The market entry scorecard: 10 questions before you commit to any new market
Whether you are an overseas brand entering China or a Chinese brand expanding to Europe and the Middle East, the same 10 questions predict success or failure. Score yourself honestly.
Positioning & product
1) Is your brand story specific enough to survive translation — and interesting enough to be retold locally? 2) Does your hero product fit local usage rituals, climate and preferences? 3) Is your price architecture defensible against both local competitors and grey-market leakage? If any answer is no, fix positioning before spending on channels.
Channels & partners
4) Do you know which two channels matter most in the target market — and which to explicitly ignore in year one? 5) Is your first partner a launchpad or a toll booth — what does the contract really lock you into? 6) Who owns the consumer relationship and the data? 7) What is your exit option if the partner underperforms?
Resourcing & sequencing
8) Is someone senior accountable for this market, on the ground or near it? 9) Is your budget sequenced — compliance and positioning first, amplification second — or is it a flat monthly spend that will run out mid-journey? 10) Do you have a 90-day validation milestone that lets you double down or stop cheaply? Brands that answer all ten well almost always win; brands that skip to question 8 almost always struggle.
AC2 Collective Weekly Market Insights · Issue 14
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