International Recognition of Own Brands - The Case of the Portuguese Footwear Industry

Portugal is one of the world’s largest footwear exporters and a leader in the fashion footwear segment However, these exports are mostly under private level brands, and not own brands. The aim of this work is to analyse strategies for the implementation of own brands within the scope of International Trade, pursuing international recognition. The exploratory investigation is based on a questionnaire to companies, owners of own brands and with international experience. Most of the companies studied are growing, family-based SMEs. The results indicate that Portuguese brands exhibit at European fairs, with little international recognition (contrary to what happens with the footwear industry). With the application of the Principal Component Analysis, it is concluded that the classic means of promotion and the new means of communication via social networks are not seen in an integrated, complementary way. Analysing the interdependence of the main components, it is concluded that when the industry's action is relevant in the business perspective, it appears that there is a significant number of companies that follow these initiatives. Only companies with development/innovation work show motivation to create their own brands. International recognition is explained by the promotion of the sector and the export dynamics of companies.