Efficiency is good. Effective is better.

Low production costs, but boring and hardly distinguishable from others? Is that what you want?

Consistency of brand message is important. Hardly anyone can afford 25 different campaigns in 25 countries. But consistency of brand message should not be confused with boredom and reduction to the lowest common denominator. Because then, for example, 25 barely distinguishable Hallelujah campaigns for completely different healthcare products can result. Read more about how to set up an international process where the one-size-fits-all approach is replaced by building brand personalities that can maintain different styles in different channels and different cultures while remaining distinctive.

In the good old days, before globalization dominated communications, when it came to campaign development, it was reassuring and good to work with an agency team that understood all facets of the client, its products and its markets, and delivered unusual, eye-catching and therefore effective work.

Then came globalization and with it new requirements. The motto: consistent campaigns all over the world. To achieve this, the structures had to change, teams of flying international managers implemented the idea, which was created somewhere in the world to appear in the same way everywhere in the world. Rigorously it was enforced so that the brand would appear universally in the same way. Then someone decided to review the ads. Market researchers surveyed doctors or customers for preferences, looking for the lowest common denominator, worldwide. And it went downhill from there.

Today, the impression is solidifying that the need to control has sidelined the need to communicate effectively

Uniformity is more important than the ability to get through to target audiences in the jungle of information overload. No one knows how many resources are wasted by these processes and the global market research machinery that spits out countless similar-looking ads for products that are so not similar at all. It is certainly not a few euros or dollars.

The most important goal - changing behavior and increasing sales

The goal and purpose of any brand communication is to change behavior and thus increase sales. Boring, insipid communication is not perceived and does not change attitudes, behavior or buying habits and is therefore simply a waste of resources.
Efficient (low-cost) production of communications is certainly a valid goal for a marketing organization, but it is definitely not the first and most important goal. It is effective (impactful) communication that counts.

Low-cost, low-profile communications are a waste, nothing more.

Might as well not do it at all. What we need is surprising, exciting, unusual communication that appeals to the respective target groups in the countries - and is produced cost-effectively at the same time.

In the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector, too few campaigns are currently being created that really attract attention. Many are similar, they get good ratings in market research because people tend to prefer the familiar, but they don't stand out and therefore don't get noticed in the real world.

For example, there are the so-called Hallelujah images that are so popular in global campaigns right now. Happy people throw their arms in the air and celebrate the freedom that pharmaceutical product X offers them. Some are still retouched on the white sandy beach with sunset to make the happiness perfect. Such ads certainly test well, offering a positive vision for the patient. But: Over 25 such announcements at the same time in the market, however for completely different products, that can only confuse. How does a supplier still want to distinguish itself there?

Which process produces 25 almost identical ads for completely different products and for target groups in 25 or more countries living in different cultures? Certainly not one whose heart's desire is the highest possible effectiveness.

Of course, hardly any company can afford 25 different campaigns, and certainly not different core messages. We live in a global communications world and need strong brands. Strong brands are created through clear, unambiguous communication, with a unified, focused and clearly differentiating brand message that profiles the brand, making it a personality with a strong character.

In communication, however, you can and should vary, just as a strong personality varies with different styles of dress on different occasions. One-size-fits-all is not true, not in different channels and not always in different cultures.

Jetsetters may be less influenced by their cultural background when selecting high-tech products, but even there, psychological factors such as the need for security play a significant role. And this is expressed differently in many cultures and is also determined by different criteria such as size or stock. Emotional and cultural criteria clearly play a role in the selection of health products. Consider how family experiences and those with market-specific competing products influence perception and acceptance.

How can one communicate successfully, i.e. effectively and efficiently at the same time, in such a global world?

We believe that the most efficient way to create effective campaigns is not through efficient translation factories, but with a process that involves people and insights about the market and target groups in different countries right from the development stage. Data graveyards are less helpful here, but rather a close-knit team of creatives from different countries who really understand the product and markets. Only they can ensure that the differences are translated into a powerful big idea that convinces diverse target groups.

The idea must be so big that it is not lost in translation and local adaptation, but on the contrary, inspires local ideas that both fit the brand's core values and yet take into account local specifics to make the campaign successful in each market.

This can be done very efficiently. When involved from the beginning, local creatives don't want to reinvent the wheel. Tools such as extra -and intranets help manage the delicate balancing act between a central unified brand message and necessary local execution in a variety of old and new channels.

Such a process is guaranteed not to lead to the 26th campaign with immaculately aged gray-haired people throwing their arms up in the air, but to unique, outstanding communication that fits the product, is effective and yet remains affordable.