Global Branding: Five Key Elements for Success. BBN Thought Leadership Series. July 2014

Transcription

1 Global Branding: Five Key Elements for Success BBN Thought Leadership Series July 2014

2 Raise your game Welcome to our Thought Leadership Series of articles and white-papers, brought to you by the Principals and team leaders that form the Business to Business Network (BBN). Each month we ll focus on an important and hot topic in B2B marketing and communications. The first in our series focuses on global branding, a subject our members are very familiar and experienced in. There are vast cultural, economic and social differences across the world; what works in Asia, doesn t necessarily succeed in North America. However despite these cultural and other differences, effective global branding is about defining an overarching global brand strategy that helps bring a business strategy to life. Annette Fernandes-Poyser Executive Director Business to Business Network (BBN) Two experts from our BBN USA member Bader Rutter, share five key elements they have learned to be critical factors, all essential for the success of any global branding effort. To submit feedback, topic ideas or to ensure you receive more in our series of articles annette.fernandes@bbn-international.com 1 BBN

3 Are you prepared to take your brand global? A company s brand is an asset to manage and leverage. The rewards for successful brand management can be great: It can address important customer needs, build a sustainable emotional connection with customers, leverage an organization s strengths, develop a competitive advantage through differentiation, and inspire and help mobilize workers. Managing a company s brand on a global scale provides the same benefits, but also a consistency and clarity in brand identity across the differing characteristics and demographics of the marketplace. from member agencies within The Business to Business Network (BBN). It represents the synthesis of global best practices, and has been peer-reviewed, tested and internationally vetted. An organization-defining brand is important to any company that wants to try to stake out its position and differentiate itself in the marketplace. Following are five key elements we have learned to be critical factors, all essential for the success of any global branding effort. These rewards are not easy to achieve. It takes time, discipline and a definitive process. In the application of our own highly effective Brand Asset Management (BAM) model, we utilize a proven process to create a rational way to make decisions, resulting in a common vision and inspired consensus for the brand identity. The BAM model was co-developed by an international team of strategists It s particularly important in global branding to be sure to span all dimensions of differences 2 BBN

4 No. 1 - Must have C level leadership Brand strategy is directly dependent on a well-articulated business strategy. This must come from C level leadership, with a chief executive who owns it, drives it and is measured by it. The implications of the business strategy should be understood throughout the organization, how it effects products, services, people and locations. Brand strategy can help bring a clearly-defined business strategy to life, both internally and externally, supporting growth. For this to occur, the chief executive must see the need for a brand strategy and demand it. There should be 100 percent involvement of C level leadership in developing it, applying authority when necessary to overcome resistance to change. There must be a strong and unwavering leadership commitment to the process to create an effective brand strategy, coupled with patience to let the process play out without compromising the final result. No. 2 - Be ready for resistance It is essential to have C level endorsement for development of a global brand strategy because it means engagement in a process that will lead to change, and there is always resistance to change. One of the most common challenges we find is overcoming the Not Invented Here syndrome. This comes in the form of at least three distinct reactions, each of them concluding that a strategy not invented here will not work here. One version is to say it s already been tried and it didn t succeed. Another frequent barrier is the proposition that things are different here, which could mean different country, different business unit or different market. Resistance can sometimes be characterized as you just don t understand us, which again could be country, business unit, market or more. Any of these types of resistance can be amplified when mergers and acquisitions are at play in an organisational and brand alignment. There tends to be an emotional investment and allegiance to brands, and that needs to be recognized and transferred in building a new brand strategy. These are all challenges that cannot be simply dismissed. Legacies and differences need to be identified and understood in the brand development process, and then incorporated into dialog about the offering, benefits and values in the new brand strategy No. 3 - Break down the silos We have found that the best way to overcome the Not Invented Here syndrome is to employ inclusion. It is a cornerstone in our BAM process. It s crucial to break down the barriers that may separate associates working within the same global organization, including a diverse representation of people in the brand strategy process, enabling everyone to bring their unique perspective to help address the bigger picture. The facilitation of brand strategy development works best in crossfunctional teams, with participants recruited from up, down and all across an organization. It s particularly important in global branding to be sure to span all dimensions of differences such as country of origin, focus of business unit, focus of job function, gender and so forth. No. 4 - Engage a definitive process The practice of inclusion can only deliver effective results if it is carried out in a definitive and proven process. The varied perspectives and experiences of the participants must be harnessed and directed toward the goal of brand building. With the business strategy serving as the touchstone for organisational goals, the broad points of view from the brand development team need to be engaged along a path of focus, refinement and ultimately, consensus on how the brand can best support the business strategy. An effective process will foster commitment among participants and enhance implementation. In applying a definitive process, clear expectations should be established in advance for all concerned. That includes outcome, deliverables, timeline and milestones, investment and time commitment at all levels. Key stakeholders are not only identified and engaged in brand strategy development, but also for implementation. Ambassadors can be recruited to introduce the brand across all internal publics, the entire organization first learning how to represent or live the brand before any communications campaign expresses it to external audiences. No. 5 - Objective evaluation enables rational decisions In looking at more than ten years of experience implementing our BAM model, the most striking benefit is the ability to help organizations make good, strategic, rational decisions about their brand. It s a process that helps diffuse emotion, leading to objective evaluation of alternatives. Our goal is to demystify branding, make it understandable and accessible. That allows us to tap into the greatest asset of any organization a crosssection of its talented people. BAM leads them through an exploration of many scenarios weighing and discussing all the pros and cons to ultimately channel many points of view. This provides a collective conclusion of the best possible definition for what their brand needs to be to help their organization succeed. Rodger Jones Senior Strategist BBN USA (Bader Rutter) Curtis Gorrell VP/Group Director BBN USA (Bader Rutter) 3 BBN

5 About BBN What is BBN? The Business to Business Network (BBN), is an international business branding and communications network made up of independant agencies throughout the world. BBN uses a collaborative approach that enables members to strengthen their capabilities and enhance their business growth. Over 24 years, we have developed a proven and highly effective approach to marketing communications through consistent execution whenever members share engagement on a client s campaign. We ve developed and apply a common set of tools and approaches in our work. These processes support the promise of efficient coordination across our international organization. We regard shared business as an important benefit. But unlike networks that focus primarily on business referrals, we believe the collaborative nature of BBN delivers lasting value. Access to our intellectual property, collective knowledge and expertise helps each member improve the performance of its own agency, not only on an international platform but also in its own market. Our B2B specialists can be called upon at any given time to work as integrated teams across borders Today, you ll find BBN member agencies in more than 20 locations around the world. Membership is based on a commitment to active participation, and every day, BBN teams are working together to create international best practices. This is why BBN is no ordinary network. Membership There are four levels of BBN membership: associate member, member, partner and added value associate (AVA). The levels are a structured way of developing your business and progressing within the organisation. This journey will align your processes with BBN s, creating a powerful and cohesive international offering that benefits the group and your business. Working together The whole idea of BBN is to promote collaboration, and we stimulate this in many ways. Our online members lounge is a place to share knowledge and a home for vital information on our members, techniques, models, credentials, contacts and case studies. It also provides exclusive access to our networking platform, allowing you to reach out to your BBN colleagues all over the world as part of our expert networking model. This makes it a 24/7/365 invaluable resource for mutual member development. A number of BBN events are designed to promote partnerships and actively improve our organisation. Our annual owners conference looks at the strategic direction of BBN and gives members a chance to bring new ideas to the table. Other events like the BBN Academy are a forum for knowledge-sharing and talent-nurturing. For more information on any aspect of the network go to bbn-international.com or call BBN

6 resist the ordinary BBN, Suite 703, The Fairmont Dubai PO Box Dubai, United Arab Emirates T E info@bbn-international.com The Business to Business Network BBN