OPEN SOURCE
Session Seven :
Managing Global Brands
Idris Mootee CEO Idea Couture Inc.
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Oct 28, 2007

All brand names mentioned and logos included in this presentation are registered trademarks of their respective owners
and are legally protected. Their inclusion in this presentation is only for the purpose of illustration, criticism and
analysis.
Disclosure: Starbucks, Nike, Kitchen Aid, Jordan, Virgin, BMW, Nintendo, Crate & Barrel are clients of Blast Radius
Inc. which I was formerly employed as Senior VP and Chief Strategist. The mentioning of these names is solely for
academic purposes and should not be considered as case studies. The material here was prepared solely with public
information supported by the author’s analysis during the writing of book 60-Minite Brand Strategist which was
published in four languages. Other brand names including Levis, Apple, Mercedes Benz, Sony, Coca Cola, Macys,
Target, Daimler Chrysler mentioned here were at some point were clients of firms which I was formerly employed or co-
founded. No confidential or proprietary information were used or disclosed here
.
This series of presentation is designed to provide relevant and up-to-date information for brand and marketing
practitioners and it should not be used in marketing or rendering of professional services. Some rights reserved. Idris
Mootee 2001-2007. Presentation can be freely embedded in any website or blog under creative commons license with
prohibition of any commercial use.
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Why Global Brands?
Companies that brand their products
have various options when they market
and sell their products in multiple
countries. More and more companies see
global branding as a must.
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Three Key Questions
How do we strike the balance between a global brand
that shuns cultural barriers and one that allows for local
requirements?
What aspects of the brand policy can be adapted to
global use? Which ones should remain flexible?
Which brands are destined to become “global” mega-
brands? Which ones should be kept as “local brands”?
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The Case For Global Brands
Economies of scale. The development costs for
products launched under the global brand name
can be spread over large volumes.
Global brand has much more visibility than a local
brand and perceived market power and credibiity.
Global brands that can claim worldwide leadership
in their product category have even more clout.
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The Case Inter-Country Gaps
• History
• Competitive Climate
• Marketing Support
• Cultural Receptivity to Brands
• Product Penetration
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3 Things Global Brands Are Up Against
• Legal Constraints: localization
• Cultural barriers
• Patriotism
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Two Things To Consider
• What is the associated cost of creating and
maintaining awareness and associations for
local brand versus a global one?
• What are the significant economies of scale
in the development and running of a global
communication campaign?
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Transitioning to Global
Three strategic options:
• Fade-in/Fade-Out: The new global brand name is
somehow tied with the existing local brand name.
After a transition period, the old name will be dropped.
• Transparent Forewarning: Alerts the customers
about the brand name change is coming and manage
their expectations.
• Instand Axing: The company simply drops the old
brand name and immediately replaces it with a big
bang launch of a global name adoption.
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Transitioning to Global
Several drivers impact the composition of a
firm’s international product line
- Customer preferences
- Competitive Climate
- Organization Structure
- History
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Global Brand Positioning Challenges
• Relevance across markets
• Ensuring broad understanding across
organization
• Degree of adaptation permissible while being
true to brand essence
• Management of partners in consistent
implementation
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Achieving Cultural Relevance and Authenticity
• Cultural relevance is all about the seemingly small
issues needed to make brands feel friendly to a
consumer's culture, language, lifestyle, habits, values,
etc.
• Cultural relevance is more than translation!
– Customers notice \"abnormalities,” whether it’s an
Americanized way of writing dates, tonality of message,
or inappropriate syntax, graphics, colors, and many other
points of sensitivity.
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Challenges in Achieving Local Relevance:
Keeping The Classic Look and Taste Worldwide
• When Coca-Cola was first introduced
into China, Chinese characters selected
sounded like
Coca-Cola but actually meant, “bite the
wax tadpole.”
• In Russian, “enjoy” was changed to
“drink,” because “enjoy” has a particular
sensual connotation, in that language,
that doesn’t apply to soft drinks.
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Challenges in Achieving Local Relevance:
Keeping The Classic Look and Taste Worldwide
For all non-Roman alphabets —
such as Arabic, Cyrillic, Japanese,
Greek, and many others, unique,
proprietary Coca-Cola typefaces
were created that are both culturally
appropriate and in sync with the
company’s global image.
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Challenges in Achieving Local Relevance:
Keeping A Global Brand Reverent
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Challenges in Achieving Local Relevance:
Keeping A Global Brand Reverent
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Challenges in Achieving Local Relevance:
Extending Global In The Virtual World
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Challenges in Achieving Local Relevance:
Brand Management Is Always a Challenge
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Challenges in Achieving Local Relevance:
Pepsi Global Restyling
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Session seven of eight.
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