A new study conducted by McCann Truth Central, McCann Worldgroup’s global intelligence unit, took an in-depth look at the changing dynamics of global brand marketing today, concluding that building global brands today requires a more nuanced interactive approach, one the agency is calling “Deep Globality,” in order to distinguish it from methods traditionally associated with globalisation.
The “Truth About Global Brands” research includes interviews with 30,000 people in 29 countries, covering all major regions of the globe. This research was complemented with qualitative research, including focus groups, in-home ethnographies, and in-depth interviews with experts across a range of industries such as marketing, entertainment and politics. In Asia Pacific, the research surveyed over 9,000 people across the region; participating markets were Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and South Korea.
The “Truth About Global Brands” research includes interviews with 30,000 people in 29 countries, covering all major regions of the globe
In China, a brand’s deep globality is featured in a richer and more dynamic way:-
- The rising of both “global nature” and “national pride” for Chinese consumers. Quite different from other countries in APAC, (for example, South Korea and Japan tend to maintain their national character due to their inward cultures), there is a bi-directional trend in China. 86% consumers feel proud of their local culture and country’s identity while 63% people in China are eager to be integrated into global culture, the highest across the world in the whole study.
- Globality makes local brands “a flying pig standing at the outlet” .The global trend brings forth a good opportunity for China's local brands. 34% Chinese people are optimistic about "made in China”. 43% think that the key to a successful global brand is creativity while 41% attribute it to trustworthy. For Chinese consumers, the demand of innovation and trust is far higher than the global average, and they think both are the wings that local brands must leverage to fly.
- The mandate for global brands is to be additive to local culture and make contributions to it. While 65% people think the best way for a brand to make the world a better place is by providing consistently good, high quality products and service, as many as 92% believe that it is important or extremely important that brands respect local culture.
- China's millennials are the most open in the world. 57% of young people in China would identify themselves with their hobbies instead of national origins and over one third young people think that they belong to a diversified culture. What’s more, the generation gap between them and the population more than 55 years old is the biggest in the world.
On September 22nd, McCann Worldgroup hosted a China Summit on “Truth about Global Brands" in Shanghai, which attracted over 150 clients
Ellen Hou, Group Managing Director of McCann Worldgroup Shanghai & Chief Strategy Officer for Greater China, when pointing out the global mission that both global brands and local brands should take on, said: “The concept of globality is a cultural concept. If more than four-fifths of the world’s population believes that global brands can make the world a better place, then marketers have an important opportunity to earn their way into people's lives in much deeper, more meaningful ways, becoming part of the local innovation and also belonging to part of the youth culture.”
Ellen Hou
Zhuo Wang, Business Strategist and Marketing Expert Richard Cotton, Content & Creative Excellence Director, Coca Cola China Ellen Hou, Group Managing Director, McCann Worldgroup Shanghai Professor Jiang Quingyun, Chairman of Marketing, Fudan University’s School of Management Onicek He, Founder & Chief Architect, ROI Festival
On September 22nd, McCann Worldgroup hosted a China Summit on “Truth about Global Brands" in Shanghai, which attracted over 150 clients as well as prospects and media across region. The purpose of the summit was to discuss the opportunities and challenges for China as global and local brands navigate the new era of “Deep Globality.” The study explores the intersection between globality and local culture, what a local brand is and how can it be exported across the world. The China summit is part of a broader series of “Truth About Global Brands” events, which have been held in cities as diverse as New York, Barcelona, Dubai, Sao Paulo, and Tokyo. Nadia Tuma, Senior Vice President and Director of McCann Truth Central, said: "The launch events have been just as valuable in deepening our learning about this new era of Globality as the study itself. In each new market, we intensify our knowledge of the research and uncover additional truths that will ultimately help any brand – whether regional or global – better navigate the nuanced cultural environments in which they operate.”
