Russell King on insights teams operating across countries and cultures

This episode of Now That's Significant, a market research podcast, dives into the pressures facing global brands, and how market researchers can play a part in driving success. Russell King, Research Director of Brand Strategy, Performance and Insights at Orange, a major European telecommunications company, spoke with Rebecca Maugham and explored the challenges and opportunities of balancing local and global needs in research.

With his understanding of brand perception across diverse cultures and categories, Russell draws from his extensive experience and provides valuable insights for researchers and brand strategists operating in a globalized marketplace.

A Global-Local Balancing Act

Russell highlights the inherent tension between global strategic goals and the need to cater to local market nuances. Global brands like Orange must ensure that research findings are relevant and actionable for both central teams, who focus on long-term strategic objectives, and local teams, who are responsible for day-to-day operations and market-specific challenges. Striking this balance is crucial for maintaining engagement, securing buy-in, and ultimately driving brand success across diverse markets.

Flexibility Within Standardization

Standardized methodologies are essential for ensuring consistency and comparability of data across different markets. However, Russell emphasizes the importance of allowing for local adaptations within this standardized framework. This flexibility ensures that research reflects cultural differences, language nuances, and market-specific dynamics, making the findings more relevant and actionable for local teams. For instance, Orange maintains a consistent set of purchase drivers for its key performance indicators but runs the models individually for each country, allowing local nuances to be factored in.

The Power of Open Communication

Effective communication is the bedrock of successful global market research. Russell stresses the importance of establishing open and frequent communication channels between central and local teams. This fosters trust, collaboration, and a shared understanding of research objectives and findings. Involving local teams early in the research process, seeking their input, and providing regular feedback helps ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goals.

Brand Perception: A Holistic View

Consumers often perceive a brand holistically, regardless of the specific product or service they are using. This means that a negative experience with one product can impact their perception of the entire brand. Russell shares how Orange transitioned from measuring brand perception in individual telecommunication categories to a single, overarching brand measurement. This simplified approach provides a more accurate reflection of overall brand sentiment and facilitates clearer communication of findings.

Centralized Platforms for Local Empowerment

Centralized research platforms play a vital role in empowering local teams. These platforms provide timely access to data and insights, enabling local teams to make informed decisions and contribute to global strategic goals. User-friendly dashboards and intuitive reporting tools make it easy for non-researchers to access and understand the data, fostering a data-driven culture across the organization. Orange's centralized platform, developed in collaboration with Infotools, allows local teams to access their data within seven days of fieldwork completion, enabling them to make timely, data-driven decisions.

Tune in to this episode of Now That's Significant to gain a deeper understanding of the intricacies of global market research and the strategies for building a strong, consistent brand across diverse markets. Check out other episodes of the podcast while you’re there too, available on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.