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In his 2008 book The Global Brand (PalgraveMacmillan), Nigel Hollis, executive vice pres-ident and chief global analyst for the brandresearch firm Millward Brown in New YorkCity, explored how brands can transcend

their national and cultural originsto become truly global. CW Exec -u tive Editor Natasha Nichol sontalked with Hollis about how com-panies can build their brands glob-ally while staying relevant locally.

Natasha Nicholson: What makes a strong global brand?How do you define it?Nigel Hollis: I define a strongglobal brand as one that has tran-scended its cultural origins todevelop strong relationships withconsumers across different coun-tries and cultures. Inherent anduniversal appeal is rare, which per-haps helps explain why there are sofew true global brands, let alonestrong global brands.

To meet my definition of global, brands had to be measuredby Millward Brown’s BrandZequity study—a competitive com-parison of more than 50,000

brands, based on the evaluations of consumers andprofessionals from categories in which theyshop—in six or more countries. While these stan-dards are not stringent by any means, by my cal-culations, only 4.5 percent of the brands surveyed

could be characterized as global. Onaverage, these global brands weremeasured in 13 different countries,representing a wide range of cul-tures. However, that does not meanthat they are strong everywhere.Very few brands are strong in morethan a few countries. As a result,brands like Google, Nokia, Colgate,Coca-Cola and McDonald’s are theexception, not the rule.

NN: What are the elementsrequired to develop a strong global brand?NH: The brands I just mentioned areclear examples of strong globalbrands. These brands stand forsomething. What they stand formay vary depending on the countryand competitive context, but theystay true to their origins and prom-ises. And they are not easily con-fused with their competition. Theyhave special meaning in people’s

Thinking locally,thriving globallyBrand expert Nigel Hollis explains

what makes a brand truly global

by Natasha Nicholson

“Identifying a prom-

ise or positioning

that will appeal

across countries and

cultures is difficult in

the best of times.”

—Nigel Hollis

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28 Communication World • November–December 2010 www.iabc.com/cw

global branding

minds that cannot be easily duplicated.It is difficult to generalize beyond this,

because how a brand goes to market and how itcrafts its communication depend on the branditself, its competitive context and the culture ineach country it enters. Management philosophyalso plays a role. Traditionally, a company likeNestlé has allowed significant regional flexibilityin how its brands are marketed, compared witha brand like Gillette, which has previously takena more centralized approach to managing andmarketing its brands.

NN: In your book you talk about identifying a global brand promise. Could you give someadvice on how to do this in a way that reson -ates with a variety of cultures?NH: Identifying a promise or positioning that willappeal across countries and cultures is difficult inthe best of times. It requires the brand team to digdeep and not settle for superficial ideas. Researchshould be an integral part of the process, becauseyou cannot assume that what resonates well inone culture will do so in another.

For example, since 2000, Johnnie Walker’s“Keep Walking” campaign has been credited withuniting perceptions of the brand and boostingsales around the world. The concept of progressallowed Johnnie Walker to transcend market dif-ferences to inspire men throughout the world. Butthat insight did not come overnight. The whiskycategory has always represented masculine success,but it took two years and qualitative research conducted on a global scale to identify that thedefinition of male success was shifting from attain-ment of overt status to self-improvement. By con-trast, Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty resonatedwell in independent-minded Western cultures butfailed to engage women in China and Japan,where more traditional views of feminine beautystill hold strong.

NN: What are some examples you’ve seen ofglobal brands successfully integrating into localmarkets? Are there some cases in which localbrands will always prevail?NH: First, I must mention that not every brandneeds to integrate into the local culture to thesame degree. Food brands are often the mostembedded in local culture because some flavors

and ingredients are so specific to their countriesof origin that it can take a long time for a [non-local] brand to become truly integrated. On theother hand, technology brands are largely new toeveryone and therefore may not need to adapttheir products. A good example is Apple’s iPod,which is the same wherever you buy it.

However, when it comes to marketing com-munications, all companies benefit from consid-ering the impact of culture on their products.Communication is an integral aspect of culture,and goes far beyond translations and idioms.Humor, values and references all differ. Apple,for instance, may not need to adapt its hardware,but it does produce country-specific versions ofits “Mac versus PC” television ads.

McDonald’s has become a very successfulbrand around the world in the last decade. Acouple of years ago, the then-CMO ofMcDonald’s, Mary Dillon, explained that suc-cess by saying, “People’s need for what we haveto offer, convenience and value, has grown.… Totruly connect with communities, you have to belocal.” McDonald’s, therefore, has adapted itsoffering around the world. While it maintainsthe name, brand promise and logo, it adapts therest of its offer to meet local needs. In Brazil it isan upscale delivery service, in Germany its cof-fee shops outsell Starbucks, and in India it sellsthe Chicken Maharaja Mac. Given time, there isa good chance that McDonald’s will be familiarto so many people around the world that theywill not even think about its American heritage.

After 80 years, Coca-Cola is well on its way to such status in Mexico. One in two Mexicansare willing to agree that Coca-Cola is part oftheir national culture. But this is not just a func-tion of time: Coca-Cola has become expert atblending globally successful campaigns withlocal executions, which are more culturally spe-cific. A Coca-Cola ad featuring a young boyplay-fighting a caped and masked Mexicanwrestler is a clear example of this concept.Globally, the theatrical antics of the ad wouldnot resonate. But in Mexico, it demonstratesknowledge of local culture and enhances thelarger global campaign.

NN: What are some factors that can stand in theway of developing a successful global brand, and

“When it comes

to marketing communi-

cations, all companies

benefit from considering

the impact of culture

on their products.”

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www.iabc.com/cw Communication World • November–December 2010 29

how can organizations overcome them? NH: I’ve mentioned the challenge of local tasteswhen it comes to food, but there are many otherdifferences that a brand might need to take intoaccount when it comes to its product or service.Is it actually relevant to people’s needs and desires?For example, Proctor & Gamble expected thatthe fabric refresher Febreze would do well inJapan, because the Japanese are highly sensitiveto odors. However, initial research results weredisappointing. A positive response from a smallminority of respondents encouraged P&G to tryagain, but substantial adaptation was required.The P&G team changed the viscosity of theproduct. They changed the fragrance to a verylow-profile scent. They changed the bottle to adesign in keeping with the Japanese aesthetic.They changed the spray pattern to a mist.Although only the core technology of the prod-uct remained the same, adaptation allowed thebrand to become a success.

Another important element is the value equation. If a brand is content to market to thewealthy urban consumers within an emergingeconomy, then it may not need to adapt anything.If, however, the brand is to extend its appealbeyond that group, the company will need to find a way to make the brand more affordable.There are some tried-and-tested tactics, like making pack sizes smaller so that a unit costs less,but that only works in select categories. Otherbrands must develop more creative solutions. InIndia, for instance, Levi’s is a very popular butaspirational brand, costing at least five times whata local product might. In order to make the brandmore accessible, they have introduced a three-month installment plan. Nokia has been incredi-bly successful producing very cheap phones withbasic functionality, and this has allowed it to cap-ture the lion’s share of the mobile-phone market in India and China.

NN: What advice would you give a global brandthat’s trying to “go local”?NH: Don’t assume that what worked at home willwork abroad. All too often, small changes inexpectation can make a big difference. The Britishretailer Tesco has not had great success with itsFresh and Easy stores in the U.S. Why? The lay-out, the product choice and even the definition of

“fresh” were different from what people expected.Don’t trust your instinct. When dealing with

consumers of a different culture, it is very easy formarketers to overlook critically important aspectsof that culture simply because they do not relate toit. Research, listening and an appreciation of othercultures are vital components of an effective glob-alization program.

Don’t assume everyone who works on the brandis on the same page. Distance breeds disinforma-tion and distrust. It is all too easy to wonder aboutsomeone’s motives and understanding when theyare based a thousand miles away and face a verydifferent marketplace. You have to find ways tobridge that communication gap effectively if thebrand is to thrive. Part of that comes down tomaking sure people on the brand team physicallyspend time together. Only when they know eachother personally will they start to trust each other.

NN: How has the recession affected global brandsthat are trying to assert a local presence? Arelocal markets less trusting of global brands?NH: In part, this is less a question about brandsthan it is about price point and the strength of thebrand. McDonald’s was very well positioned togrow its sales and market share during the reces-sion. Luxury brands did not fare so well.

NN: Given the fragmentation of audiences that trends like social media have broughtabout, and the sheer volume of informationthat customers have access to, is the globalbrand still relevant? NH: I have argued that the global, one-size-fits-allbrand is more a myth than a reality. Strong globalbrands that have discovered when to remain con-sistent and when to adapt ought to be well suitedto the new digital world. After all, as the Internetbecomes more localized, with more local contentand local language sites, brands are going to beforced to adapt online and off. Strong brandsoften have iconic properties so that they stand outin a welter of information. Technology may havegiven consumers access to a wealth of information,but it has not given people the capacity to wieldthat power effectively. They need help findingtheir way through the morass of online content.As long as global brands remain shortcuts tomeaning, they will remain very relevant. ●

“If a brand is content

to market to the wealthy

urban consumers within

an emerging economy,

then it may not need

to adapt anything.”

about the authorNatasha Nicholson is executiveeditor of Communication World.

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