Study Shows Organizations Struggling to Manage Brands on a Global Scale

Organizations Going Global, but Failing to Manage Brands Consistently

 SDL Maidenhead , UK
10 July 2007

Less than a quarter of American companies are able to offer a consistent online customer experience in multiple languages, according to a study by Forrester Consulting commissioned by Global Information Management specialists SDL.

Compared to European marketers, half as many American marketers say that their brand values are well represented in all of their supported languages. As a result, only 24% of US marketers say that their customer experience is consistent across all languages, compared to 54% in Europe.

35% of the survey’s total respondents cited language and translation issues, while another 35% cited cultural differences, as the main barriers to effectively managing in global markets.

“Companies transitioning to a global model—especially companies based in the US—aren’t confident that their brand’s values are consistently represented across all the languages that they support,” wrote Forrester Consulting. “It is necessary, then, for marketers to adopt consistent technologies and processes across regions and to develop core skills for brand consistency and content management when they expand to new local markets.”

“It appears that globalization has been a double-edged sword for American businesses,” said Chris Boorman, CMO at SDL. “While the Internet has removed boundaries between markets, the need for cultural and linguistic awareness is more pressing than ever.”

“The fact that so few US companies have effectively managed their brands internationally – despite acknowledging foreign culture as such a big stumbling block – reveals a real pessimism on the part of American business,” explained Boorman. “US enterprises accept the difficulties presented by foreign markets, but seem unwilling to make the strategic decisions that are imperative for success in global commerce.”

“European companies have been much more optimistic about the role of international brand management,” Boorman continued. “And the numbers speak for themselves: almost a third of the European companies surveyed expect to generate over half their revenue outside their native country.”

Request the full version of the report

About SDL

SDL is the leader in Global Information Management (GIM) solutions that empower organizations to accelerate the delivery of high-quality multilingual content to global markets. Its enterprise software and services integrate with existing business systems to manage the delivery of global information from authoring to publication and throughout the distributed translation supply chain.

Global industry leaders rely on SDL to provide enterprise software or hosted services for their GIM processes, including ABN-Amro, Best Western, Bosch, Canon, Chrysler, CNH, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Philips, SAP, Sony, SUN Microsystems and Virgin Atlantic.

SDL has implemented more than 480 enterprise GIM solutions, has deployed over 150,000 software licenses across the GIM ecosystem and provides access to on-demand translation portals for 10 million customers per month. Over 1,000 service professionals deliver consulting, implementation and language services through its global infrastructure of more than 50 offices in 30 countries. For more information, visit www.sdl.com

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.