Global marketing is based on the idea of getting our brand recognised all over the world. That is, globally. It may sound too ambitious, we know. But nowadays, with the advent of globalisation, nothing is impossible. Shall we tell you how it's done?
what is global marketing?
If you have a business that operates as a local or national brand, you've probably thought at some point about reaching further afield. Well, that's what global marketing is all about.
Therefore, we can say that global marketing is the set of sales processes that are carried out for a specific product or service by a brand or company. In this way, the company manages to internationalise not only that specific product or service, but also to make its own brand known.
The aim of global marketing is to reach a worldwide market, covering countries other than the one in which our brand is based. However, it is not an easy task as we have to take into account the different user communities that exist in other countries and adapt our marketing campaigns so that what we are trying to sell is also attractive to them. To do this, we have to carry out market research and learn about the trends that exist outside our environment if we want to succeed outside "our comfort zone".
Therefore, we must bear in mind that global marketing, rather than selling a product at an international level, develops the different stages of planning, production, promotion and dissemination at an international level. This is why sometimes the product may change in shape, design, size, purpose... depending on the market circumstances to which it has to adapt.
Before we start talking about the strategies that we have to carry out for global marketing, it is important that you know the difference between them and international marketing. It is normal to confuse the two terms as both strategies aim to expand the brand through other places.
For example, if a company wants to export its products to a specific country because it considers that its market is also in that country, without the need to modify its product or adapt to trends, we are talking about international marketing. In other words, the brand simply moves its product to other countries.
On the other hand, when we talk about global marketing, we are talking about knowing how to study and understand the trends of the countries in which we want to implement our campaign.
In this way, the company will be recognised globally as it will have a different market in each of the countries in which it develops, adapting to the different audiences and updated with each of their market trends.
Examples of global marketing strategies
Coca-Cola is famous for the way it connects with the emotions of its audience in its various advertising campaigns, taking into account the social influences and perceptions of each country to do so in the most effective way possible. They adapt each of their products to the different cultures in which they operate. For example, in China, the letters on the cans appear in their language, thus instilling the value of their alphabet.
The world's best known fast food chain is a good example of global marketing. It has achieved this insertion by implementing menus with some differences depending on the country of destination. For example, in Arab countries and Pakistan we find the McArabia, which is a sandwich with pita bread, very typical in these countries and belonging to their traditional gastronomy. However, in the Philippines the most differentiated dish is the McSpaghetti, created with local products for that country.
Spotify is one of the most analysed cases in terms of marketing strategy in recent times: because Spotify is a music platform that personalises the playlist for each user according to their tastes. But not only does it do so individually, we could say that it studies the tastes and preferences of each country and, in addition, it tries to satisfy their habits and lifestyles.
The case of Netflix is another example of a more characteristic global marketing strategy. In recent years it has become one of the major references in the world of film and television. This platform began by producing series only in the United States, but now produces series in almost every country where it is available so that users can consume "local content".
After reading all these examples we imagine that you will want to know some strategies that companies can carry out to work on their global marketing. We tell you about them.
Strategies for developing a global marketing campaign
After reading all these examples we imagine that you will want to know some strategies that companies can carry out to work on their global marketing. We will tell you about them.
- Campaigns in different languages: As we have already mentioned, one of the main goals is to reach a global audience. Therefore, we must adapt our commercial campaign to the different languages spoken in the countries where we want to advertise. However, it is not just a matter of translating our campaign from the original language to the new one, but of adapting it to the cultures of that country, as well as to their tastes and preferences.
We must not forget that, despite the advent of globalisation, each country has its own traditions, culture, trends, etc., which are different from the others.
- Adjust to new consumer habits: Our buyer persona will not be the same here as in China, we have to be clear about that. Therefore, their schedules, their customs... In short, their consumer habits will be different so we must adapt to them if we want to succeed among our new audience.
As in any marketing strategy, the objective is to attract the consumer, so we must adapt to their tastes and needs as closely as possible. We must show emotional empathy. This adaptation of the message must respond to geographical diversity (for example, in relation to the climate), the diversity of ethnicities, races, social sensitivities or religions, for example.
- Compliance with other international regulations: When marketing products or services internationally, it is necessary to have a thorough knowledge of all the legislation that may affect us. It is very likely that in order to operate in a particular segment, we must comply with a series of certificates, licences and regulations (both local and international).
therefore, we must be up to date with all these regulations to avoid our product being rejected for not complying with all the established parameters.
- Align local strategies: Although we have said that we must adapt our campaign to each country, all of them must follow the same line: the strategic line of our brand. Therefore, our products or services must be more or less in line with those of the rest of the countries in 4 fundamental aspects: product, price, point of sale (or distribution system) and promotion.
These four aspects are known as the 4 P's of marketing. Sound familiar?
To conclude this post, it is important to remember that globalisation has had a very positive influence on the growth of companies. Both because of the new facilities of the digital era and because of a change in the ways of conceiving a business model, it is clear that the borders between countries are becoming less blurred and it is easier to reach the other side. As long as we know how to adapt to their cultures and consumer habits because, as we always say, the important thing in marketing is not to be intrusive and to respect the needs and times of our customers.
would you like to launch your brand on the other side of the map and reach a global audience?
