Businesses across the world are taking a more consensus driven approach to corporate branding according to research conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by SDL, the leading provider of Global Information Management (GIM) solutions.

The ‘Guarding the Brand’ report, based on a survey of 145 senior executives, found that few businesses now rely on a traditional ‘brand and control’ approach.

But, that’s not to say that control has gone out the window. According to the research, 60 per cent of respondents said that once the branding strategy was agreed it was centrally managed with a consistent global implementation. And, one in five said they had a strong global brand that could be slightly adapted to meet local needs.

This compares to just one in ten respondents who said they used local branding in each market or heavily tailored their global branding to match regional needs.
 
Feedback from interviewees found that once agreed, brand values and guidelines were exhaustively documented and communicated across the company. This covered every action that forms part of the customer experience such as logo colours, call centre scripts and writing styles.

“Rather than being imposed by head office, brands are being driven from the bottom up, involving every department in the business including those people that are closest to customers,” said James Watson, the report's editor. “This is essential for developing an effective global information strategy, allowing a global brand to be implemented with a local flavour, influenced by the staff on the ground in that region.”

“This research shows that branding is becoming less rigid and no one is interested in the colonial approach any more,” added Dr. Chris Boorman, CMO at SDL. “The challenge for most multinational organizations is to achieve the right balance between a global brand and content tailored for the local market efficiently. Those organizations who capitalize on technology to underpin a Global Information Management strategy will be the ones left standing as the competition intensifies in the global business arena. Not only will this enable them to optimize resources but it will also help companies to introduce new products into multiple markets simultaneously. What’s more, as international players scramble for a footprint in emerging markets such as China, Africa, South America and Russia to name a few, technology driving Global Information Management will help them launch into new territories as soon as possible and gain that all important first mover advantage ahead of the competition.”

The ‘Guarding the brand’ report is now available.

About ‘Guarding the brand’
Guarding the brand is an Economist Intelligence Unit briefing paper, sponsored by SDL International. The research is based on a survey of 145 executives from across the globe, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit between March and April 2006, as well as in-depth interviews with senior brand executives at six firms worldwide.