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How important is it that the logo sits in the bottom left corner and that the stripe down the right side is always the exact same shade of yellow?

How important is it that the logo sits in the bottom left corner and that the stripe down the right side is always the exact same shade of yellow? According to Marta Wielondeck, global brand manager for Novartis Ophthalmics, its not as important as you might think. In a presentation at a recent eyeforpharma conference, Wielondeck gave very step-by-step guidelines for Finding the Right Balance when Implementing Global Branding Elements. Effective branding, says Wielondeck, is more about the story of the brand and less about the position of its icon.

According to Wielondeck, the most important aspect of any marketing campaign is the brand promise. While consumers may not always remember taglines or key visual elements, they will remember a promise of end benefits if the product marketing has been done well. Dont get stuck at the technical level, says Wielondeck; its far more effective to concentrate on the whole story.

Marketplace realities
We live in an economy of commodities. Very few marketers in pharma or in any other industry have a product to sell thats so unique it requires little or no promotion at all or has few or no competitors. Marketing under these conditions is relatively simple, as the product generally sells itself. Most promotions teams have to contend with a crowded marketplace and many competitors selling products with very similar functional benefits. It can be difficult to differentiate your product from everyone elses. And of course, pharma has the additional burden of coping with strict regulations.

With so much competition out there, the need to brand a product exists in every industry, pharma included. How, then, do you establish your brand in the public imagination?

Wielondeck gives the example of Bill Clinton and his recent emphasis on environmentalism. Clinton is primarily known, of course, as a politician. As such, he dresses rather conservatively in expensive suits and ties; he wears his hair short and neat. Put him up against, say, Mick Jagger, and no matter how liberal his politics, former President Clinton is going to come across as pretty mainstream. In a photograph printed in the Financial Times, Mr. Clinton is wearing one of his traditional suits and ties. In the photo, his arm is raised to make a point; above the starched cuff and gold cufflinks, you can just make out a funky, woven, surfer-style bracelet.

Says Wielondeck, this is a brilliant example of branding. As Mr. Clintons new campaign is the reduction of petrol emissions, he is positioning himself as the link between hip, young environmentalists (the bracelet) and the establishment (the suit). He understands the machinations of the political machine, but at heart, hes a hippie.

This, according to Wielondeck, demonstrates one of the golden rules of effective global branding: simplicity.

Simple solutions
With so much noise in the marketplace as everyone clamors to be heard, its important to make your point as simply and directly as possible. Because pharma marketing is so tightly regulated, the industry doesnt have the luxury of complex campaigns. Instead of tying a product to a host of images, colors, fonts and taglines, the story of the product must be told in concepts which imprint quickly in the minds of potential consumers.

Some of the most successful global products dont necessarily have identical elements from advertisement to advertisement, from country to country. Think, says Wielondeck, of the recent ad campaign for iPod silhouettes of dancing people against a colored background, each with a white cord from its ears to the iPod in its hand. The ads are instantly recognizable, even when the product name is not visible. Although the messages and colors are not aligned from ad to ad, the crucial element of the dancing figures links the ads together.

Simplicity facilitates diversity. With too many restrictions on ad appearance, with too much emphasis on aligning the ads no matter where the ads are going to appear, you lose your ability to tailor your message to meet local market needs. For example, Nikes just do it campaign is one of the most successful in marketing history. And its incredibly flexible. An enormous number of products, layouts, images and concepts can all be captured under the same, recognizable, three-word umbrella: just do it.

Marrying global unification with local tailoring
A problem arises when, for example, a local brand manager realizes that the global marketing concepts of a brand dont fit with her local market. There are so many variables, after all, with brand icons, visual identification markers, positioning, key messages, headlines, taglines, brand personality, etc., handed down by the global marketing team.

Again, the goal is simplicity. Choosing just a few, key elements, those that really have an impact, allows for simplicity and flexibility in the campaign. As Wielondeck says, the story is more important than individual elements. Concentrate on brand feel instead of brand look. If you have a unique, memorable element in your campaign, then you can play with it. You can change its size, color, position; as long as iconographic elements are strong, you can manipulate them to account for local preferences.

The advantage of a strong icon (think Nikes swoosh or Lamisils Digger character) is in its efficiency of messaging. Once an icon is established in the publics mind, it acts as an anchor, carrying with it a great deal of information that no longer has to be repeated, such as the brands name, its function, its advantages, and so on. Strong icons allow us to skip directly to the message.

Obstacles to implementation
According to Wielondeck, there are four principal obstacles to local implementation of global elements. For the visual elements, cultural aspects are the primary obstacle. Cultural preferences regarding pictures and images must be respected, within reason. Second is ownership of the image: are we allowing personal preferences to override market research in determining what images will be used? Third, there are regulatory and legal issues, though these only rarely complicate the use of images. Finally, there is the issue of the competition. Its necessary to be sure that your companys global image doesnt overlap with a competitors local one.

The same four obstacles affect brand messaging, though in a different order. Where the message is concerned, generally regulatory and legal difficulties are the primary concern. These may differ enormously from country to country. Second is the issue of competition, then ownership and identity, and finally cultural aspects.

With many of these issues, the best tactic may be to let the local brand managers take the lead. The locals know and understand the regions culture and marketplace, and letting them take over ownership of local marketing strategies is good motivation for them and smart for the company. Global marketing teams may produce different pieces that can be assembled according to local preferences, rather than a single, unified, unalterable campaign.

Easing implementation
There are ways to ease local implementation of global branding elements, says Wielondeck. First, marketing teams should strive to design strategic frameworks, not detailed tactics. Micromanaging every detail is simply unnecessary and may be counterproductive. Leave room for local creativity and tailoring.

Second, involve a balanced group of local peers. This doesnt have to be a large group, Wielondeck says; even a small group can provide creativity, practical solutions to local obstacles, and advocates on the ground for campaign ideas that might seem a bit out there to senior management.

Third, before you use your campaign to sell your products to doctors, you must first sell your campaign to the local sales force and marketers. Youll need to have these people fully on board in order to launch a successful campaign. Convince them that the campaign is good and will work, give them time to develop a response, then listen carefully to their feedback.

Fourth and finally, always prepare an operating manual. The global branding team should produce materials that explain the thinking behind the strategies and elements of a marketing campaign.

Says Wielondeck, designing a successful branding campaign is about making butter, not margarine. The best way to design an attractive brand is to take local preferences into account. By engaging local marketing teams in decision-making for their region, you stand a far greater chance of building what Wielondeck calls, a living, breathing brand.

Author: Shannon Perry, journalist, eyeforpharma