Major advertisers undertake substantial reforms
Research firm Forrester interviewed senior executives from 13 corporations including Anheuser-Busch InBev, Kimberley-Clark, Levi-Strauss, Mercedes-Benz and Pernod-Ricard recently to establish their current views on marketing. It found that the vast majority (75%) were expecting to undertake substantial reforms to their marketing functions by the end of 2011, due to factors such as the economic downturn, the rise of digital media, and increased media fragmentation.
Coca-Cola and Vodafone are just two global players which have already embarked upon such plans to improve marketing efficiency. According to Forrester, brands looking to transform their frequently “maladaptive” structures will have to identify the most appropriate overarching business model, whether that be “totally global”, “totally local” or “somewhere in between.”
This will involve in-depth analysis of the marketing process and international brand implementation. “This will be the year in which marketers get their house in order by forging internal consensus around a global strategy,” predicted Steven Noble, an analyst at Forrester. He suggested that most brands with an international reach have failed to leverage what this can provide in terms of efficiencies – within marketing supply chain management, for example.
“Global marketing is one big mess, and the CMOs who win will be those who … create a global marketing team that uses data and customer insight to learn, adapt, and grow in real time, anywhere in the word,” he added.
In keeping with Forrester’s analysis, Coca-Cola’s Powerade brand has announced it will be running its first ever global ad campaign linked to the forthcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Anheuser-Busch InBev has also developed several multi-market initiatives to promote its beer brands during the international event, alongside a more localised or nuanced approach in certain countries.
Tags: Global Brand
