How to build a global brand

One of the most attractive returns in the business world is the global brand. A global brand allows tremendous economies of scale, especially in investment in marketing communications. However, these economies of scale can be achieved only if the impact of the trade mark is not sacrificed in the process.

This does not seem to be a contradiction in terms? How can Brand, which is typically optimized for a specific market and a specific offer to be implemented in all countries are very different and work equally hard for all markets and all the offers?

After all, the countries are different. They have different histories and cultures. So, a brand that is designed for one country may not be generally suitable for another. It 's all we can to overcome this problem? How do we build a global brand without making it unsuitable for some markets?

Yes, you can. It requires much more discipline, and to develop brand positioning architecture that is suitable for all countries, and for the development of the elements of the brand design and communication of the brand in each country for each product offering. We difficult, developing a global positioning for a brand that is associated with such offer of different products in different countries, and support with design elements of the brand and brand communication that can take advantage of local cultural idioms.

The foundation of a global brand positioning must penetrate beneath all the layers of cultural differences to fundamental human values ​​and aspirations. Every global brand architecture, has four levels of thrust.

1. The deepest level of thrust is the human being (as opposed to local) on the grounds that may be faced with the offer. Take an example of a global brand in an up-to-date product category - telecommunications - ATandT. Let's say we have services to consumers wireline, wireless, consumer services and business broadband services. Here's the crucial point. We must seek the most common human motivation-all telecommunications applications, including all three types of telecommunications, they can face. We have to leave the product and start with the customer, be they individuals or institutions. The single greatest motivation for telecommunications customers, both individual and institutional investors in our time - is to go forward in a highly competitive environment. Individuals must go on for their own subsistence, because in today's world, not to advance is to fall back and fall into oblivion. So the thrust deeper level is the most powerful advantage for the customer, to help clients move forward.

We call this the strategic advantage for the customer. Note: It is an advantage for the customer, not a product benefit. Telecommunications, including various types of telecommunication, perform a critical function to get ahead. We live in a reality network. Almost everything is done through people and functions that work together toward common goals with the flow of information between them. Reliable telecommunications is critical to obtain or provide additional information as soon as possible - both by those who have it - or for those who need it, respectively. Getting the right information before, or right before delivering education, are perhaps the most important functions to getting ahead, if one is an individual or an institution. This is an advantage universally true and powerful, and can be addressed by all three types of supply of telecommunications products.

2. The second of the four-layer architecture of global brand positioning is the key product benefit that contributes to the strategic advantage for the customer. In the case of telecommunications, this is clearly reliability. This is because where there is little or no reliable information needed to move forward is less likely to be received or delivered, thus compromising the performance and endangering the ability to go forward. Of course, is not sufficient just to claim reliability. The current technology of telecommunications must be reliable, or at least enough to maintain reliable communication of critical information loss to a minimum. Again, even at this level, no matter if the product is a kind of telecommunications or another. What is crucial is that any type of telecommunication is available, it must actually be reliable, although it may not yet be fully reliable. As with the deepest layer of customer-based benefits of motivation, the deepest layer of the second benefit product is also true in all countries where the company operates.

3. The third of four-layer architecture of global brand positioning is the current technology that makes the functional benefit of strategic product possible, and can be called the support strategic product. In the case of wireline services to consumers, the technology can be a fiber network than in the case of wireless consumer technology can be an upper switch, and in the case of broadband services to institutional, technology can be superior customer service. Regardless of what country may have one or more of these different communication technologies that will support all the strategic benefit of the same product, which in turn will support the strategic benefit of the same customer.

4. The last of the four layers of an architecture of the global positioning of the label is the attribute that is more convincing only, and that can not be used by the telecommunications services competitors. In the case of ATandT, this could be the "world leader in telecommunications", or something to that effect, which supports the three deepest layers of the architecture of positioning so that both stands out and does it in a way that is unique to this brand of telecommunications.

Together, these four levels of global brand positioning to work together, but differently in each country, without being inconsistent everywhere, both in vertical chains of causality, or horizontally, in terms of specific types of products offered in each the country.

Of course, the brand and design elements must be consistent with the character of the world's leading brand in the telecommunications sector. However, the actual content and design of all communications, whether in advertising, brochures, or website, using language and situations according to the local culture, while remaining consistent with the global positioning and brand design.

This is like a global brand can be an exquisitely crafted conceptual structure. The language, metaphors and situations are used in communications of brand names may be unique in each market, but the architecture, brand positioning, design elements of the brand and the brand character remains the same all over the world....