While global branding remains a hot topic, it is often improperly implemented. A company or organization cannot establish a global brand without making a commitment to a new marketing strategy, one that speaks the same languages as the various markets with honesty and fairness.

All companies—especially U.S.-based organizations—need to combat the perception in global markets that business standards are at an all-time low. To overcome this obstacle and establish a global brand, your company must return to marketing basics. The most critical marketing strategy is to understand your markets better.

Your company can successfully implement a global brand if it accepts that your marketing plan, advertising campaigns, and current brand may not resonate in the same ways across different countries and markets. McDonald’s, for example, clearly has marketed itself differently in various countries by identifying its unique selling proposition (USP). The restaurant chain’s primary USP has always been service and cleanliness; therefore, a country allowing McDonald’s inside its borders is guaranteed fast and consistent service and clean facilities. Another USP is Ronald McDonald, the recognizable “spokesperson” for the restaurant chain. He celebrates Christmas in Northern Europe and promotes wine in France and Filet-o-Fish in Australia. In the United States, his focus is the Ronald McDonald House.

The purpose of global branding is to conceive of and control a brand’s global direction, a goal accomplished by defining and communicating the brand’s core values. The communication succeeds by creating and consistently applying a specific style, tone, and image. A fundamental shift in your organization’s philosophy is essential.

Philosophical Shift

Gathering key people from a particular country to discuss best practices may represent a huge shift in a company’s philosophy. Utilizing a think tank in every country will allow you to see commonalities across borders. Why not gather industry experts within geographic regions and survey their values and needs? A “world tour” will assist you in developing a global brand. It is critical to shift your company’s philosophy from how you traditionally market to one where you tailor your marketing campaigns to individual markets. The market in which you work cannot limit your ideas. The successful company is one that faces the challenge of shifting its marketing philosophies to accommodate different countries and cultures.

Market Segmentation

The global market is too large to reach efficiently and too diverse to communicate with in only one way. A basic marketing method is to divide the market into groups of potential customers with similar characteristics. Dividing the total market into segments allows you to focus marketing efforts on particular buyers with specific messages. Identifying target markets is pivotal to marketing a successful global brand.

Next, your marketing plan research will require you to focus on the four traditional market segments more than ever:

• Demographics. Age, gender, occupation, income, business-to-business markets, and industry classifications are a few examples of ways in which you can segment information and recognize people. Through your research you may also discover new commonalities among the segments. In theory, there is no limit to the number of demographic segment combinations.
• Geographic segmentation. Where people live has a significant influence on their buying patterns. Market segmentation options may include a particular region of a country, climates, or type of environment.
• Psychological segmentation. Why do customers behave in certain ways? Psychological segmentation examines customers’ values, attitudes, lifestyles, interests, activities, or personalities. A customer’s psychological makeup often will determine a global brand’s success or failure.
• Behavior segmentation. Dividing the market into groups that share habits, preferences or purposes is powerful. You can see what people do rather than who they are, what they say, where they live or what their lifestyles are. These behaviors will provide great insight into a culture.

Focusing on the traditional marketing method of segmentation for every continent, country and region will help you in identifying product or service needs. You will also be able to make more informed business decisions that will yield more profit and demonstrate that you really care about diversity.

An effective global brand requires customized communications that accommodate cultural, linguistic and philosophical differences. Local knowledge is vital to successful marketing. If you really want to succeed at global branding, be true to your brand. Think globally while respecting and working in the local mindset. 

Michele Wierzgac, MSEd, speaker and author, promises that you will leave her solution-driven keynotes and workshops with at least one passionate, life transforming, leadership tool – something that will change the way you seek out a solution and practically apply it without getting stuck.

Email Michele at [email protected] or give her a call at (708) 710-7055!