ABSTRACT
The importance of values in understanding consumer behavior has been amply acknowledged in existing research. Many marketing practitioners planning to do business in Eastern Europe erroneously assume that the Eastern European market is relatively similar in terms of the value structure of consumers across different countries in that region. This paper argues that there are substantial differences between consumer segments in the various countries in the area, since their belief systems have been shaped by different environmental influences and cautions against the use of a regiocentric approach to marketing in Eastern Europe. To illustrate these differences, a cross-cultural study of instrumental and terminal values held by different demographic segments in two East European countries, Poland and Romania, was conducted. The findings suggest that demographic segmentation can be effectively used for identifying and targeting consumers with different value structures in Poland, but, for Romania, demographic segmentation has practically no utility in this respect. Several managerial implications of the findings are discussed. [Article copies available from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678.]
