The book · Second edition
Explore the Book’s Second Edition
A practical playbook for business leaders, marketing professionals, students and educators who want to understand how products and brands enter the United States. Short, direct and built around the decisions a U.S. market entry actually requires.
Wilbert Kragten
Mastering the Marketing Entry
in the United States
The marketing playbook and the vital role of product positioning
What is inside
Five parts, one decision framework
01
Ten steps of marketing entry
The ten critical factors that determine successful product positioning for European firms entering the U.S. — from decoding regional consumer behaviour to messages that resonate locally.
02
Site selection
Where to land. Biotech and medtech are near-decided — Boston or San Diego. For everyone else, the book walks through the trade-offs.
03
Marketing toolbox
Research tools to pinpoint trends, understand consumer behaviour and map competitive landscapes, plus methods for audience insight that drive positioning.
04
Cheat sheets
Quick reference for the unique challenges of the U.S. landscape — practical prompts you can take into a planning session.
05
Five legal steps
The regulatory groundwork of launching a brand in the United States, covering the essential compliance steps.
About the author
Wilbert Kragten
Author of Mastering the Marketing Entry in the United States. His experience gives the book its grounding; the frameworks, cases and decisions remain the focus.
Read more about Wilbert Kragten, explore the WDK 10-Step U.S. Market Entry Framework the book presents, or start with the guide to U.S. market entry.
Published book and second edition
Independently published by WDK, the first edition appeared in 2024 under ISBN 9798343913620. The second edition followed in 2025, extending the playbook for a changing U.S. market.
Three decades in international marketing
More than thirty years across markets and cultures inform how the book compares European assumptions with the realities of American buyers.
Leadership across Europe, Asia and the U.S.
His career includes leading BSUR’s Shanghai operation and, from Cambridge, working with leadership teams on U.S. market entry, positioning and go-to-market decisions.
Speaker and CMOtalk USA co-host
Wilbert has presented branding methodology at Hult International Business School in Shanghai and now co-hosts CMOtalk USA, a forum for senior marketing leaders.
Published and covered internationally
He publishes on U.S. market entry and marketing change, while his international agency work has been covered by Campaign, Adformatie and LBBOnline.
Experience made practical
The book turns that background into a concise decision framework for business leaders, marketing professionals, students and educators—not a profile of its author.
The student edition
Designed for students and aspiring marketing professionals: a clear, concise introduction to market entry strategy and product positioning in the U.S., with case studies and practical tools — at a reduced price.
Ask about the student editionThe audiobook
Prefer to listen? The full playbook is available on Spotify and more than thirty other audiobook platforms.
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