LG Electronics Inc.: Breaking the Ice in the North American Market for Refrigerators

The case focuses on LG Electronics' entry into the US market and its efforts to develop a premium brand, highlighting the specific instance of refrigerators which played a key role in the establishment of the firm's image. Entering the world's largest market proves to be a formidable challenge, particularly in a category that is mature and when the entrant is from a newly industrialized country in Asia, namely Korea.

The case reveals how LG Electronics went about trying to establish a premium brand image in the US, following a series of earlier failed attempts. It allows for a discussion of key issues around customer focus, organizational characterisitics and organizational alignment in successfully entering and establishing oneself in a new market.