Crafting a Dual-Market Strategy : A case study of Burberry

Abstract: In today’s competitive environment, companies compete for the same customers. Therefore, it is important to be able to satisfy the ever changing needs of customers. Companies can satisfy customer demand by learning about the customer and by alternating offerings in accordance to changing needs. These are actions undertaken by market driven companies. Alternatively, market driving companies satisfy customer demand by being creative and by focusing on customers’ future needs, an action which implies educating customers. However, there are also companies which pursue both of these strategies simultaneously. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine how companies implement a dual-market strategy, and how the strategy is incorporated into the business. Based on literature on closely related research fields, a framework is developed. This framework suggests that certain components influence a dual-market strategy. A study is conducted on the luxury fashion company Burberry. Through semi-structured interviews with employees at Burberry, this study investigates how the company’s use of a dual-market strategy affects the organisational culture and vision. The results indicate that the phenomenon of duality is noticeable in the company’s culture and vision. Due to the lack of research on a dual-market strategy, this study attempts to provide a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of duality. Companies can use the conclusions drawn from this study, as guidelines for how to pursue a dual-market strategy. However, more research is necessary before any generalisations can be made.