For companies wishing to enter the global marketplace, the stakes are getting higher. 

Competition is getting tougher. Consumers are more sophisticated and demanding. Technology is moving faster. New media channels are springing up. Brand building is growing in complexity. And, increasingly, marketers must customize their efforts for each market in which they operate. 

Success in this environment requires knowledge and insights that can only be gained through multi-country market research. Without such research, companies lack the data and direction they need to create a unified brand positioning that works globally, but which also can be tailored to fit local markets.

This is a large-scale, collaborative, and iterative, process. It involves creative, marketing, brand and research staff at headquarters and in regional or local in-country offices. It usually requires partnering with a reputable research company with global capabilities, experience with brand tracking and associated state-of-the art analytics and statistical capabilities.

Critical steps include:

• Conducting qualitative research (focus groups, for example) to gather initial learnings into consumer perceptions and behaviors.
  
• Following up with statistically valid quantitative research in key markets. This provides you a solid base of reliable information based on a representative sample of the target market.
  
• Selecting and potentially customizing the brand equity model that you will use going forward for measuring your brand in ongoing tracking.
  
• Finalizing your unified global brand positioning including rational and emotional brand attributes, while at the same time remaining flexible for adjusting to local, in-country culture specific situations and nuances.
  
• Working with the research company to customize a tracking tool that fits with your needs and works well for your brand, industry and competitive environment.
  
• Conducting ongoing research measuring and using state-of-the-art analysis techniques to report on brand awareness, brand equity, rational and emotional brand perceptions, usage behavior and advertising performance in all your key markets.
  
• Developing a strong feedback loop involving headquarters and regional/local stakeholders when sharing results, and developing insights leading to recommended actions.   

A strong, well-designed global research program helps create your brand positioning and assists in adapting that positioning over time as needed. Done correctly, such a program can help companies avoid the pitfalls of campaigns that don't work well in some cultures, and overall are more expensive than necessary. In the end, the pieces work together to strengthen the brand, help identify actions leading to improved brand equity and, ultimately, increased sales and business results.