Translating your website into multiple languages and making a few advertisements for the global market is not enough to constitute global branding. You must take further steps if you want your firm to become so successful that it becomes more than simply a name in the industry but rather a name connected to excellent customer service and satisfying experiences. We examine ten effective examples of global branding in this post.
Learning from more seasoned brands is the best approach to get knowledgeable. The following businesses have successfully established themselves as brands that stand for superior goods and services and have demonstrated excellent worldwide branding.
1. Apple
We can easily say that Apple is one of the most successful brands of our generation. No matter where you go, everyone has heard of their brand and they associate it with high-end products, unique design, bright stores, and great employees.
Their customer service is definitely worth mentioning because even though they have opted for a one-size-fits-all strategy, the protocol of each of its worldwide stores is tailored to local tastes. They maintain the same look in all locations but their content on the Apple site is carefully translated and localized for international audiences.
2. Coca-Cola
There is no way that we can speak of global branding without mentioning Coca-Cola. They are veterans of this business and they have shown us how consistent quality and outstanding marketing strategies can keep one and the same product on the throne for decades.
In the 1980s and 1990s, when the company was a newbie on the global stage, standardized products and messaging resulted in a backlash against American imperialism. For that reason, in 2000, Coca-Cola introduced its “think local, act local” marketing strategy to increase local sensitivity. That has only made this brand stronger and helped it to become one of the most famous brands in the world.
They promote the same enduring and universal values such as happiness, family, and sharing and they combine that with the product and messaging localization.
3. Starbucks
Their success is attributed to real customer experience around coffee consumption. The emphasis is on classy design, cozy atmosphere, custom-made coffee, friendly staff, and fast service.
Simple hacks such as adding round tables so that the customers who come alone don’t feel lonely show how much they care and pay attention to little details. They are one of the signature parts of the everyday life of Millennials and social media has managed to promote their brand even more. By offering the same high-quality service all around the globe, they share the thought that we are all connected in some way.
The famous coffee brand was also one of the first within the industry to capitalize on developing and implementing a valuable CRM system. They furthered the firm’s brand image by adding a personalized reward system via mobile applications.
4. ZARA
This European company has succeeded in taking over the world despite the competitive market. Their secret is in copying high-end latest fashion trends and making them affordable for a larger mid-price market no matter which country is in question.
Zara is committed to adjusting to a broad spectrum of consumers, spread across different cultures and age groups. They put emphasis on these core values: beauty, clarity, functionality, and sustainability. Zara recognizes the customer as its most valuable brand asset and that is why they grant amazing customer service in every store in the world.
5. Airbnb
Who would’ve said that we would be open to staying in a stranger’s home and even so, trustingly paying for the accommodation to strangers all around the world? Well, Airbnb’s praised global branding has managed to convince us that this is something we should do.
Their dedicated localization department has made their services accessible around the globe and their captivating storytelling has proved to be essential for developing trust and a sense of community between hosts and travelers. The Chief Marketing Officer developed AirBnB’s global strategy that has enabled the company to extend its brand to over 190 countries.
6. Ikea
This company knows exactly what people need in today’s fast-paced world and that is low price, sustainability, form, function, and quality all in one. As one of the world’s most recognized brands, they found a way to deliver that and to show the ability to understand the needs of their international customers.
Ikea tends to retain the same elements but the room sets vary from store to store in order to suit local traditions. For example, in Japan, they will feature tatami mats which is a traditional Japanese floor covering. They have re-imagined the way we shop by creating a whole new family-friendly concept. success
7. Uber
This global brand has shown up abruptly and swept the market by understanding people’s transportation needs and filling the gap between taxis and private chauffeurs. Uber lessened the trouble of quickly finding transportation by creating an online app that easily connects us to a driver anywhere in the world.
By making their services universal across the globe, they have automatically created a great marketing strategy considering that when we travel to a foreign country, we will definitely use a transportation service that we are familiar with rather than struggling to find a taxi or public transportation.
8. McDonald’s
One of the key elements of McDonald’s global success is its uniformity. No matter which country you visit, McDonald’s will provide the same quality, experience, and food. Consumers rely on consistency and equal value regardless of the location and that is exactly what McDonald’s provides them.
We can also contribute to their success to their cultural awareness. For example, in Thailand McDonald’s offers a “Samurai Pork Burger,” unique to the area. In addition to their universal meals, McDonald’s has added some customized offers in almost all of the countries they have entered, adjusting to the local desires of the consumers they serve.
9. Amazon
This brand lets its service and its customers speak on their behalf, so they put their trust in numerous reviews, free deliveries, and recommendation modules to help boost sales. Considering that they are only an online store, they have relied on the strategic use of SEO and affiliate marketing combined with a powerful supply chain and excellent customer service to establish their brand name globally.
Read Also: How to Introduce a Brand to Market
According to Brand Finance, Amazon has officially replaced Google as the most valuable brand in the world. Their 500-strong ranking shows how digitally-obsessed the world is, with technology accounting for the same amount of value as telecoms, retail, and automobiles combined. They took advantage of the digital era and made the most of it.
10. L’Oréal
As a world leader in beauty, L’Oréal is present in 130 countries on five continents. Their mission is to provide the best and most innovative products in cosmetics to women and men around the world. The brand also shows high respect for diversity which only makes them even more appealing to people in different countries.
By cleverly combining deep research and development with strong and strategic marketing campaigns and distribution they successfully attracted the attention of different kinds of consumers. One of their strategies is to keep buying new local brands which affirms their leadership globally. With massive media budgets and globally known celebrity endorsements, they are one of the best examples of a successful marketing campaign.
Let’s talk about the aspects of global branding that these strong brands have in common before we wrap up this discussion. Despite operating in quite different businesses, they share some strategies that help them take over the international market for their goods.
- Corporate identity – Successful brands use their corporate identity to reassure customers and distributors that the company is reliable and that it stands behind its products.
- Consistency – There needs to be a balance between the extent to which brand names differentiate product lines or establish a common identity across different products.
- Connectivity – The use of corporate brand endorsement as a name identifier or logo connects the different product brands to the company which helps to evoke trust in customers, distributors, and partners.
- Localization – The brand needs to speak to its international audiences and the translation needs to be high-quality in order not to lose the intended message.
For that purpose, successful companies use translation services and translation review websites that can help you find your perfect translator. That way you won`t lose the essence of your slogans and beliefs.
- Universally appealing messaging – The message that is being spread and needs to be universally understood or adapted to different markets. Having an understanding of local culture and tastes is a necessity if you want to achieve this.
- Adaptability– Having a strong grasp of what is demanded in all local segments and what are their purchasing habits helps the brands to adapt to the needs of different cultures.
- Uniqueness – Even though some of the world-famous brands are within the same industry, they still found a way to express their authenticity. It’s impossible to establish a global brand name without having the it factor which will enable you to stand out from the crowd.
What Are the 5 Types of Brand Names?
Simply put, the process of identifying a product, service, idea, or offer is known as brand naming. Typically, it’s for a business, although it could also be for an institution. Another way to differentiate a brand category could be to name multiple brands that fall under the same umbrella and use names that are similar to one other. When naming a brand, you have to take your time, research the industry, generate concepts, and then legally compare those concepts to any word trademarks or other restrictions that may apply to your business.
We will discuss the following categories of brand names in this article:
Acronymic Brand Names
A common type of brand name is acronymic, for good reason, especially in business-to-business settings or in rebranding projects that might previously have been using long or confusing names. Here are some examples of acronymic brand names: IBM, BMW and BP. IBM stands for International Business Machines, BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke, and BP stands for British Petroleum. As you might quickly come to realize, each acronym helps these companies diversify their offer and provide their many target markets with a range of offers.
So, what is an acronym that could work for your brand name? Maybe you have partnered with people and your last names could form an interesting acronymic brand name or your products, bundled together, could create a catchy acronym. Try and test against the trademarks that currently exist today, which might be a challenge. One problem with acronymic names is that they could come off as unemotional and miss the personality you might want in your branding, so be careful when designing your marketing communication plan with a brand name using an acronym.
Geographical Brand Names
Another type of brand name that you can use is a geographic brand name. If your business is connected to a specific geographical place and it shares strong ties to that birthplace, then a geographical brand name might be the right one for you. Also, if the offer your company provides tailors to a certain target audience that one occupies a certain region, then these types of names could work for you. It could also be that the birthplace of your company comes with certain bragging rights or historically well-known values that you want your company to emulate, so geographically tied names are a good option too.
For example, Paris is known for fashion and taste and Germany for high quality and productivity. Here are a couple of examples of geographic brand names: New York Times, Copenhagen Grooming, and Tiger of Sweden.
One issue with geographic names is that you might exceed expectations and grow your business outside of the geographical area that’s included in your brand name, so be careful when selecting geographic brand names and make sure to stay up-to-date with what the region is associated with in prospective markets and new target audiences. These types of names might also be difficult to trademark, because, well they are geographic locations, so find a good word-mix.
Descriptive Brand Names
These are brand names such as Bank of America or General Motors. Descriptive brand names describe the offer by a company and, due to this, they are often unremarkable. They can be very useful and leave less room for misinterpretation and like most names give a larger organization a clear objective.
For example, Ameribanksy might not be a cultural fit for the Bank of America brand. It can be difficult to diversify your product or service portfolio if the brand is too descriptive, so be careful if you see that happening in the near future. It can also be difficult to trademark a descriptive brand name, so watch out for that before making the final decision. Other well-known types of brand names that are descriptive are; hotels.com and Toys R Us.
Evocative Brand Names
Compared to descriptive brand names, evocative names are more unique and, if you plan on gaining considerable brand awareness, can give you plenty of upside. They give the viewer and listener an information gap that they themselves need to fill. For example, these are some evocative brand names: Apple, Amazon, and Nike. The original nature of evocative names makes them strong and able to be vehicles for product diversification.
However, you might need to watch out for these types of names if you are running a smaller business and you leave your customers with too little information and they end up not understanding your offer, so be careful in your assessment. Evocative brand names are great if you plan to sell consumer goods to a larger target market and have the necessary funding or communicative resources to back up the marketing spend.
Invented Brand Names
If you find yourself in a situation where you really want to stand out from the crowd, an invented brand name might be the right way for you to go. Sometimes novelty makes the message stick and positions your brand better than what another type of brand name would. Some invented brand names are: Verizon, Google, and Exxon. When choosing an invented brand name, make sure you have the ability to position the brand effectively so that the invented name stands for something.
Your marketing communications strategy will be very important when you choose an invented brand name, so choose the right storytelling and channels to support your brand. Invented brand names are often easier to legally trademark, which is one benefit to using them. However, make sure your customers understand what your core business is so that it is not unclear when you have an invented brand name, that’s very important.
Here is a quick recap of the different types of brand names and some companies that have chosen these names:
- Acronym Names – IBM, IKEA, BMW, BP
- Invented Names – Verizon, Google, Exxon
- Evocative Names – Apple, Amazon, Nike
- Descriptive Names – Bank of America, General Motors
- Lexical Names – Storisell, Dunkin’ Donuts, Krispy Kreme
- Founder Names – Ralph Lauren, Ford, IKEA
- Geographical Names – New York Times, Copenhagen Grooming, Tiger of Sweden
