What are the key elements of creating a global brand?

The BPS brand “goes global”

It’s exciting times at BPS World, with new clients wins taking us to all corners of the globe, ranging from Eastern Europe to South East Asia and South America to name a few.

As part of this global growth we need to ensure that our brand is distinctive and maintains its consistency across a range of markets / regions.

So what are the key elements of a brand which need to be considered to facilitate global growth?

Language

A particular brand, product name or even strapline in one language may translate into something embarrassing in another. An example being the French cheese brand Kiri needed to change its name to Kibi when they branched into Iran because the former name means “rotten” or “rank” in Farsi.

Try to avoid colloquialisms, something that feels like a genius play on words may not translate well and could cause embarrassment.

Colour

Consider your use of colour, which colours are favoured in the various regions? In the U.K. blues and greens are thought to be the safest option when choosing a corporate colour palette, whilst reds and yellows are generally the preferred choice in Latin America.

Will the colours used in your branding have an impact on your success in different regions?

We are all human

People are fundamentally the same, our culture, background and upbringing influence our outlook on life, focus on people’s similarities rather than their differences. Values such as peace, friendship and commitment are universal and by building such values into a brand, it becomes a lot more relevant globally.

Working together

When you’re building a global brand like BPS World, the time will come when you need to open your first international hub. Our first hub was a two-person office in Prague, eventually that two-person hub might grow into six hubs spread across three continents. Your various offices around the world will need to work together to ensure consistency across the brand.

Don’t forget about localisation 

Despite everything above about building a unified, global brand, the need to localise is still important. While your brand values and culture will be consistent in all your markets, the actual words you use need to be different and it’s a simple fact that some concepts don’t translate between cultures.

What do you think are great global brands? Do they follow the steps above? To find out more about global brands please contact Claire Greenwood on 01628 857336 or Claire.greenwood@bps-world.com