Increase in cross border marketing

Fiona Lund MD of Brouha Marketing, talks about the growing relevance of marketing across borders

If like us, you’re just back from walking the miles of the Messe Düsseldorf aisles, you won’t fail to be have been impressed by the 1,150 exhibitors, 42,500 visitors and representation from 86 countries at Glasstec 2014. The time and money invested in this event by people involved in the industry is truly impressive – it’s a global melting pot for all things glass. In contrast with the economic battering of recent years which saw the closure of many float glass lines and downstream IGU operations, Glasstec is flying the flag for the upturn. It’s true that some countries are further along the road to recovery than others, and what’s really interesting is the number of global players all in one place in Germany for the show. As well as shared business units across different countries, there were shared issues like the specialist areas that Glasstec focused on including more high tech glass, integrated lit glass, complex curved glass facades, thin glass applications and of course energy efficiency and productivity.

A quick glance at the exhibition directory shows the number of non-UK holding companies, finance groups and global parents who sit at the top of the UK supply chain, a situation that is ever accelerating with cross border M + A activity. There are also increasing numbers of UK based companies and brands who are looking to achieve potential outside of our islands. Growth in Western Europe may remain subdued, but parts of Central and Eastern Europe, Western Asia and Turkey are experiencing strong growth.* No surprise then that with big export opportunities, and markets on the cusp of opening up, more and more businesses are crossing borders. The implications of shared business units and shared issues all lead to shared marketing. The rise of the global customer and the explosion of digital technologies that have played a significant role in the evolution of business over recent years have naturally impacted on how we market ourselves. Thanks to the internet, there has been an irreversible shift from doing business on a local to a global platform. Most of us are now just a few clicks away from everybody else. Where products and services can be rolled out internationally, huge new markets suddenly open up with significant potential for outsiders to want to enter and compete. However, international marketing is not without pitfalls. Many companies have made costly mistakes by failing to research, or neglecting to work with partners who know these markets and can help penetrate them, before they commit resources there. Sometimes these costly mistakes are down to misunderstanding of cultural sensitivities, legislative differences, stereotypical prejudices or even protectionist tendencies.

As the world seems to be getting smaller for a lot of companies, our clients are no different. Almost half of our customers operate in mainland Europe or further afield, as well as in the UK market because they have identified export opportunities. Brouha is helping our customers to make the most of these opportunities with PR and marketing support worldwide. Where required, as well as strategic communications advice, we can go back one step and working with independent industry research specialists D&G Consulting, provide market audits by territory, followed by strategic advice and of course tactical implementation. With fluent in-house linguistic skills and media, translation and design partners across the globe, we truly can make a Brouha on your behalf across the globe.

E: Fiona@brouhamarketing.com