Vol.34 – How to Deliver Consistent Message to Global and Local Audience

The previous article Vol.33: How to Develop Corporate Contents with Consistent Corporate Branding was about developing online and offline contents to deliver consistent message with consistent corporate branding.

This article discusses effectively delivering consistent message with consistent branding to global and local audience online and offline, meeting needs of both global and local audience. The discussion is based on the author’s experience of marketing and communication to global and Japan local audience at work and also on how she has been managing social media (English and Japanese blogs, two separate twitter accounts, and one Facebook account targeting global and local friends).

1. What are the KFS for delivering consistent message to global and local audience?

What to keep consistent worldwide and what to tailor to meet local needs must be clarified after careful selection and defining to effectively deliver consistent message with consistent branding to global and local audience, online and offline, meeting all their needs. This is the KFS (Key Factors for Success) to effectively deliver consistent message to global and local audience with consistent branding, meeting needs of both global and local audience.

2. What needs to be consistent for both global and local audience and what needs to be tailored to meet local needs?

The following are main examples of things that need to be consistent for both global and local audience (and for all customer segments, i.e. buying persona).

1) Core message and branding

Needless to say, core message and branding should be consistent regardless of customer/audience segment. All the contents are to support core message, developed under consistent branding principle.

In the case of many companies, core message and branding is made into a slogan or something similar, which is translated to local languages, and symbolized by CI (Corporate Identity) logos. Slogan (or something similar) may well be combined with CI logos, such as “imagination at work” of GE, “Connecting People” of Nokia and “ideas for life” of Panasonic.

Corporate (and/or product) branding guidelines are usually developed and applied worldwide to keep consistency. In such guidelines, items such as colour/format/proportion/spacing of the logo and layout and style of visual/copy are defined. These needs to be applied regardless of customer/audience segmentation, media and communication channel etc.

2) Facts and data

There are many kinds of facts and data that need to be consistent to both global and local audience.

(1) Overview of the organization / individual

In the case of a company, this would be Company Information that was mentioned in the previous article Vol 33: How to Develop Corporate Contents with Consisten Corporate Branding. Many global companies deliver consistent information of the overview of the global company by making local websites link to the global page (in English) and/or by making local branches precisely translate the global page information into their language then post the translation on their local website. The translation is used in offline media/tools such as brochure.

In the case of the individual, this would be profile (page) and bio on website and all online communities such as blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. If he/she is to be introduced in online and/or offline media and is edited by the media, the primary source needs to be his/her profile and bio to keep the information consistent.

(2) Financial information (IR information)

This is as mentioned in Vol.33: How to Develop Corporate Contents with Consistent Corporate Branding.

Most global companies deliver consistent information of this kind by the very same method mentioned above in delivering consistent global company overview information.

Global company information and IR information including financial announcement press releases can be said as the main global content of global companies.

(3) Other facts about the company/individual

In the case of a company, this would be basic information of career information and information of other topics mentioned in Vol.33: How to Develop Corporate Contents with Consistent Corporate Branding. Such information includes press releases and all other content.

The reason why the author says “basic information” is that the basic facts and philosophy of the information is universal worldwide and therefore needs to be consistent; however, details and concrete case information needs to be tailored locally depending on local law, society, culture and other issues. Also, what aspects to be focused to explain some topics and its approach needs to be carefully selected and defined to meet local needs.

The same concept applies in the case of an individual.

(4) Basic product/service information

The reason why the author says “basic” product information is the same as the reason for other facts about the company/individual mentioned above. Such information includes press releases and all other content.

Product and service specification remains consistent worldwide, so are bullet copies describing products and services. The exception is when the details of the products and services have been tailed according to the market segment. This is quite usual for consumer products and services at least.

Explanation of benefits and concrete case studies may well be tailored locally depending on local needs including society, culture, law and other issues. What aspects to be focused to effectively explain benefits and how needs to be carefully selected and defined to meet local needs.

An example of such exception is of global strategic flagship consumer products and services, consistent message and branding is delivered with the same visual, headline and copy. Panasonic adopted this approach in marketing first flat panel TVs. This approach also seems to be widely adopted in the case of IT software (e.g. security), especially when their global business is at early stage.

3. How is content developed tailoring to meet local audience while delivering consistent message?

Outline of this has already been touched on in (3) and (4) above.

The author would like to further discuss this in the upcoming article.