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Marketing communication strategies for chinese automotive OEMs operating in South Africa: the role of diversity in consumer decision-making
Mini Dissertation (MPhil (Corporate Strategy))--University of Pretoria, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613569874395136 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Rosenbaum, Stephen |
| author_browse | Rosenbaum, Stephen |
| author_facet | Rosenbaum, Stephen |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2025 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Mini Dissertation (MPhil (Corporate Strategy))--University of Pretoria, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/109287 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:38:14.452Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/109287 Marketing communication strategies for chinese automotive OEMs operating in South Africa: the role of diversity in consumer decision-making Rosenbaum, Stephen ichelp@gibs.co.za Khumalo, Mmathapelo UCTD Chinese automotive OEMs South Africa Inclusive marketing Diversity Homophily Institutional theory Consumer decision-making Automotive marketing Mini Dissertation (MPhil (Corporate Strategy))--University of Pretoria, 2025. Chinese automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have expanded rapidly in South Africa, yet performance is uneven when global playbooks meet a super‑diverse market where cultural legitimacy, identity alignment and informal institutions (e.g., language, dignity norms, community values) shape how consumers decode brand messages. This study explores how marketing communication strategies can be designed to align with South Africa’s plural consumer base and how diversity cues influence decision‑making in a high‑involvement category. An integrated lens, Institutional Theory (macro), Homophily (meso) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB)(micro) guides the inquiry. An exploratory qualitative design combined four online focus groups (FG1–FG4) (South African consumers) and a document/content analysis of recent brand communications by OEMs operating locally (including Chinese OEMs). The data was analysed thematically and triangulated to strengthen credibility and generate practice‑proximal insights. The research setting was Gauteng, reflecting South Africa’s socio‑cultural heterogeneity and media density. Findings converge on eight themes, the salience of localised language and cultural relevance, the positive yet fragile effects of representation (risk of tokenism and backlash), patterns of marketing exclusion/disconnect, the role of storytelling in emotional resonance, entrenched brand heritage and generational loyalty, indecisive attitudes toward Chinese brands, multi‑factor purchase dynamics (value, reliability, financing, service coverage) and peer‑based homophily and social proof that amplify or dampen purchase intention. Across cases, attitudes and subjective norms are moved by identity‑congruent cues, while perceived behavioural control (PBC) hinges on transparent finance and aftersales architectures. The study delivers a context‑sensitive framework that sequences institutional fit (what communications must signal to be legitimate), identity congruence (how cues are read as “for people like me/us”) and intention levers (attitudes, norms, control) to translate communication fit into action. Managerially, it specifies four design imperatives, vernacular language strategy, representation beyond surface tokens, community activation and credible sources and post‑purchase relationship architectures that sustain trust. Theoretically, the work localises inclusive‑marketing scholarship to an African, super‑diverse context and advances a multi‑level pathway from norms to choice. Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) MPhil (Corporate Strategy) Unrestricted Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) SDG-10: Reduces inequalities 2026-03-25T06:21:56Z 2026-03-25T06:21:56Z 2026-05-05 2025 Mini Dissertation * A2025 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/109287 en © 2025 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | UCTD Chinese automotive OEMs South Africa Inclusive marketing Diversity Homophily Institutional theory Consumer decision-making Automotive marketing Marketing communication strategies for chinese automotive OEMs operating in South Africa: the role of diversity in consumer decision-making |
| title | Marketing communication strategies for chinese automotive OEMs operating in South Africa: the role of diversity in consumer decision-making |
| title_full | Marketing communication strategies for chinese automotive OEMs operating in South Africa: the role of diversity in consumer decision-making |
| title_fullStr | Marketing communication strategies for chinese automotive OEMs operating in South Africa: the role of diversity in consumer decision-making |
| title_full_unstemmed | Marketing communication strategies for chinese automotive OEMs operating in South Africa: the role of diversity in consumer decision-making |
| title_short | Marketing communication strategies for chinese automotive OEMs operating in South Africa: the role of diversity in consumer decision-making |
| title_sort | marketing communication strategies for chinese automotive oems operating in south africa the role of diversity in consumer decision making |
| topic | UCTD Chinese automotive OEMs South Africa Inclusive marketing Diversity Homophily Institutional theory Consumer decision-making Automotive marketing |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/109287 |