Abstract:

The historic changes in Central Europe have opened up new worlds and opportunities for its peoples. The paper's objective is to prove that it is possible to conduct research with both sensitivity and insight in an emerging economy - research which provides the marketing manager with real direction. The paper concentrates upon Poland since it is the second largest market after the "Soviet Union" and the first to emerge from Socialism in 1989. The paper analyses and discusses the results of a series of studies which have been conducted since January 1990 and includes data from a study conducted specifically for this paper. Special attention is drawn to the fact that the image of Western companies and their products has been damaged through lack of marketing support, poor distribution and supply and inappropriate and uninformative advertising. The paper concludes that it is only companies who take the long term view and painstakingly establish a heritage and equity for their brands who can expect long term and sustained growth.