Developing a global strategy

Today we live in a global economy in which the time taken for people to move between continents has been significantly reduced and in which Internet and other connections make instant connections possible. The business response of large business organisations has to recognise that they now operate in a global market place and to develop appropriate strategies. A global strategy is an organisational plan that takes into account these new global realities. For example, in food manufacture companies like Nestle, Kellogg's, and Cadbury Schweppes they have developed global distribution and marketing networks, based on powerbrands i.e. market leading brands that are recognisable in nearly every country in the world. Key aspects of global strategy include: 1. Treating the global market as the domestic market. 2. Creating a global marketing mix, which at the same time recognises regional and national differences, such as differences in language and tastes. 3. Creating global production and distribution systems, e.g. superfactories covering major areas of the world. 4. Concentrating on powerbrands - the most successful brands and products. Because the global market is so large there are substantial benefits to be gained from economies of large scale production, marketing and distribution. Rather than producing thousands of different products it makes sense to narrow down the range to a much smaller number in order to support these brands across the globe.

The future of TV and advertising

There's a great deal of excitement around digital being the future of TV and it sure has its place in a 360° advertising campaign but globally TV still counts for the largest slice of ad spend and agencies' business models are built around these production margins. In order to delve into this we first need to divorce content and platform. Content has evolved significantly in the past 10 years, and right now, the TV platform is undergoing a major revolution that will change consumer behavior. This means that brands and ad agencies must adapt their thinking now and adopt new skills if they want to be as strong in a post-interruptive era. Brands would need solid systems and platforms in place that align their content, products, promotions and data coordinated across a multitude of platforms. While this major shift won't happen overnight it will happen, and it will happen faster and with more impact than it did with the print industry because the infrastructure is all there - more ready to go now than it was when the web took out the newsstand.

What is your brand's social identity?

Does a brand need a social identity online, like a person needs a personality? If you were to remove your company logo from every piece of content you made, could people still recognise it to be yours?' The reason this question is necessary, is because every time a brand enters the social media space, people can play around with it and change it, but also because social media encourages attention deficit - a brand doesn't have even 30 seconds to get its brand message across. In order not to be tuned out by consumers, brands are now creating "strong, authentic un-logoed content that still conveys the brand identity" . There is no doubt that marketers are still struggling with the fact that they don't own their brand message in the realm of social, as social media users dictate the social rules, depending on the culture of users on each platform."Social rules are dictated by the culture of the users on each social platform, and they will decide if your content is welcome or not. Your adverts will rarely gain social reach, but your content might if it's relevant. The trick now, is to make your brand stick out, by having a defined and consistent approach to social content.

Here's the BIG one - Business Success

`If somebody asked you what is the most crucial aspect of business to focus on to ensure success, what would you say?

Some would choose Sales. Some would say Marketing. Many would claim it’s Leadership. Others believe it’s organization structure. More than a few would be adamant that the most important element is financial acumen.

I don’t disagree that these areas are all vital to the creation of any outstanding commercial enterprise. But in my experience there’s one element rarely talked about that trumps all the others in importance.

That element? Urgency.

Think about it. What’s the number one gripe of executives and entrepreneurs today?

They can’t get enough done.

Sure they’ve got great ideas, plenty of them, but actually making those ideas happen is the hard part.

It’s not just a matter of spending more time working. The reason so many are not achieving enough is not actually a shortage of time (who isn’t working at least 50 to 60 hours a week?).

It’s that other people get in the way.

In so many different ways.

They take ages to decide. Or make it difficult to get your job done. Or sit in endless meetings pontificating on the pros and cons. Or put off allocating the right resources. Or just don’t make a decision. Or forget they agreed to do something. Or don’t follow up.

The plain truth is that getting anything done in the business world is damn hard, because the inertia, complexity and resistance to action is so strong.

The only way to cut through it all is to act with a real sense of urgency. To behave with an almost desperate urge to get the job done, no matter what and as soon as humanly possible.

Only when you have a spirit or urgency can you push your way through the admin and red tape. Only by acting with urgency can you get others to deliver on time. Only being truly urgent in your dealings can you achieve anything significant in a year.

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Business Networking

Business networking is an effective low-cost marketing method for developing sales opportunities and contacts, based on referrals and introductions - either face-to-face at meetings and gatherings, or by other contact methods such as phone, email, and increasingly social and business networking websites.

The shortened term 'networking' can be confused with computer networking/networks, which is different terminology, relating to connection and accessibility of multiple computer systems.

A business network of contacts is both a route to market for you, and a marketing method. Business networking offers a way to reach decision-makers which might otherwise be very difficult to engage with using conventional advertising methods.

In addition, business networking brings with it the added advantage of recommendation and personal introduction, which are always very helpful for developing business opportunities.

Business networking is a way for you to make the maxim, "It's not what you know, it's who you know.." work for you.

The principles and techniques of business networking are mostly common sense. Many of the behavioural principles apply also to business and relationships generally, and specifically to selling, managing, coaching, facilitating, etc.

What's the real power of You?

If you want to grow your brand, you've got to come to terms with power -- your own. The key lesson: power is not a dirty word!

In fact, power for the most part is a badly misunderstood term and a badly misused capability. I'm talking about a different kind of power than we usually refer to. It's not ladder power, as in who's best at climbing over the adjacent bods. It's not who's-got-the-biggest-office-by-six-square-inches power or who's-got-the-fanciest-title power.

It's being known for making the most significant contribution in your particular area. It's reputational power. If you were a scholar, you'd measure it by the number of times your publications get cited by other people. If you were a consultant, you'd measure it by the number of CEOs who've got your business card in their hand. (And better yet, the number who know your beeper number by heart.)

Getting and using power -- intelligently, responsibly, and yes, powerfully -- are essential skills for growing your brand. One of the things that attracts us to certain brands is the power they project. As a consumer, you want to associate with brands whose powerful presence creates a halo effect that rubs off on you.

Most important, remember that power is largely a matter of perception. If you want people to see you as a powerful brand, act like a credible leader. When you're thinking like brand You, you don't need org-chart authority to be a leader. The fact is you are a leader. You're leading You!

IDENTITY

Identity... Identity...Identity

Who are you? what do you stand for? Why are you here?

These are some provoking questions a brand should ask himself?  

Nothing i use the word "HIMSELF"... Well this is just to personify your  brand and bring it closer home because in the actual sense that brand is a living thing with emotions, values and attributes.

Giving your business identity makes it a lot simpler to communicate your offering to the world. If you think of your business as a person, what kind of personality does it have? Creating an identity for your business or brand is the first step and assists in defining how you see your concern to the public.

Firstly lets define a BRAND

Brand is the "name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers. It is the most valuable asset of a corporation or a person.