GLOBAL BRANDING IS NOW A WAR
Globalization is at a crossroads, and businesses are now
entering into a major war. We must take some very aggressive action
because at this very second, we have already entered a new frontline
where there are brand-new rules for this brand-new world in this
brand-new mega-search-engine-driven e-commerce marketplace.
E-commerce
is causing a global turmoil in trade and competition. Those on the
frontlines know exactly who is winning and who is losing. According to
Reuters, Bill Gates said: "We have to go into the risky areas. That's
what's going to allow the United States at the forefront."
He further added, "We're at the start of a process where the whole world is getting into this virtuous cycle."
Warfare
related to both global marketing management of the supply chain and to
strategies for managing global corporate branding and image are in a
spin. Nationalistic brand posturing by corporations against other
competing countries is setting a new stage for economic tussle.
Globalization
is at a crossroads, and businesses are now entering into a major war.
We must take some very aggressive action because at this very second,
we have already entered a new frontline where there are brand-new rules
for this brand-new world in this brand-new mega-search-engine-driven
e-commerce marketplace.
Listening to the Music?
Brilliant
warriors of the entertainment industry were all fooled by not
recognizing the phenomena of the upcoming technological revolution.
Surprisingly, academia, along with the supporting professional
services, was convinced that downloading was just for kids. Global
denial and hypocrisy created this musical comedy.
Now this
is a big lesson to other industries. If you are not aware of what is
about to hit your industry today, it might already be too late. This is
because those industries that are facing a meltdown in the delivery of
goods and services have no other option but to go to war and fight to
win. The older and more established the organizations, the more
vulnerable they are. You should raise questions, because denials will
not help. Take charge or take cover.
Outsource the Thinking?
Goodness gracious, for only 10 cents an hour, should we let some guy in India do the hard thinking for us?
No,
but it certainly feels that way, as if we all outsourced our thinking a
long time ago. Why is it that we normally respond when we are hit
head-on, otherwise we take everything for granted, ignoring the big
signs on the highway? Ask directions? Heavens, no. Decades ago, it was
clear that the days of the elephant rides in India would one day turn
into sophisticated cyber-bazaars in cyber-jungles. Never mind the
Forbidden City, China will become a wide-open country.
Ignore
them, deny them or join them. There are enormous opportunities in this
free market, but only to those who can play the new global game.
Reconfigure your entire marketing and corporate branding for this new
marketplace. Find the answers quickly or outsource the thinking too.
Marketing 101 or 202
During
my days as marketing consultant to the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympic
Games, there were 117 countries that participated. In Athens in 2004,
202 countries participated. Most educated people simply can't recite
more than a few dozen of those countries' names. Traditionally, in
America, shipping product to Canada or Mexico makes a business
international.
The problem is very obvious. If you do not
try to go global on an organized basis, you will never be global and
will simply be taken over. Marketing to a couple of hundred countries
is so much fun. Ask executives from Japan, Hong Kong, China or India.
This is how they have created a strong base and a global reach. Just
create global thinking, global name brands and name identities. The
rules of global corporate branding demand a deeper understanding of
creating a friendly presence, which is more than just a name, a logo
and a Web site.
Rediscover global marketing and regroup
your teams. Go in any direction and be prepared to attack. Arm your
organization with new marketing rules and strategies.
Battle Plans
The new art of war gives you only three battle plans:
Plan One:
Create a home-based security plan within your organization. Form a team
of experts; seriously investigate the racial profiles of your corporate
image, name brands, name identities and branding personalities of each
and every product and service you're pushing in each of your various
markets. Figure out quickly if these name identities are widely
acceptable, or if they could be rejected based on their
alpha-structures, as they may emulate certain signals unintentionally
or get locked into regional or certain nationalistic identities.
Transparent
names are the best, as they work all over the globe. Check for hidden
strengths, and push on positive messages associated with the name. If
there is life and vigor, use it, if not, kill it, fast. Check on Google
and try 10 other search engines to see if your names pop up.
Make
a blueprint, a master game plan on how you will tackle your own battle,
and aim for victory. It is always easy to hide in a comforting blanket
of gigantic billboards, million dollar Web sites or 24/7 zippy branding
gimmicks. Only globally acceptable names and identities have a chance.
There is now a new attitude, an "us-against-them" mentality is setting
in. Global consumers are judging names emulating national pride and
regional personality. Furthermore, all will fail if names are lost in
search-engines or simply not visible on e-commerce.
Plan Two:
Create a covert task force, with a tactical mission to project your
image with force. Open a dialogue with all your suppliers of creative
and advertising services, and make sure that they are with you.
Study
and make sure that they clearly understand the current challenges of
your image and can make your names visible. Very little from the
branding glory days of the past is going to work. Ask serious questions
and interrogate hard. Remember the torchbearers of the traditional big
budget branding and advertising era wouldn't even know how to spell the
current laws of corporate nomenclature and global cyber-visibility.
This
is now a highly sophisticated science and has nothing to do with
expertise in logos, billboards or making TV commercials. Go deep into
the subject; discover how your portals, Web sites and your entire
corporate empire can unfold to millions of undiscovered customers
worldwide. All will fail without a major change in attitude. Absolute
and brand-new skills with a brand-new approach are mandatory. Be brave,
stand up and fight for survival.
Plan Three: There is no plan three, just stay invisible and slowly vanish or just go ahead and declare a war.
About Naseem Javed
Naseem Javed, author of Naming for Power and Domain Wars, is recognised as a world authority on global Name Identities and Domain Issues. He introduced The Laws of Corporate Naming in the 80's and also founded ABC Namebank, a consultancy established in New York & Toronto a quarter century ago. Naseem conducts exclusive executive workshops on image & name identities issues via web conferences.