The pitch: Tailoring the international campaign to suit local tastes

By COLIN INGRAM*

We pride ourselves on understanding the nuances of our market - but head office may now be based in New York.

Global standards are the order of the day, and we have to implement them.

It's no use fighting. The global marketing director is only vaguely aware of where New Zealand is and in the overall scheme of things, economies of scale and standardisation far outweigh any compromises that may have to be made.

Global marketing is a reality. But are there global consumers?

Of course there are. Fundamental human architecture and psyche have enough in common to enable a brand to tap into these similarities and exist in multiple spaces.

Just look at worldwide media - The Lord of the Rings III (The Return of the King) is eagerly awaited around the world, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon transcended any cultural or language barrier, and who hasn't lived the ups and downs of Friends?

What about women the world over aspiring to be like Liz Hurley as the playful face of Estee Lauder, or Penelope Cruz as the siren of Ralph Lauren?

But the local touch is still critical in fine-tuning the delivery.

In many countries a Mercedes is just a taxi, and while Stella Artois sells as a premium-priced beer here, in Europe it is (almost) the equivalent of our Lion Red.

Marketing increasingly treats us as just another state of Australia.

Being relatively close in cultural terms doesn't stop the cringe factor. Who remembers Gary Toomey extolling the virtues of "our" airline?

Overseas ads, seen out of their original cultural context, can be just plain cheesy.

They probably make people in their country of origin squirm, too, but American or Australian accents show us that the advertisers don't know or understand us.

So what do we ask to find out whether communications that work elsewhere will work here?

* Is "international" part of the brand identity? Saddam wears Levis (probably).

Part of Levi's essence is its universality, and it is an American icon enjoying global acceptability.

Being French never hurt the image of perfume, either.

* Do we fully understand the local competitive context? Positioning is relative. Understand in advance how the local competitive context will affect the proposed strategy.

* Does the brand have local history and heritage? Heinz understood that Wattie's equity is strongly tied up with its local heritage, and that its iconic status clearly had to be preserved.

* Are we trying to be local when we're not? Toyota may be Japanese, yet manages to encapsulate New Zealand heartland values.

Some attempts to "be like us" can come across as clumsy and patronising. Coca-Cola's relationship with the All Blacks recognises this by aligning itself with the fans, not the players.

Imagine Coca-Cola saying "Welcome to our World" - it just doesn't work.

* Are communications consistent with existing consumer-brand relationships? Hearing "Aussie kids are Weet-Bix kids" can come as a shock to Kiwis holidaying across the Tasman, but here is an example of a global strategy executed locally in line with the relationships consumers have with that brand.

And remember, put the brand first. Consumers' relationships with brands usually outlive the life-cycle of most local or global marketing directors.

* Colin Ingram is a director of Focus Research.

* The Pitch is a forum for those working in advertising, marketing, public relations and communications. We welcome lively and topical 500-word contributions.
Email Simon Hendery.