How Geo- Cultural differences Impact in making Brands Iconic
How Geo-Cultural differences Impact in making Brands Iconic
This
blog is part of #Brandhorizonbusiness talks –Leading the present,Shaping the
future at http://www.brandhorizon.net/blog
One
of the greatest challenges International Companies face is to be able to
successfully build Brand culture and Reputation effectively across countries . A good brand perception in the home country
does not necessarily guarantee success Internationally. International players
who seek to market products globally need to be culture conscious and make some
minimum efforts to understand local sensitivities . And by that , I certainly
do not try to convey for a moment that
International ethos, quality standards and cultures need to be
compromised locally . In fact, that is one of the greatest pitch points that Multinational
organizations can use to demonstrate commitment to underlying values that form
part of their Brand Identity.
However,
the business objectives can be achieved in a more effective and non offensive
way if only the marketers can genuinely
pay attention to certain minor sensitivities of
the local markets and try to
relate well to the consumers . It will go a long way in building
confidence, trust and nurturing long term relationships with the
customers. Cost of rebuilding a lost
customer is atleast 10x of cost of retaining a good custom.
Challenges
that may arise are varied ,like
- Differences in Perception on the functional appeal for a product and consequent innovation strategies.
- · Differences in Marketers being able to manage the language challenge.
- · Marketers respect for local culture ,festivities and social practices and Demographic spread of the region.
- · Healthy trust sensitive to local economic environment and conventional business practices.
- · Optimum mix of Online and traditional marketing.
Well
known Companies like Volvo have invested significant sums in their Branding
budgets to evaluate perceptions in different geographic regions they serve and
map their marketing strategies accordingly.
Here’s
a quote from Mindshift Interactive research report “Brands like Coco Cola and Patanjali have been particularly active in marketing
through regional channels on Social media. According to the report local
language users will increase to 42% by Dec 2016 amounting to 180 million out of
328 million active Internet users”
Here
is another – “ Target retailer’s CFO Cathy Smith announced a $ 20 million
renovation plan to make sure all its US stores
offer single toilet bathrooms for any customer who would not prefer to
us designated male or female facilities. Move addresses transgender customer
and employee concerns about wanting a gender- neutral male or female facility –
in addition to gender specific bathrooms”. Consequent Internal branding to be
able to prepare marketers to think International is key to Cross border brand
perception building .
A
little attention towards these aspects would go a long way in building a
harmonious and sustaining relationship with local team and customers and the
organization could discover great synergy notwithstanding the Nationality
divide. To put the long story short, the International marketers need to be
picked carefully by evaluating personality in terms of the right disposition,
tolerance levels and adaptability because these factors determine if they
strengthen or break well built bridges and relationships.
At Brandhorizon, we can help you enhance your International Brand reach and
Reputation – Online and Offline- and strengthen your Brands to a sustainable
level.
#Brandhorizon is an International Branding agency in India that
offers
· International
Branding and Marketing Consultancy Services