Exploring Market Driving: A Case Study of De Beers in China

Theorists have highlighted the issue of ‘market driving’ wherein, in contrast to focusing on being close and listening to the market/customer (market driven), the firm ‘leads the customer’ or reshapes the markets to their own requirements. This study aims to present an empirical study of market driving that generates insights into not only what factors lead a firm into a market driving approach but also how market driving occurs in practice. A review of existing literature reveals that while a range of contributions have considerably advanced our understanding of both market driven and more recently, of market driving organizations, few empirical studies have been presented. Consequently, this study presents an exploratory case study of De Beers in China as a potentially valuable source of insights, complemented by a propositional inventory. The case of De Beers proposes that two factors lead to the adoption of a market driving approach, namely; customer familiarity and preconceptions of product characteristics, and the extent of market control. This study also contributes insights into the nature and dynamics of market driving. In particular, four tenets of market driving are identified as; market sensing, changing customer preferences, channel control through relationship formation, and local sensitivity. The study culminates with series of conclusions and implications.