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Interactive Brand Communication
Class 13
Global Brand Communication
Issues
Featuring today . . . .
Class 13
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Should you go global via the Net?
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Obstacles & Opportunities in Going
Global
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Message Issues & Tactics
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Media Issues & Tactics
Should you go global and online?
Class 13
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There should be a market to tap with the
use of the Internet
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Review your site traffic to see if you have
enough traffic from outside your home market
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Review your online sales to see if enough sales
is or can be generated among people outside
your home country
Should you go global and online?

Class 13
The Internet is an efficient and effective
way to expand your sales
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Examine e-readiness of the market
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Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)& Pyramid
Research in 2003 came up with the 60 largest
economies on “e-readiness”
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E-readiness refers to the extent to which a country’s
business environment is conducive to Internet-based
commercial opportunities
The top thirteen e-business leaders were USA,
Australia, UK, Canada, Norway, Sweden,
Singapore, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands,
Switzerland, Germany, and Hong Kong
Should you go global and online?
Class 13

The Internet is an efficient and effective
way to expand your sales
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Examine e-readiness of the market
(continues ..)
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The EIU research employed six categories to come
up with the e-readiness score for a market: Internet
connectivity (30%), general business
environment/strength of economy (20%),
consumer and business adoption of e-commerce
(20%), legal and regulatory environment (15%),
supporting e-services (10%), and social and cultural
infrastructure (5%)
Obstacles & Opportunities
in Going Global
Class 13
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Technological/Economical Obstacles
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The Internet penetration varies widely from less
than one percent in most of the underdeveloped
countries to 40% to 70% of the market
population in most of the developed countries

The cost of Internet use is often too high in many
countries for individuals to use on a daily basis or
for more than minutes

The lack of choice or competition in ISPs keeps
prices high and access limited
Obstacles & Opportunities
in Going Global
Class 13

Legal/Regulatory Environment
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The legal and regulatory environment varies
widely across national borders
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Just because you can do something in one
country doesn’t mean you can do it elsewhere
Obstacles & Opportunities
in Going Global
Class 13

Social/Cultural Differences
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There are notable cultural differences across
nations
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The marketer should understand the cultural
differences when they advertise their products
or services on a global basis
Obstacles & Opportunities
in Going Global
Class 13

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions
Individualism/Collectivism
the orientation to personal or group achievements
Time Orientation
a culture’s emphasis on patience
Gender roles: Masculine vs. feminine
the degree to which a culture separates or does not separate
traditional gender roles
Obstacles & Opportunities
in Going Global
Class 13

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions
(continued)
Power Distance
the extent to which people accept social hierarchies and the
power gaps they create
Uncertainty Avoidance
the degree to which a culture is uncomfortable with
ambiguity and seeks certainty
Obstacles & Opportunities
in Going Global
Class 13
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To learn more about cross-national differences in culture
and advertising approaches, refer to
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Zandpour, F., Campos, B., Catalano, J., Chang, C., Cho, Y.,
Hoobyar, R., Jiang, H., Lin, M., Madrid, S., Scheideler, P., &
Osborn, S. (1994), "Global Reach and Local Touch: Achieving
Cultural Fitness in TV Advertising," Journal of Advertising
Research, 34 (5), 35-63.
Albers-Miller, N. & Gelb, B. (1996) Business advertising
appeals as a mirror of cultural dimensions: A study of eleven
countries. Journal of Advertising, 25 (4), 57-70.
Kuen-Hee Ju-Pak (1999), Content Dimensions of Web
Advertising: A Cross-National Comparison, International
Journal of Advertising, 18 (2), 207-231.
Message/Creative Issues
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Standardization vs. Localization Strategy
Class 13
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Same message across markets vs. customized
message to each market
Previous literature supports localization
approach on the ground of cross-national
differences in culture, economic, legal,
and media environment
“Market globally, think locally” in the
Internet -- a challenge
The Need for a cost/benefit analysis to
achieve flexibility & profitability
How much to localize advertising depends
largely on cross-cultural differences
Localizing The Website, Ads,
& Customer Services:
Language Translation Methods
Class 13
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Using automatic translation software
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simplest approach to translation
Example software: V6 from Vignette; Teamsite
by Interwoven; VIP Enterprise from Gauss,
Documentum 4i
your translation software should have:
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a version control mechanism that allows multiple
language versions of content to coexist
a strong, yet flexible templating mechanism
workflow that can manage every step of the
process
offers cost advantages, but lots of room for
errors
Localizing The Website, Ads,
& Customer Services:
Language Translation Methods
Class 13

Use of global outsourcing agencies
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SDL of Plano TX, and GlobalSight, Bowne
Global Solutions
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to find more about the agencies and the industry,
check out the website for the American
Translators Association and the Localization
Industry Standards Association
work with an agency that has experience in
handling Web localization
ask them how they measure and control quality
of the translation
quite effective, but costly approach
Localizing The Website, Ads,
& Customer Services:
Class 13
Language Translation Methods
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Have translators on staff

being able to speak a language
does not necessarily make you a good
translator
Localizing The Website, Ads,
& Customer Services:
General Tactics
Class 13
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Write in simple, short sentences, with
substantive headlines
Avoid technical jargons, specialized terms
Test the market audience to speak their
language correctly & to avoid culturally
misleading innuendos
How much to translate should be based
on local interest and ROI
Think globally even at the development of
the ads and web site
Provide customer service in multiple
languages
Localizing The Website, Ads,
& Customer Services:
General Tactics
Class 13
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Offer multiple channels for
communication: If possible, give them a
local phone number, fax number and
mailing address
If local contact is not feasible, offer your
international customers e-mail
communication only, and have native
speakers handle all communication and
translate the questions and answers
Make information in own website easily
searchable and printable
Provide FAQs
Localizing The Website, Ads,
& Customer Services:
Design Tactics
Class 13
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Visuals and design elements should be
localized
Be aware of the look of the local language
and understand the impact of text
expansion or contraction on the design of
your ad or site
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When a block of text is translated into another
language, it tends to expand or contract,
depending on the target language
Avoid embedding text into graphics
Do not use flags but use the word to
indicate the local language
Localizing The Website, Ads,
& Customer Services:
Design Tactics
Class 13
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Don’t draw lines on diagrams
Brand names, slogans, logos, colors, and
navigation items could be constant
Other variables may be localized:
measurement & sizes, prices &
currencies, dates, calendars, time zones,
product selection, contact info, images &
icons, forms and input fields
Read “Are you cultured” by Aaron Markus
in the readings list
Media/Placement Issues
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Class 13
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Find out where your audience goes and
advertise there
Use high target traffic sites for a branding
campaign; use more targeted approach
(e.g., keyword search) for a direct
marketing campaign
Start with portals and search engines that
offer global reach (e.g., Yahoo!, MSN)
Use of multinational ad networks is a
good idea
Test the sites before a big buy