«The local marketing team is incapable of doing what we asked them to do». «The global guys have no idea what works here and have sent us a campaign that will be a waste of time». I’ve heard similar phrases myself when working with FMCG brands and I think many other marketers will have heard comments like this. Relax, it’s normal. The tension between the global marketing team and the local teams is to some extent beneficial, but it needs to be managed in the right way to be productive. And that’s where insights can help.
A closer look at the tension between global and local marketing
The CMO at the headquarters has many objective reasons for creating global products and campaigns. It makes the brand and its positioning more consistent and creates economies of scale. So the brand can save money by not having to create small campaigns in each market and use some of those savings to create bigger, better, more impactful global campaigns.
This would be perfect if all markets were homogeneous… But they are not.
It is difficult to sell cereals in the same way as we do in the West in countries where people are used to eat noodles for breakfast. Being the market leading brand is not the same as being a challenger brand in second or third position. Wherever you look, you will find differences. In the consumer profile, in the buying habits, in the consumption habits, in the purchasing power of the consumers, in the media consumption, in the competitors in the market, in the retail structure….a real nightmare for global consistency.
As a result, the local team is often sceptical about global campaigns. When this happens, they usually try to adapt or even recreate the campaigns. And if they can’t, more often than not, they’ll launch the campaign with the strictly necessary budget to tick the box and move on to the next thing. Some will say, «See, I was right. The campaign didn’t work.»
In my experience, it’s not a good use of brand marketing resources. And it is not fun for the people involved in this dynamic. But how do you solve it?
Global or local. Who’s right?
There is only one answer. Both. The global team is right to seek consistency and economies of scale. Just as the local team is right to have a say when it comes to tailoring campaigns to specific market needs. Both teams need each other. They will get better results by working together, so they need to find a way to do this that minimises the tension that often arises.
The first step is to accept that this tension will exist and is normal. Of course the global team will try to make the campaigns work globally. And of course the local team will want to adapt them to local realities. They wouldn’t be doing their jobs well if they didn’t. The key to working together as one team is to establish the right framework that defines how decisions are made and who ultimately owns each decision. And for any framework to work well, it requires an ongoing conversation with transparency, loyalty, a lot of care and, I believe, a pinch of insights.
Aligning global and local teams through insights
Insights are a powerful ally in aligning global and local marketing teams:
- Insights get the brand to make the right decisions more often. Debating ideas and points of view can be exhausting and lead nowhere. Without data, both marketing teams are just guessing. So to make better decisions, it is essential to gain a deep understanding of the consumer in each country. This requires the right research to enable both global and local teams to understand the nuances of market structure, culture and consumer habits in each country or region. This will help all marketing teams to understand whether statements like «it won’t work here» are supported by evidence.
- Insights can be used as the preferred way to reach agreements. Agreeing once on the right set of metrics to use as a decision-making mechanism seems an easier way to go than discussing individual campaigns over and over again. It helps achieve alignment without teams fighting from their trenches, and the final decision is based on objective evidence. If the data says the global team is right, let’s go with it. If not, let’s allow for adaptation. This is where the debate ends, without having to go through painful arguments.
For this to work, it is essential that global and local teams agree on the right surveys and metrics to use to make decisions. If the global team unilaterally dictates how data is collected, distrust will reign. This is why it is so important to involve both teams throughout the journey.
Facilitating an agreement
In my experience, what research is carried out is just as important as how it is organised and delivered.
- Involve all teams from the start. It is important to involve and motivate different stakeholders, both global and local, at every stage of the process. Questionnaire workshops, for example, are an effective way of involving everyone in deciding what questions to ask consumers, with what objective, what results are expected and how they will be used to make a decision.
- Tailored reporting. The ability to visualise results by stakeholder is also critical. This allows local markets to understand how different (or not) their own market is. On the other hand, global teams need to see when differences between markets are small (if they are) so that they can push for the adoption of global campaigns with more conviction.
- Lessons learned and best practice. Global and local teams will benefit from using a research agency that can not only explain the results of the survey, but also draw on its experience of dealing with global and local alignment challenges in the past. They will be able to provide practical recommendations based on best practice and previous cases.
Start bringing your teams closer together
If you want to build your insights strategy to facilitate alignment, we can help.
At Origin Insights we are a truly multicultural team and many of us have worked for leading FMCG brands – in both global and local teams – before becoming insights strategists. This unique combination allows us to understand both global needs and local nuances, so we can facilitate alignment and deliver research projects that bring all stakeholders on board.
This results in a unique way of working. We believe that stakeholder management is as important as the research itself. That is why we are in constant contact with both global and local teams to keep them on board throughout the journey. We also tailor our deliverables to the target audience and produce detailed reports for the teams involved in the day-to-day operations of the launch. And with this in-depth understanding of local markets, we turn these results into executive summaries that help the global CMO and the company’s top management understand what level of marketing customisation is right for each case.
Are you ready to maximise your brand’s global and local impact? Contact us today and let’s get your brand succeeding everywhere.
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