to performance in the market. And  finally, previous experience: although not directly involved, the company did  have some familiarity with foreign markets.</P>     <p>Thus,  we may consider that Havaianas’ international path started in the nearest  countries with fewer psychological barriers. The company went from an indirect  export model to a direct model, trying to increase the sales potential of the  markets. It made a giant leap and decided to launch the brand in the most  important cities in the fashion world – Paris and New York – with direct exports  through sales distributors established in these cities. In 2007, Alpargatas  chose New York to house its first foreign sales subsidiary.</P>     <p>They realised, therefore, that the knowledge acquired about the market was    fundamental in building up the internationalisation process, especially when    internationalisation involves a greater control, a greater venture and a greater    commitment of resources. The last stage of the process, according to company    managers, will occur with the decision to establish a production subsidiary    in China, which will take place very soon. Thus we can plot Havaianas’ internationalisation    stages according to Uppsala Model (see Figure 5). Figure 6 helps in the understanding    of all the dimensions in the international trajectory adopted by Havaianas,    which will be explained below.</P>     <p>&nbsp;</P>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p><b>Figure 5 - The most important landmarks in the international operation modes    used by Havaianas</b></p>        <p><img src="/img/revistas/ec/n6/n6a12f5.gif" width="353" height="217"></P>     
<p>&nbsp;</P>     <p><b>Figure 6 - The Havaianas internationalization dimensions</b></P>     <p><img src="/img/revistas/ec/n6/n6a12f6.jpg" width="654" height="583"></P>     
<p>&nbsp;</P>     <p>Concerning  the <B>internal dimensions</B> of internationalisation, we may say that  <B>internal competences</B> and the <B>ability to manage international  co-operative relations</B> (Simões, 1997) should be emphasised. The concern was  to create a transnational network of resources totally prepared to perform  locally, namely with the changes carried out in the promotional compound.  Initially, the company had adopted a standardised marketing policy that was not  very different from the one adopted in the place of origin. However, that raised  some issues. The same products were purchased by third parties in Brazil, at low  prices, and afterwards exported to several places in the world through export  companies; the local distributors had been chosen for their experience and  market knowledge, forgetting that communication could only be effective with the  teamwork of public relations and press advisory and the distribution  teams.</P>     <p>With the problems identified, improvements had to be implemented, and only    after that did the company continue its marketing policy, now adjusted to some    particularities of the local markets. Thus, the improvements made, based on    the planning and implementation of marketing policies in an integrated way,    made it possible to achieve and even surpass the foreseen sales goals. The integration    of the marketing policies at an international level also made it possible to    obtain a positive impact on the brand’s image, assuring a place of reputation    alongside the world’s brands.</P>     <p><b>Segmentation and positioning after 1997</b></P>     <p>Based  on the definition of marketing policies guided towards the consolidation of  brand values, the company decided after 1997 to implement a new value  proposition. In this new proposition, the brand was successful in transmitting  unique benefits to its consumers (Lencastre, 2007), who started to recognise a  set of strong and favourable associations unique to Havaianas (Keller, 1998).  Thanks to this new value proposition, Havaianas started to perform better. The  new value proposition was accompanied by a good segmentation strategy that led  to attractive market segments. </P>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p>Based in the slogan “Everybody wears them”, the brand tried to offer different    products to everyone, with differentiated prices, that could be found in differentiated    places and mass communicated, but also in a segmented way that would satisfy    and enchant the consumers – through a strategic positioning of the brand’s sale    and not only the sale of the product itself, customers could recognise in it    a unique benefit. Table 2 presents some associations of the brand which were    identified in different market segments in research commissioned by the company.</P>     <p>&nbsp;</P>     <p><b>Table 2&nbsp; - Associations to the Havaianas brand - Cognitive answers    and Affective answers</b></P> <TABLE class=MsoNormalTable  style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse"  cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=1>   <TBODY>     <TR>        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; BACKGROUND: #d9d9d9; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; WIDTH: 240.5pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=321 colSpan=2>     <p>Cognitive: share of mind</P></TD>       <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; BACKGROUND: #d9d9d9; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 240.5pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=321 colSpan=2>     <p>Affective: share of heart</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR>        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; BACKGROUND: #f2f2f2; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160>     <p>Before 1994</P></TD>       <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; BACKGROUND: #f2f2f2; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160>     <p>After 1994</P></TD>       <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; BACKGROUND: #f2f2f2; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160>     <p>Before 1994</P></TD>       <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; BACKGROUND: #f2f2f2; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160>     <p>After 1994</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR>        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160>     <p>Durable: “Don’t deform, Don’t drop strips…”</P></TD>       <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160 rowSpan=3>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p><B>New associations: </B></P>             <p>“The sandal” style</P>             <p>Fashion sandals (more than 80 models and 60 thousands colors)</P>             <p>100% natural</P>             <p>100% Brazilian</P></TD>       <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160>     <p>Practical</P></TD>       <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160>     <p>Brazilian national identity</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR>        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160>     <p>Hygienic: “Don’t have smell”</P></TD>       <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160>     <p>Functional</P></TD>       <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160>     <p>Tropical nature:</P>             ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p>Beach</P>             <p>Heat</P>             <p>Holidays</P>             <p>Joy and relaxation</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR>        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160>     <p>Useful: “Comfort”</P></TD>       <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160 rowSpan=5>     <p>Protects the feet of needed population            at a low cost:</P>             <p>“Poor’s slipper”</P>             <p>“Housemaid slipper”</P></TD>       <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160 rowSpan=5>     <p>Physical and emotional wellness:</P>             <p>Comfort</P>             ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p>Fashion</P>             <p>Customization</P>             <p>Sexy</P>             <p>&nbsp;</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR>        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160>     <p>Product used be the poorest strata of population</P></TD>       <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160 rowSpan=4>     <p><B>Associations maintained:</B></P>             <p>Excellent cost-benefit relation</P>             <p>Accessibility </P>             <p>Comfort</P>             <p>Durability</P>             ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p>Hygienic</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR>        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160>     <p>Excellent cost-benefit relation</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR>        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160>     <p>A single model “traditional”</P></TD>     </TR>     <TR>        <TD      style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 5.4pt; BORDER-TOP: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 5.4pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; WIDTH: 120.25pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid"      vAlign=top width=160>     <p>5 colors</P></TD>     </TR>   </TBODY> </TABLE>     <p>Source: Adapted from the CD Rom – Institutional Havaianas, 2007.</P>     <p>&nbsp;</P>     <p><b>DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS</b></P>     <p>Havaianas  capitalised on Brazil's positive image in the world, becoming an icon of  "Brazilian Fashion". A reporter from The Independent Review of London wrote that  with Havaianas on one's feet, one would be dreaming of the beach and somehow  become an honorary Brazilian. The  adoption of integrated marketing actions, involving all the promotional compound  variables, to a greater or lesser degree, was responsible for conquering  international positioning, obtained from an image previously achieved in Brazil.  The success achieved by the combination of product, price, distribution and  promotion strategies, just as it was imagined by McCarthy (1960), allowed the  company to ensure the desired strategic positioning for Havaianas in the  international market.</P>     <p>After  a century of existence, in April 2007, São Paulo Alpargatas, as a major  Brazilian producer of footwear and sport accessories, could already emphasise  its presence in two of the most important fashion markets in the world: New York  and Paris. These are very important markets not only because of their  reputation, but also because of their purchasing potential. This allowed  Havaianas to become a Brazilian company recognised worldwide, side by side with  names such as Petrobrás, Odebrecht, Embraer, Natura and Vale do Rio  Doce.</P>     <p>In  that achievement, the joint performances of public relations and press advisory  should be emphasised, ensuring the brand’s positioning in major worldwide  fashion event, and at other events where the regular audience includes those who  lead fashion, for example the National Academy Awards (the Oscars) and the  Grammy Awards. Furthermore, the performance of exclusive distributors ensured  the product’s exhibition in shop windows recognised worldwide, such as the  Lafayette Galleries and Printemps in Paris. It is important to note that abroad,  the PR and press advisory is also the distributor’s responsibility, besides the  entire sales management in those territories.</P>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p>We understand that there still is a huge potential market abroad for these    sandals. Its exploration can be carried out by other Brazilian companies or    even companies from other countries. This is the reason why Havaianas cannot    sit back on the success achieved internationally so far. The search for success    in the future depends on the conquest of international markets, and that is    the path the company intends to follow. Therefore, the business unit’s goal    until 2011 is that the company’s exports should represent around 15% of total    profits, since it is advisable that it continues to grow at a fast pace. As    Paulo Lalli (principal of Havaianas business unit) says: “The moment now is    to maintain the positioning achieved by the brand abroad and to increase the    sales volume.”</P>     <p><b>Findings</b></P>     <p>The  succes of an effective brand repositioning strategy, which started in the  internal market and was later widened abroad, should be analysed considering  some fundamental ideas concerning the marketing mix and its associations with  brand positioning. These factors may be understood in the following way. In the  first place, they should develop an integrated and combined analysis of the  marketing-mix variables, as proposed by Kotler and Keller (2006). This involves  trying to understand which changes are necessary at the product, price,  distribution and communication level, using public relations and press advisory  work in order to create spontaneous media and word-of-mouth, two forms of  communication with extreme credibility. These methods have shown themselves to  be more effective than communication through advertising. These changes in the  marketing-mix variables should be made in order to offer the target segments the  possibility of recognising in the brand some associations, preferably strong,  and immediately remembered by the consumer when he comes upon the brand. These  associations should be also favourable, positive for the brand, and unique,  since they stand out among the alternatives that can be found in the market  (Keller, 1998). Among the associations created, the organisation should try to  choose one to work with as a unique benefit associated with the brand, thus  becoming its positioning, that is, the element that distinguishes the brand from  the others (Ries and Trout, 1996).</P>     <p>At  the same time a strong brand creates a positioning, it becomes one of the most  sustainable and valuable competitive advantages (Porter, 1986), allowing the  company to be in a strong position compared to competitors. Besides this, in the  case analysed, the ability to manufacture with higher levels of flexibility  (Porter, 2007) allowed the company to produce a huge variety of products in  smaller quantities, thus allowing them to serve different markets – also a  source of competitive advantage. This supported, for example, adaptations that  occurred in the product according to the market needs.</P>     <p>It  is important to consider that in terms of the internationalisation process, it  also seems that the company followed an already well-established model. In fact,  the internationalisation strategy occurred in a gradual and sequential way  (Johanson and Vahlne 1977; Johanson and Wiedersheim-Paul 1975), since the  company tried initially to serve the most sophisticated consumers in the  domestic market, and later moved into other geographical markets which were  psychologically similar, such as other Latin American countries. There, the firm  gained experience that grounded its future moves to more distant countries.  </P>     <p>Finally, it is necessary to assess the standardisation versus adaptation dilemma    concerning these variables in the different markets. We believe that a superior    internationalisation policy can be found somewhere between both. In fact, from    an economic efficiency point of view, performance should be as uniform as possible,    considering the changes made in terms of marketing-mix policy. However, from    the market efficiency point of view, there are strong arguments pointing to    the need for adaptation. In this case, some changes were made in the marketing-mix    variables, such as the product, which was manufactured in a wide variety of    models and colours adjusted to local realities. Nevertheless, Havaianas kept    its basic raw material (rubber) untouched and the same in every country where    it can be found. This, of course, is also the case for the brand. In sum, adaptation    was more evident in the distribution and price, which are higher in foreign    countries than in Brazil.</P>     <p><b>Study limitations and suggestions for future research</b></P>     <p>The  use of only one case creates fewer possibilities of reproduction. However, we  were able to explore this case thoroughly. This article was intended to show how  Havaianas’s strategic decisions, whether in terms of brand repositioning in  Brazil and later in terms of internationalisation, were successfully applied.  One of the recipes for success seemed to be the creation of an integrated  communication plan, strongly featuring press advisory and public relations, to  widen its exposure in association with Brazilian and international  personalities. In future studies, it would be interesting to assess whether  similar results could be replicated in other Brazilian companies which are  looking to increase their intervention on the global stage, and how action of  this nature can reverse negative aspects associated with a “made in Brazil”  image (Bilkey and Nes 1982). As matter of fact, considering that the mark “made  in Brazil” may have both negative and positive associations worldwide, it would  be relevant to carry out a study to identify which other Brazilian industries  and brands could benefit from the allure created by the positioning associated  with values such as heat, sun, beaches, etc, in order to enter into the  international market. For that reason, a possible suggestion would be the  analysis of other businesses that could use these values as their brand’s strong  characteristics in international operations, for example bikini or natural juice  companies.</P>     <p>&nbsp;</P>     <p><b>REFERENCES</b></P>     ]]></body>
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<body><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp;</P>     <p>Submitted:  15.07.2010</P>     <p>Approved: 16.11.2010</P>      ]]></body><back>
<ref-list>
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<article-title xml:lang="pt"><![CDATA[A marca: o sinal, a missão e a imagem]]></article-title>
<source><![CDATA[Revista Portuguesa de Marketing]]></source>
<year>1999</year>
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