The world, as big as it is, is getting smaller every day. Why would you sell to just the several hundred million people in your nation — or fewer if you’re reading this based outside of the USA — when you could sell to billions of people all around the world? For most brands of a certain size, it only makes sense to try to take your business worldwide.
However, going global comes with risks for missteps. In this article, we’ll look at some of the key global branding challenges you’ll encounter when going worldwide and some of the best practices for handling them.
Here are the top five challenges of global branding:
1. Encountering Cultural and Linguistic Differences
You may have heard the old line that the Inuit and other northern peoples have as many as 50 words in their language for different types of snow and ice. Of course, in actuality, that is just a myth, and the real number is only about 20 — not much more than in most languages (e.g., snow, slush, sleet and so on).
Except that this isn’t completely true either, and scholarship reveals that due to how Inuktitut works, if you include conjugations and different verb forms, the number of different words for snow and ice in the Inuit language is closer to 90 rather than 50!
All of this is to say that language and culture can be highly diverse and different from place to place. If you want to successfully take your brand global, you’ll have to understand both different languages and different customs and values to market your brand. You can’t just make assumptions and go off what you think you know about them as an outsider.
Solution
To address this, make sure you conduct thorough market research and invest in cultural awareness and sensitivity training for your marketing and design teams. It’s vital that you adapt your brand messages and visuals to resonate with local cultures. To that end, you should always try to collaborate with native speakers and cultural experts to ensure your brand messaging is both effective and appropriate.
2. Facing Local Competition
It is very rare for you to be entering a new market as the sole source of whatever your brand offers. Often, there are local brands that are more familiar with the market who understand local dynamics and consumer preferences better than you do. Building global brand recognition and trust in these environments can be challenging.
Solution
To compete effectively, you should first focus on what differentiates your brand from the others. Highlight your unique value proposition and what separates you from the local offerings — your innovative solutions, perhaps, or your top-notch customer service. Also, consider the old saying, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” Acquiring or partnering with local brands can help you establish credibility, access existing customer bases and get the important local expertise that we mentioned in the first point.
3. Navigating Regulatory and Legal Hurdles
Every country in the world has its own set of regulations and requirements for branding, advertising, product labeling and more. Navigating this ecosystem can be quite a daunting task, and certain mistakes can wind up getting your business slapped with fines or worse.
Solution
Consult local legal experts who specialize in the sort of advertising, global branding, and business regulations you’re likely to face. Develop a clear understanding of the legal landscape in each market you’re eyeing and ensure that your branding efforts comply with local laws and regulations.
This can be a lot of work depending on the markets you’re looking at. An experienced global marketing team, such as InnoVision, can help you navigate any challenges you face.
4. Maintaining Brand Consistency
You’ve spent money and time developing your precise brand imagery and identity. But now you have to ask how it translates into other languages and cultures, especially ones that might have different alphabets or characters that don’t exist in the font you used or where symbols have different meanings.
Or if you’ve partnered with or acquired a local business, how can you ensure that the international office isn’t interpreting your brand guidelines differently? This could lead to a diluted or otherwise less impactful brand identity.
Solution
Establish clear, comprehensive brand guidelines that don’t leave much room for interpretation — even in different languages or cultures. Create a central hub resource center for all your global branding needs, which should include things like logos, fonts, colors, messaging, values and other key brand details for all stakeholders. Regularly monitor and audit brand implementation to ensure it remains consistent.
5. Solving Supply Chain Logistics
The world may be getting smaller every day, but it’s still quite big. Being a truly global brand means getting your products across nations and hemispheres, which can mean the distribution of physical products. Managing logistics and supply chains across borders and time zones can be complicated (and costly).
Solution
Invest in a robust supply chain management system. Partner with reliable logistics providers with experience navigating the world of international shipping. Streamlining processes and navigating your supply chain can help reduce costs and ensure timely delivery for all your customers.
Further Tips for Global Branding Success
- Start with a strong brand foundation. You can’t build a house on a poor foundation (well, you shouldn’t, at least), and the same applies to your brand. Before you go global, ensure your brand identity is well-defined and resonates with your target audience at home. Your core brand — your values, mission, vision, and offerings — should be clear and compelling. A strong foundation will make it easier to adapt your brand to overseas markets.
- Conduct thorough market research. Assumptions alone won’t cut it. A couple of Google searches won’t either. You should research as much as you can about the market you want to enter, including laws, customs, language, culture and more.
- Localize your branding. While maintaining brand consistency, tailor your message to each market you’re targeting. This includes adapting visuals, language and cultural references.
- Seriously, work with locals. There’s an obvious solution for global branding struggles: work with locals who understand the culture and the environment much better than you can. Whether you hire a local branch and staff it with residents or partner with or acquire a local business, your journey to becoming a global brand starts with local talent.
If you’re looking to take your brand local and want to consult experts in global brand reach, contact InnoVision Global Marketing. We’re here to help you manage the challenges of taking your brand worldwide.
