We use the terms branding and brands liberally in different contexts and with different meanings in mind. However, do we know the true meaning behind these popular buzzwords?
In simple words, a brand represents a set of associations that an individual or a group of individuals makes with a product, company, service, or organization. Whereas branding is a way of highlighting your unique selling point, it makes your product/services unique and promising.
When we talk about branding, another important term that we come across is global branding. By global branding, we mean a marketing strategy to promote a product or service in multiple countries. Your logo, company name, and services remain the same; hence, promoting your brand in a new market is quite a challenge.
What makes a Brand Global?
Creating a global branding strategy in 2020 is much easier than in previous decades. Your brand should think globally but act locally to enjoy global success. Amazon, Google, Uber, and Starbucks are some examples of global brands that have embraced “glocal” with amazing success.
All these brands benefitted from standardized global advertising and global marketing strategies to achieve global success and recognition while capitalizing on local market efficiencies & cultural practices. According to Mohannad El-Barachi —
Starbucks goes to great lengths to fit into local contexts, but it’s difficult to scale local customization across their 23,000+ stores. The concept of “local” for Starbucks must fit into a global context by making their customers feel like any location they walk into will have both the brand consistency of any other Starbucks, and the local flavor of their neighborhood coffee place. This is where the coffee giant uses digital to make customers feel like the nearest Starbucks is “their Starbucks”.
Starbucks India - The Diwali Blend
Global Branding through Design
Effective brand immersion is crucial because it highlights the similarities and differences in cultural attitudes towards a brand. Brands should be acutely aware of both visual and linguistic translations to guarantee that every audience can easily grasp their brand message. Furthermore, other design elements, such as colors, symbols, and images, can change your brand message's meaning in different global markets.
For instance, a simple 'thumbs up' has an entirely different meaning in Middle Eastern and Western contexts. Typeface and colors can also induce a negative response. Hence, an in-depth semiotic study of how your brand name, logo, and theme will resonate globally is critical to design an effective and successful marketing campaign.
Brands must continue evolving to capture the attention of global audiences. Some of the world's most influential brands, such as Apple and Nike, opt to be identifiable through powerful universal symbols. Furthermore, localizing your website, optimizing your content to local SEO, and changing your logo colors to celebrate local events can go a long way to strengthen your brand and take your branding efforts to the next level.