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Ratna Bhushan

Jaipur , Nov. 13

THE `Global Local Conflict' in the words of Ms Jane Gorard, Director of Marketing, BBC World, UK, is all about brands having had to move up a gear to keep pace, predict trends and give it their best shot at staying ahead in the game.

"The abundance of communication channels — from television, radio and print to the all-pervasive Internet — gives all marketers, whether national or global, a headache. Can we take a global brand and make it relevant to local audiences without diluting the core values of the brand?" questioned Ms Gorard, on Day Three of the Ad Asia 2003 event.

Speaking specifically about BBC, Ms Gorard said, "We are doing our bit to take Brand India global in a small way. Asian countries have begun identifying with our channel as a platform to reach the world." She pointed out that in Asia, India is the biggest- and most demanding - market for BBC World. "In fact, the Indian market is where BBC World has the biggest operations outside of Europe," she added.

According to Ms Gorard, in marketing terms, the `global local' conflict is an issue that brands with international interests must grapple with.

"This becomes more challenging against the backdrop of social exclusion of regions and countries as a result of world events, which has led to dilution of trust and economic instability. In marketing terms, this implies fragmentation and niche audiences, because if people distrust global brands and multinationals, they may shy away from established names and switch allegiance to companies with greater local relevance," she pointed out.

On what takes global brands to be local, Ms Gorard pointed out to two key attributes — a core message with a clear set of values that will travel, and consistency of delivery of the message and values at all levels.

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