Go Global Think Local

In the 1970s, Pepsi was on a global expansion spree and entered the Taiwan market. Among other things it launched an ad campaign to make its presence felt. “ Come alive! You’re in the Pepsi generation” said the campaign. It sounded perfect in English, but when translated into local language, it meant “ Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead.” 

Pepsi’s Taiwan foray is an example of communication in marketing when crossing national boundaries and problems companies face.

But this is not a problem peculiar to Pepsi. Other companies too have gone through the same grind. Take for example KFC in Hong Kong. The slogan ran “ finger-lickin’ good” got translated to “ eat your fingers off.” 

These are some examples of the dangers involved in going global and failing local. It is all about getting the message right and then communicating in a manner that gets across to the target audience. There are no shortcuts.

So what is involved in a brand building exercise?

Consistency : Brand building is a careful exercise and consistency is the key. The message should be clear and consistent right across the market/ borders. It should sound same in US as in Europe or Asia.

Consumer behaviour plays an important role in a marketing campaign – how they shop, how they feel about brands, what matters to them and what they care about. But the challenge is staying consistent while catering to cultural subtelities. Consistency is not only about execution but also about positioning.What you represent is what matters.

Local approach : What works nationally may not work across borders or in a new market. A company has to re-brand itself locally therefore appropriate investments should be made in marketing and branding activities.

Cultural issues: Consumer behaviour in different markets should not be ignored. Different products play a different role according to the cultural needs of the local market.For example relevance of computers right across cultures is same however same cannot be said about food.

Communication : Message should be communicated in a manner that makes sense to the local cultural sensitivities and appropriate to the local conditions.

Therefore in a well conducted marketing campaign research and communication to the local market is the key.