The new face of corporate patriotism: does being “local” matter to stakeholders?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss how foreign firms can successfully use an innovative marketing communication strategy based on the notion of corporate patriotic appeal to better promote their activities within the countries they operate. Design/methodology/approach – This article uses case study analysis and focus group discussions to link current business practices with stakeholder perceptions of corporate patriotism. Findings – There is an emerging trend in corporate communication strategies where corporate patriotism is increasingly used as an effective marketing strategy by both domestic and foreign firms. It was also found that corporate patriotism is an important value across four stakeholder groups which include consumers, investors, employees and community members. Originality/value – This article identifies a new marketing communication strategy that can be used by multinational enterprises to better promote their activities in the local community within which they operate and among key stakeholder groups. This is particularly important at a time when many multinational enterprises run different operations in multiple countries and, as a result, are often exposed to extensive negative publicity.