Are Global and Local Marketing Teams Aligned for Success?

July 8, 2014

One of the keys to maintaining a consistent global brand is ensuring that everyone is aligned to the same strategy, regardless of where they work in the organization. Marketing2020 findings show that for most, the farther an employee is from the organization’s center of power, the lower the understanding and alignment on the overall strategy. Winning organizations distinguish themselves in the following ways:

Having a global/central marketing team that understands the reality and needs of the local marketing teams (49 percent relative to 32 percent of under-performing organizations).
Having a local marketing team that understands the global/central strategy for a brand (58 percent relative to 38 percent of under-performing organizations).

Marketers knows that it takes repetition to make consumers aware of anything new, but inside such simple rules are often ignored when it comes to internal communications. To maintain focus, inspiration, and alignment, marketing leaders should establish clear and frequent channels of communication that ensure everyone is continually kept in the loop on progress using stories, reports, and updates. Communicating constantly about the organizational strategy can be a good way to remind people of the prize, and ensure that local activities are not straying away from the real goal of business growth.

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About Marketing2020

Marketing2020 – Organizing for Growth is the most comprehensive global marketing leadership initiative ever undertaken. Led by Millward Brown Vermeer in partnership with the ANA, Spencer Stuart, and Adobe, Marketing2020 is focused on how to best align marketing strategy, structure, and capabilities for business growth. The Marketing2020 fieldwork included vision interviews with more than 250 leading CMOs and an in-depth online survey of 10,491 contributors from 92 countries.