The Guide to Translation and Localization: Evolution of Global Marketing

By Lingo Systems,
Portland, OR, U.S.A.

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Chapter 20: Evolution of Global Marketing

by Steve Marshall

It is a fact that companies large and small are continuously looking for new ways to reach deeper into markets domestically and more recently around the world. As markets globalize, and in some ways become more homogeneous, it becomes vitally important to identify unique niches and opportunities. In order to do this, companies must effectively differentiate themselves from their competition, and even more critically, articulate that difference in an effective way that will resonate with varied audiences and cultures.

Steven Marshall The New Group President Steve has spent more than 20 years leading successful international marketing strategy programs from both client and agency perspectives. His global business perspective is defined by having lived for 13 years in Asia/Pacific. Steve is fluent in Japanese and is a frequent speaker and article contributor on marketing in Asia. Prior to being an owner of The New Group, Steve was responsible for setting up and managing teams in Singapore, Japan, Australia, China and India for several global experiential marketing firms.

You might ask, "How do you predict the behavior of a local audience, especially if you're marketing abroad?" In this article we will take a look at the process of communicating your brand story and the inherent challenges that arise when you decide to take the process a step further into the global marketplace. You will see that it is imperative to approach the opportunity knowing the rules will be different than your in home market, that you need to educate yourself on the differences, and that you should embrace compromise. Lastly, but critically important, you must choose your partners carefully. A great partner will know the local conditions that can position you for success.

Over the past several years, The New Group has noticed a significant shift in the way in which successful brands are communicated. For the sake of this discussion, we will take the liberty of drawing a direct correlation between a company's brand and its marketing of its products and services. Realistically, a brand is far more than just the expression of its product marketing.

Historically, global companies have marketed products and services with what we call an "It is" methodology. The thought being that in order to compete, and therefore to differentiate a brand, the marketing platform had to be extremely descriptive, usually focused singularly on FEATURES. In the technical sector this is known as promoting the "speeds and feeds." Marketing tactics and campaigns have been, in essence, driven by a theory of one-upmanship vs. the competition.

The second phase of marketing evolution has led to what we call the "You Can" mindset, focusing on what one can achieve with the product or service. Companies trying to evolve beyond the competitive realm of feature sets are now obsessed with articulating the BENEFITS of their brand, products or services. Truthfully, this is the cornerstone of most companies' global marketing programs today. Campaigns tend to show how usage either eliminates some kind of roadblock or provides an appealing convenience factor. Although this has been an effective platform both domestically and internationally, we are now faced with the reality that most companies market from a benefits perspective; therefore, it's harder and harder to distinguish true differentiation. As a result, we are now seeing signs, once again, of brand confusion and message clutter that previously overtook the "It is" approach.

A relatively small number of companies have successfully taken the leap to the next stage of marketing evolution, what we call the "I feel" platform. These companies have a bold vision to differentiate by capturing a true EMOTIONAL connection with their customers. This happens at the campaign level when there is an extremely strong connection between a powerful, targeted messaging platform that speaks to a given audience, not at the audience, with a captivating, creative approach that drives the viewer to experience the brand. International companies lead the way in defining this approach. If you have ever seen a European or Asian advertisement you will understand. In many cases they rely heavily on visual stimulation and are light on hard sell messaging. Automobile manufacturers such as BMW and Mercedes Benz as well as entertainment brands Disney and Virgin Atlantic have done a wonderful job getting customers to emotionally connect with their brands. On purely a campaign front, MasterCard's "For everything else, there's MasterCard" succeeds at this level, as does GE's "Imagination at Work."

The New Group believes that the final stage and the ultimate goal of brand evolution is that of "I am." At this level, customers truly ASSIMILATE a company's brand promise and virtually form a self-identity attached to the brand, product, or service. To achieve this status, companies need a prolonged, successful ability to communicate an emotional connection to their customers. Needless to say this doesn't happen overnight, and it's anything but just marketing success. It stems from a company's ability to deliver repeated innovation, quality, and leadership in all that it does. It takes a consistent and evocative message that can be articulated at every possible customer touch point. When you think of companies that have done this globally, Apple quickly comes to mind; they are renowned for owning technology and design innovation. In truth, Apple invests considerable efforts in living this brand's personality, as each product conforms to the idea of clean, simple, and easy to understand product design. Their innovation has a way of driving new trends in the market, instead of simply responding to them.

Others that own this elite recognition are Nike's "Just do it" platform and Coca-Cola's "I feel Coke" - to name a few.

What to think about when marketing internationally

Now that we have explored the evolution of marketing strategy, let's dig into the topic of how to take your marketing programs overseas. At The New Group, we spedalize in the process of guiding clients through the often confusing and turbulent waters of marketing abroad.

Over the years, we have come to appreciate that when marketing abroad, there is a lot to be learned from the perspective of international colleagues and/or partners. In many cases there are both local realities and misconceptions that drive the outcome of a given marketing program's success. When communicating abroad, we need to remember the reality that humans everywhere are all quite ethnocentric in their beliefs and approaches.

In order to provide a two-sided overview on the realities of international marketing, we will provide some hypothetical commentary, based on first hand experience on how (your) international colleagues or agency partners may view your challenges from their perspective. It is important to note that there is a significant difference in the effort and process required to implement an isolated, one-time marketing tactic vs. implementing a holistic campaign that has multiple client impressions over a period of time.

Let us start from the presumption that you have already evaluated the business opportunity and that you have validated the need to market in a different country. Here is a simple guide to the steps involved in implementing a global marketing campaign:

1. Discovery - Understand the market, customer needs and the competition - localize.

2. Definition - Clearly define the objectives, strategies and framework of solutions for the campaign. Objectives should be SMART:

a. Specific

b. Measurable

с. Attainable

d. Realistic

e. Timeframe

3. Development - Ensure the appropriate time, review, budget and resources are available to successfully deliver the project plan.

4. Delivery - Manage all phases and all tactics of program execution against the campaign plan and begin measuring the program's effectiveness immediately.

5. Discovery - Post campaign measurement is critical to having the ROI data to validate the effectiveness of the program, which ultimately drives future campaign decision making.

When thinking of getting started, companies tend to be faced with one of three realities:

1. You already have an international presence and have staff that can be leveraged to assist in-country - Remember that your international colleagues come from different cultural backgrounds and will likely have different perspectives on what will be effective in their country. It is also highly likely that they will have different views on the criteria for measuring the success of a campaign.

Comment from abroad:

What works in the U.S. does not necessarily work here. My U.S. colleagues do not listen and do not understand the realities of our market. We are not empowered to give input. How can the U.S. direct me on what to do when they are never here?

Wisdom you can use:

There is no easy way to balance the necessity to be locally relevant while maintaining critical global control of your brand. The surest way to bridge the gap is to know your colleagues, know their country, and spend valuable time in-country and on the phone collaborating with them as you would with your U.S. colleagues. Do not let language or fear of a culture you do not know inhibit you from reaching out. Ultimately, there will likely be compromises you need to make in order to deliver locally relevant and globally successful marketing communications.

2. You have an international presence but still desire an agency partner that will not just execute but serve to protect your brand in the market - There are generally three avenues for you to pursue:

a. The first is contracting with a large scale global agency that offers offices in many different countries. Most of these agencies are part of one of a few large conglomerates that market themselves independently but offer their network of internal sister agencies for different specialties and integration of tactics. The benefits of these organizations are that you get vast experience, and reach into several different markets as needed. The downside to this approach is that these organizations are extremely expensive, stringent on their processes and required timelines and typically their network of sister agencies is much more loosely connected than they profess. In many cases there is no increased financial or time value than if you contracted with different global agencies on your own.

b. The second approach is to procure the services of a mid-sized agency like The New Group. Although much rarer due to the fact that it is unusual to find a U.S. based agency with truly global experience, there are significant benefits. It is incrementally more difficult to find an agency that can work across multiple marketing disciplines. Not only do mid-sized agencies offer significant cost and time savings, but those that have teams with extensive global experience offer valuable in- country connections to ensure that campaign localization and translation are effectively completed. In fact, it is a regular practice at The New Group to integrate our agency staff within our alliance agency partners overseas during projects to meld the best capabilities of both countries. Our clients also appreciate the ability we have to know their brand guidelines from a U.S. perspective so that we can act to protect and grow their brand in the international marketplace.

с. The third option is to strike out on your own and hire a local agency in-country. There are very few benefits to this approach unless you are extremely comfortable and bilingual in the country. Depending on the country you are engaged with, local agencies can either be very inexpensive or equally expensive to the large scale global agencies. A word to the wise, just because you meet someone who speaks English, it doesn't mean that they are qualified to steward your brand.

Comment from abroad (from an in-country agency perspective):

International agencies don't know the market as well as they think they do. We can do it cheaper and more effectively. Our only drawback is language.

Wisdom you can use:

There is a mix of respect and suspicion for foreign-owned agencies abroad. It is critical to interview any agency, know their capabilities and the team that will be assigned to your account. Ultimately, you need to feel comfortable with the agency's ability to deliver an effective localized solution, on budget and on time.

3. You are new to international marketing and have no idea which way to turn - It is imperative that you educate yourself. Take the time to begin reading everything you can about the people, country, business and marketing in the target country. Do not assume that your U.S. skills are immediately applicable in the international market. Begin the process of building alliances with people, government organizations and agencies that know the market. Use these contacts and conversations to build a roadmap for success in the country. Do not be fooled into believing that just because someone knows the language of a particular country or that they have lived in a particular country that they know how to market or do business in that country. Be intuitive; immerse yourself in the topic as you would anything else new and learn from other people's mistakes. Lastly, spend as much time in-country as you are able. Try to make sure that your first visit isn't on the day your campaign launches.

Summary

As we have discussed, the art of articulating unique differentiation in business and in marketing has begun to require higher levels of refinement and subtlety. It is therefore logical that the complexities of finding a new niche or developing a new market opportunity are intensified when your corporate vision involves an international market. Naturally, people are different, cultures are different, and the behaviors of people are different. Marketing is an art, an art that works when you are successful at resonating with your target audience(s). This connection is surely an emotional connection, one

that requires you to either know your audience well enough to predict their behavior or to partner with someone that does. After all, speaking to a target audience with the consistency and clarity required for them to assimilate your brand promise is a challenge even in your home market.

About The New Group

Complacent. Reactive. Unremarkable. No business wants to be there, but somehow it happens. That's why products often seem so similar, and brands are so interchangeable. But there's an escape clause from sameness. It's called different.

When you wield the power of different, you change the game. Different gives you a new space to own, a unique story to tell. The ability to make new connections and build loyalty. The power of different is in you. The New Group exists to liberate it.

The New Group is a team of creative strategists, craftsmen, and innovators, drawn together to develop unique, compelling business stories, and create digital media to communicate them. While your competitors speak at your audiences, we help you to speak to them. Where ordinary marketing tries to sell a product, we position your brand for distinctive preference.

Are you ready to be different? Then let's get started.

Steve Marshall 503.248.4505
Steve . Marshall @ thenewgroup . com
www.thenewgroup.com

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