Global Marketing

Time flies. Yesterday, “Social Media” were the "mega-hype”, today they are already common knowledge. "Global Marketing" is the new trend - alternatively "Multilingual Branding" or any other fancy term for the very same topic. The wealth of fresh keywords alone shows that this is a new and largely unexplored area. Here and there, you can spot a company undergoing a “field trial”. Still, holistic approaches on how to master successfully this crucial topic missing are missing completely.

Do your homework

The marketing department is, obviously, still at the beginning whereas the colleagues from product documentation are already experienced “localizers”. They are used to adapt content to often considerably different regional specifics. First tests using this existing infrastructure for “Global Marketing” were quite promising. Nevertheless, these new challenges can be solved only if the homework is done.

It is, therefore, important

1. to plan strategically,
2. to integrate all steps,
3. to set measurable goals and to monitor them,
4. to adopt successful localization processes with working workflows, proven software, consistent terminology, translation memories and in-country reviews,
5. to define a basic package with a subset of terminology, claims, slogans, brands and key messages for each market entry,
6. to find the right translator.

Selecting your translation partner is crucial. After all, localization is much more than "just" a translation.

Success or Hodgepodge

If done properly, this process, how to adapt the main "global" messages to the "local" conditions, contributes to the success of "Global Marketing.” Done wrong, everything remains - at best - hodgepodge. In the worst case, Facebook, Twitter, Badoo, Orkut, Hi5, Renren, Cyworld, or some other locally dominant social media are full of the failure. Then the globe becomes a small village and a mega-flop lurks around the next corner.

P.S. If you would like to learn more about this topic: Kaleidoscope is planning an event on “Global Marketing” in November 2011. Our Keynote Speeker will be Svend Hollensen. The internationally recognized expert in the field of global marketing will certainly offer some interesting aspects and insights on this topic. Contact us at info@kaleidoscope.at. We will keep you informed.