2009 CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER COUNCIL GLOBAL ADVISORY BOARD CAUCUS - GLOBALIZATION THROUGH LOCALIZATION

As global business multiplies, marketers are challenged to understand more diverse and complex markets, while also modifying and adapting products, services and experiences so they are priced, packaged and delivered in the most competitive and relevant way.

Connecting and resonating with customers across a multiplicity of geographies, cultures, religions, languages and socio-economic groups requires reliable in-country partners, as well as deep market insight, sensitivity and localization knowledge.

Understanding and responding to ever-changing geo-political, social and economic changes has become essential to global competitiveness. Managing risks, anticipating threats and leveraging opportunities are new skills for global marketers seeking to impact and improve the business value chain and sales pipeline worldwide. 

Projecting a consistent brand face and singular value proposition is now more difficult than ever as geographic markets, audiences and channel partners propogate. Finding the right resources, recruiting the necessary talent, and designing global products and campaigns that can be localized for specific needs, requirements and conditions necessitate a much greater range and breadth of CMO experience and visibility across all facets of a company’s operations and demand chain.

In addition to better modeling and managing the marketing mix worldwide, marketers have to invest in more timely global business intelligence, competitive sensing programs, cross-cultural research initiatives and customer listening and feedback systems. They also have to integrate, cleanse and maintain larger and more diverse customer data sets and use analytics to better segment, target and personalize global messaging campaigns to maximize response, return and customer relationship building.

This year the CMO Council will connect marketing leaders from around the world through a year-end Global Advisory Board Caucus, a live and virtual engagement involving many of our 230 board members from across the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific regions. “Globalization Through Localization” will combine concurrent live gatherings in New York and Silicon Valley with virtual video communications links to allow members to interact, engage and share knowledge and best practice insights with their regional marketing counterparts.

Discussions will focus on how to gain “Impact Through Innovation” and will center around inventive go-to-market strategies, unifying themes and platforms, intrusive branding campaigns and vehicles, successful product adaptation programs, alternative media and market engagement channels, effective process-enabling platform adoption, and better ways to bring more accountability and measurement to marketing.

This Caucus will focus on specific topics, challenges and “of the moment” strategies that today’s marketers are working to embrace as part of new globalization strategies. These marketing innovators are risk-taking, results-minded professionals willing to jettison traditional practices, revamp under-performing functions, and explore and test new ways to engage and activate markets in both developed and developing countries worldwide. Speakers and panelists will be drawn from multi-national companies across every region of the world reflecting the multi-local character and global focus of the CMO Council.

• CMO Council welcomes participants and introduces keynote presentation
• Keynote to focus on key challenges faces by global marketers including how to best assess market potential, identify risks, and size and segment market opportunities
  
• CMO Council sets up topic of conversation with reference to select findings from CMO Council research.
• Led regional representative provides a brief perspective on the dynamics and conditions in their relevant BtoB, BtoC or blended market sectors. This establishes credentials and provides insights on operational marketing responsibilities. (5 minutes for each region)
• CMO Council Moderator poses a series of three questions. Each region will have the opportunity to respond to the questions through a dedicated panel representative. Answers to each question should be limited to no more than 5 minutes per region. They will be:
  
  1)   What are the marketing challenges and risks facing multi-national brands seeking to do business in your region?
  2)   What are the requirements for success and what have you learned from your extensive experience across your region?
  3)   Globalization and localization are two driving principles and practices of international business. How do you reconcile and contrast the desire for a unified, consistent brand experience with the need to adapt, modify and price to compete with home-grown, trusted brands?

• Moderator then invites questions and open dialog from audience and Advisory Board participants. Questions will be directed to the most appropriate region or individual panelist.
  
• Closing keynote commentary offers strategies for change, performance and measurement in a dynamic global economy