Interactive Brand Communication Class 13

1. Interactive Brand CommunicationClass 13 Global Brand Communication Issues

2. Featuring today . . . . Class 13 • Should you go global via the Net? • Obstacles & Opportunities in Going Global • Message Issues & Tactics • Media Issues & Tactics

3. Should you go global and online? Class 13 • There should be a market to tap with the use of the Internet • Review your site traffic to see if you have enough traffic from outside your home market • Review your online sales to see if enough sales is or can be generated among people outside your home country

4. Should you go global and online? Class 13 • The Internet is an efficient and effective way to expand your sales • Examine e-readiness of the market • Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)& Pyramid Research in 2003 came up with the 60 largest economies on “e-readiness” • 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

5. Should you go global and online? Class 13 • The Internet is an efficient and effective way to expand your sales • Examine e-readiness of the market (continues ..) • 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%)

6. Obstacles & Opportunities in Going Global Class 13 • Technological/Economical Obstacles • 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

7. Obstacles & Opportunities in Going Global Class 13 • Legal/Regulatory Environment • The legal and regulatory environment varies widely across national borders • Just because you can do something in one country doesn’t mean you can do it elsewhere

8. Obstacles & Opportunities in Going Global Class 13 • Social/Cultural Differences • There are notable cultural differences across nations • The marketer should understand the cultural differences when they advertise their products or services on a global basis

9. Obstacles & Opportunitiesin 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

10. Obstacles & Opportunitiesin 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

11. Obstacles & Opportunities in Going Global Class 13 • To learn more about cross-national differences in culture and advertising approaches, refer to • 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.

12. Message/Creative Issues Class 13 • Standardization vs. Localization Strategy • 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

13. Localizing The Website, Ads, & Customer Services: Class 13 Language Translation Methods • Using automatic translation software • simplest approach to translation • Example software: V6 from Vignette; Teamsite by Interwoven; VIP Enterprise from Gauss, Documentum 4i • your translation software should have: • 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

14. Localizing The Website, Ads, & Customer Services: Class 13 Language Translation Methods • Use of global outsourcing agencies • SDL of Plano TX, and GlobalSight, Bowne Global Solutions • 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

15. Localizing The Website, Ads, & Customer Services: Class 13 Language Translation Methods • Have translators on staff • being able to speak a language does not necessarily make you a good translator

16. Localizing The Website, Ads, & Customer Services: Class 13 General Tactics • 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

17. Localizing The Website, Ads, & Customer Services: Class 13 General Tactics • 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

18. Localizing The Website, Ads, & Customer Services: Class 13 Design Tactics • 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 • 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

19. Localizing The Website, Ads, & Customer Services: Class 13 Design Tactics • 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

20. Media/Placement Issues Class 13 • 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