The role of seeding in multi-market entry

Using both formal analysis and complex systems simulations, we find that strategies that disperse marketing efforts, such as support-the-weak and uniform strategies, are generally superior to support-the-strong strategy. Not only is this finding surprisingly robust to market conditions and variations on these strategies, but it also runs counter to conventional wisdom prevailing in international marketing. The conditions under which support-the-strong policy might become more effective include: (a) fixed entry or operation costs above a certain level; and (b) substantial variance between regions in responsiveness to marketing efforts. However, variance in intrinsic innovativeness between regions does not imply the superiority of support-the-strong strategy.