Home Depot Fails in ChinaBy, Ashley Harer

What is The Home Depot?

• The Home Depot is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services.

When did stores open in China?

• Entered the Chinese market in 2006• 12 stores in total• All stores were closed by 2012

Why did it not work?

• Home Depot conceded that it misread the coutry’s appetite for do-it-yourself products. “The market trend says this is more of a do-it-for-me culture,” a Home Depot spokeswoman said of China. –according to the Wall Street Journal

• People connected more with stores like Ikea where everything you need for a project is all together

My Recommendation

• More research• Interview locals• Understand the culture• Change layout of stores to be more helpful• In-store examples of easy ways to accomplish

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Dasani Fails in Europe

What is Dasani

• Coca Cola’s bottled water brand

Why did it not work?

• Taglines like “Bottled Spunk” and “Can’t live without spunk”

• Meant to symbolize youth in US, totally different meaning in UK

What else?

• UK consumers had problem with Dasani coming from ‘pure’ sources and not from natural mineral or spring sources

• The Food Standards Agency began investigation

• Coca-Cola pulled all 500,000 bottles off shelf and abandoned European launch

My Recommendation

• Take into account what similar successful products are doing

• Research more for a more appropriate tagline• Get your water from natural mineral or spring

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