?? Why Consumer Brands Are the Very Best at Going Global

Whenever I'm asked how the best companies go global, I always cite consumer brands. In my interview at HubSpot many years ago, I was asked to share some examples of the best B2B brands and how they go global.

Applying for an executive role at a public tech company, I didn't want to evade the question.

But I had to be honest. I suggested back then that HubSpot, or any B2B company for that matter, avoid looking at B2B peers, and look to B2C brands for inspiration and best practices instead.

Consumer brands are the ones that do it best.

And probably always will.

Why? A few reasons.

Consumer Brands Capture Our Attention in Multiple Ways

Brands represent so much more than just the products they sell, or the company that makes those products. When it comes to consumer brands, they are iconic cultural touchstones that can actually make a place feel like home. There is no place this is more obvious than when it comes to consumer packaged goods (CPG).

Consumer brands are everywhere, and sit at the the heart of local economies. But consumer packaged goods (CPG) in particular are everywhere we look.

We see their products lined up on shelves at every local shop.

We see them on billboards, in magazines, in stadiums, and in the physical world.

And we see them, most importantly, in our homes, every single day.

These brands are part of our lives, both as individuals, and as collective societies.

Did you know for example that the CPG industry:

• Contributes $2.0 trillion to U.S. GDP
• Is the largest manufacturing employer in the United States
• Currently supports 20.4 million, or one in every 10 American jobs
• Represents 9.3% of all U.S. labor income, with $1.1 trillion in American salaries, wages and benefits (source )

Consumer brands surround us, but consumer packaged goods have an important presence in all aspects of our lives, including within our economies.

Consumer Brands Lead with Product in Local Markets

This week, as I write this newsletter from Ireland, I'm reflecting on how the best brands in the world build a strong presence in local markets. One of the most important strategies they use is to lead the way with local product development.

Software companies, take heed. While people in tech love to cast local product development as "premature optimization," it's actually a market entry strategy, and an important strategy to grow market share. It's also how brands can capture attention from customers to begin with, get them to try a product, and lure them into their fold.

As I took my daughters to a local shop in our small village in Donegal recently, we smiled at some of the product names that sound funny to us as Americans. We marveled at some of the flavors that just don't exist in America (champagne rhubarb yogurt is a favorite of ours that you can't get back home in the U.S. for example).

As we walked down the aisle, one of my daughters yelled (too loudly of course, we're Americans after all), "Fiber One makes DONUTS here?!" She's only 10, but had seen the brand before when grocery shopping in the United States.

Cadbury is everywhere in Ireland. My kids have fond memories of Cadbury from the years we spent living here. From the "selection boxes" given to children at Christmas time in this culture, to the Dairy Milk bars passed out by their Gaelic football coach at the end of the season, some of these experiences in their lives are simply linked to consumer brands.

So, every time we come to Ireland, my daughters and I notice the Cadbury flavors you can't get in America, as well as the interesting product collaborations they do here that they aren't usually found at home.

Cadbury is known to most Americans as a foreign brand, and Americans often associate European brands with higher quality, regardless of whether or not it's true. But it's also interesting to see what we consider to be "local" brands that come out with products not known to us in the market where we perceive a brand to be from, and how the very product names they choose are also developed to appeal to local consumers.

For example, an "enrobed white" Oreo isn't a product name I can envision flying off the shelves in America.

The spelling of the Mars Caramel Centre product will look like a typo to many people in the United States.

A Twix Top wouldn't make much sense as a product for most Americans who don't have the habit of biscuits with their tea or coffee either.

It's incredibly interesting, when you visit a new local market, even one that speaks the same language, to notice the differences between how products are created, packaged, and advertised in your home country versus one that is new to you.

This is one of the things I love most about working at Zappi . We get to work every day with the masterminds of these products, the ads that promote them, and the brands that shape those consumer experiences.

It is so much fun to learn from them!

Grace Notes

This edition of Making Global Work was a shorter issue than normal!

Less is more?

I tend to "write long," but I also know my readers are busy bees who don't always have time to read all the stuff that I write (or... didn't do very well editing down.) ;-)

I'd love your feedback!

As I continually optimize the format of this newsletter, I appreciate your suggestions and thoughts on the content. Feel free to message me or comment below with any ideas on what you'd like to see more or less of.

There are nearly double as many readers of this newsletter now as the population of the tiny rural town that I grew up in amidst the Illinois cornfields. Having felt a rush of joy anytime I wrote something that appeared in our local hometown newspaper growing up, and knowing that I was somehow able to reach people and hopefully help them with something, I feel a similar sense of gratitude today, each time I publish this weekly newsletter.

I thank you for your continued interest.

Our conference for consumer insights professionals

If you happen to work in consumer insights, I'd love to meet you in person soon, and am happy to invite you to sign up for Zappi 's inaugural Connected Insights Conference in New York City, coming up in less than two months! If you're a brand-side consumer insights professional, save the date here .

For now, I'll sign off with a view of beautiful Donegal, where I lived with my family for a couple of years, and where I am working remotely right now. If you like to travel, I encourage you to add it to your destination list. If you don't mind it raining 250 days per year, the remaining 115 are pretty stunning.

Other Ways to Connect with Me

Thank you for reading this newsletter! I hope you found it helpful.

Here are 3 other ways we can connect:

1. Get my latest book.

Don't forget to get your own copy of my latest book, Take Your Company Global .

It was kindly endorsed by my longtime CEO at HubSpot , Brian Halligan.

“Take Your Company Global is the definitive guide to building a global business in the digital age.” —Brian Halligan, Co-Founder and Executive Chairperson, HubSpot and Co-Author,?Inbound Marketing

Already have it? Liked it?

Help others find it, and leave a review on Amazon .

2. Find me online.

Looking for my books , blog , and other writing ?

Get all this and more at my (recently relaunched) website, Born to Be Global .

3. Book me for a talk.

I often do author talks, conference keynotes, and podcast guest appearances.

Want to find out if I can help you?

Just go to borntobeglobal.com and fill out the form to get in touch!

I check those messages once a week.

Have a great week ahead, and thanks again for reading!

Nataly