International branding is more than adjusting a logo

A brand is about consumers

Companies believe that their brand comes alive through their logo, name and uniform visual communication. But a brand is also about attitude, unique ideas, employees, products, services, innovation, and business models. Last but absolutely not least: a brand is about consumers. Because at the end of the day, they decide if they want to use a product or service. And they make that descision every day again. 

Avoid pitfalls

So I believe it starts with gaining an understanding of local people. Research what they think about your business or your product, how they make choices, where they go, what they need and what their desires are. Also, learn their language and understand their culture. Break boundaries, dare to fail and avoid pitfalls.

Speaking of pitfalls, Nike fell into a huge one: they launched a special edition of trainers with sewn onto the left shoe the character “Fa”, which translates as “getting rich”. And on the right shoe Nike placed the character “Fu”, meaning “Fortune arrives”. So far so good. Unfortunately for Nike, when combined, “Fa” and “Fu” means “getting fat”. Another great example of a costly mistake was when the German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz entered the Chinese market under the brand name “Bensi”, which means “rush to die”. Read the following five rules for success carefully to avoid pitfalls and costly mistakes. 

Your five rules for success: 

1. Understand customer behaviour. 

Just because consumers in one culture have certain buying preferences or habits, this does not mean that such preferences are universal. It is astonishing how many retailers have failed, because they haven’t done any research on their consumers. For example, if you sell athletic clothing, look at where people are buying their athletic clothing. It could be from specialty stores, online retailers, or sporting goods stores. If you have a high-end brand and you are entering a market where the preferred buying location are discount retailers, you may need to adopt a different strategy. 

2. Position yourself properly, find your blue ocean. 

Good brand positioning includes truly understanding your competition, market and looking at your competitive advantage. Who are the providers of similar products and services that you sell in this country? They may not be the same providers as in the Netherlands. And what is your strategy? Do you go for a red ocean or are you going to find the blue ocean for your overseas adventure? 

3. Know how your brand translates. 

A clever brand or product name in one language may translate into an embarrassing failure in another. For example, the French cheese brand Kiri changed its name to Kibi in Iran because the former name means “rotten” or “rank” in Farsi; not exactly the association you want for cheese. In addition to ensuring that your brand translates well into other languages, consider which colours are favoured in various markets. In the Netherlands, blues and reds are popular, while reds and yellows are frequently used in some Latin American countries and as such may be appealing to audience members from those areas. 

4. Think broadly. 

Since your company may need to expand into offering new products based on regional market demands, it is important that your company name be broad enough to accommodate those changes.

5. Find good partners. 

Simply placing your company overseas with your own staff does not work. You need to find the right local partners, local employees and advisors to help you to build a bridge between cultures in order to avoid pitfalls and mistakes.

So go overseas and try to see your brand in a new way. You are make an introduction to a new group of people and the most important thing in a new introduction is your first impression. Keep in mind you never have the possibility for a second first impression.