This essay examines the role of global marketing research in supporting VinFast’s transition from a domestic Vietnamese automaker to an international electric vehicle competitor. The analysis focuses on how marketing research can address foreign consumer expectations, safety perceptions and competitive positioning. It also considers the risks associated with domestic assumptions, particularly the self-reference criterion, and illustrates how consumer insights may prompt product adaptation. Concepts from global marketing literature are applied to provide a structured evaluation suitable for understanding international market entry strategies.
The Importance of Marketing Research in Foreign Markets
Global marketing research serves as a systematic process for gathering and interpreting data on international consumers, enabling firms to reduce uncertainty when entering new markets (Hollensen, 2020). For VinFast, research is essential to uncover differences in consumer expectations regarding vehicle range, charging infrastructure compatibility and after-sales service. In European and North American markets, buyers often prioritise sustainability credentials and digital connectivity features, whereas Vietnamese consumers may place greater emphasis on affordability and brand prestige. Without primary data collection through surveys or focus groups, these variations remain obscured.
Safety perceptions represent another critical area. International consumers frequently associate new entrants from emerging economies with lower build quality, an assumption that can be tested only through targeted perception studies and comparative testing against established brands. Research findings may then inform communication strategies that highlight crash-test results or third-party certifications. Competitive positioning likewise depends on mapping rival offerings, pricing structures and distribution channels in each target country, tasks that rely on secondary data from industry reports alongside primary competitor audits.
Domestic Assumptions and the Self-Reference Criterion
Reliance on domestic assumptions frequently leads to the self-reference criterion (SRC), whereby managers unconsciously evaluate foreign markets through the lens of their home culture (Lee, 1966). In VinFast’s case, a Vietnamese-centric view might assume that aggressive pricing and rapid model proliferation will replicate domestic success abroad. Yet such assumptions can overlook differing regulatory environments and consumer scepticism toward unfamiliar brands. The SRC may also distort safety messaging; what constitutes credible reassurance in Vietnam may appear insufficient in markets where independent verification is expected.
To mitigate SRC effects, firms should implement a four-step corrective process: define the domestic business problem, define the same problem in the foreign cultural context, isolate SRC influences, and redefine the problem without domestic bias (Cateora, Graham and Gilly, 2020). Marketing research functions as the principal mechanism for executing this process by supplying objective cross-cultural data that challenge ethnocentric perspectives.
Consumer Insights Driving Product Adaptation
Consumer insight derived from marketing research can directly influence product adaptation decisions. Suppose survey evidence reveals that prospective German buyers regard a 400 km range as the minimum acceptable threshold, while Vietnamese respondents find a 300 km range adequate. In response, VinFast might develop a long-range battery variant or software updates that optimise energy consumption under colder European climates. Similarly, insight into safety perceptions could prompt the addition of higher-grade materials or additional driver-assistance systems not required in the domestic specification.
Such adaptation aligns with the standardisation-adaptation continuum discussed in global marketing literature (Schmid and Kotulla, 2011). Rather than pursuing a fully standardised global model, research-informed adaptation permits selective modifications that enhance local relevance while preserving core platform efficiencies. This approach reduces the likelihood of costly market failures arising from misaligned product offerings.
Conclusion
Effective global marketing research enables VinFast to comprehend divergent consumer expectations, counteract negative safety perceptions and establish credible competitive positioning. Awareness of the self-reference criterion remains vital to prevent domestic assumptions from undermining international strategy. Ultimately, consumer insights provide the empirical foundation for targeted product adaptations that balance global scale with local responsiveness, thereby supporting more sustainable market entry outcomes.
References
- Cateora, P.R., Graham, J.L. and Gilly, M.C. (2020) International marketing. 18th edn. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
- Hollensen, S. (2020) Global marketing. 8th edn. Harlow: Pearson Education.
- Lee, J.A. (1966) Cultural analysis in overseas operations. Harvard Business Review, 44(2), pp. 106–114.
- Schmid, S. and Kotulla, T. (2011) 50 years of research on international standardization and adaptation: From a systematic literature analysis to future research directions. International Business Review, 20(5), pp. 491–507.
