(Note: I had to repost this entry without the Odeo player due to a technical glitch. If I can fix it I will. - Matt)
William Lunderman is VP of Global Strategic Brand Design at Colgate-Palmolive. He's thus far led quite an illustrious career as a designer and design leader for well-known brands like Revlon and iconic brands like Campbell's Soup. I invite you to listen to our conversation. I went into it assuming, somewhat naively, I admit, that globalization was all about localization and tailoring your products and messages to the world's varied environs. While that is certainly part of multi-national marketing execution, this sort of endless variation is not the essence of global brand strategy.
From a strategic standpoint, as I learned, the key is, on the contrary, honing in on the universal need addressed by your brand's promise. The trick then becomes effectively translating that promise into a culturally relevant consumer language. At least that's how I understood the sage words of Mr. William Lunderman when we spoke.
If you would like to hear what I heard, you can download the mp3 by "right-clicking" ("control-clicking," Mac-wise) this link here (of course, if you just click on that link, it will play the file for you), or check out all the Talent Blog Podcasts on iTunes.
Highlights of the podcast can be found at the following time coordinates:
00:50 - What is "Global Strategic Brand Design?"
04:32 - The Emotional Aspect of the Brand
07:41 - Thinking about Consumers on a Universal Level
09:55 - "Children like to play in their food"
10:41 - AXE - as a Brand
12:16 - Kellogg's and "Owning the Morning"
15:13 - Package as "Delivery Mechanism" of Brand Design
17:08 - The Current Consumer Language
19:55 - The Consumer's Perception of "The Best"
24:23 - Brands at Home and Home Brands
28:09 - Why We Move to New Brands
30:22 - Design Careers: When You Move to the Next Level
32:59 - "Obsolete yourself" - On Evolving and Avoiding Extinction
Image courtesy of 00dann.
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