Pan-European Marketing Ten Years After 1993–A Current Appraisal and Proposed Conceptual Framework

SUMMARY

Ten years ago there was considerable discussion of “pan-European” marketing in response to the Single European Market. This article reviews the strategic marketing issues facing Europe today. Based upon the core issue of segmentation, it outlines a countervailing set of drivers towards and against European convergence, and proposes a European marketing convergence framework. Evidence is found for increasing European convergence. The article then examines the implications for marketing decisions and outlines some of the resulting strategic marketing options. Over the ten-year period since the symbolic SEM date of 1993, pan-European marketing appears to be an emerging reality.

KEYWORDS:

• Pan-European marketing
• European strategic marketing options
• European marketing convergence
• segmentation