Corporate Marketing and Communications Strategies Are Going Global

Many corporations that are not operating globally today might approach a global marketing and communications strategy in the future, at least according to a survey conducted by PRGN. Seven out of ten executives said that they will have a global marketing function within five years. The survey was conducted online in March by Chicago-based L.C. Williams & Associates, a PRGN member, on 206 communications professionals at agencies, corporations and non-profits across six continents.

Interestingly, more than 40% of the interviewees told that their organizations already have a formal global marketing function, and more than half expect to have one in the next five years.

“One of the interesting findings of the survey is that even organizations that are not operating globally today said that they expect to have a global marketing communications function in the future,” said Francine Robbens, PRGN president and partner at Brussels-based PRP-Public Relations Partners.

The survey also found that half of the executives develop relationships with marketing professionals in other countries, and that these efforts helped companies by increasing brand awareness, gaining a more positive attitude toward their organizations and gaining increased support of their organizations’ business objectives and strategies.

The survey also identified the industries that are most likely to connect globally. These include: manufacturing (27 percent); commercial/professional services; media; food / beverage; and tobacco (each cited by 20 percent of respondents or more).

Global marketing becomes more and more important in today’s highly competitive environment. Companies who maximize their global outreach efforts, both online and offline, have more chances to boost awareness, and increase sales. For many of these companies, such an approach may be costly, there are, however, cost-effective strategies that can be easily employed, including the use of social media, and other viral online tools and platforms.