“China’s cooling off.”
“Margins are tightening.”
“Our partners just don’t get it.”
Sure.
Another angle? The business changed, but the brand didn’t. Or it never really existed beyond a slide deck and some half-hearted guidelines.
When we look at global brands, it's pretty clear that they aren’t global. They’re just duplicated. Same playbook. Same story. Same toolkit shipped out to every region, slapped on every channel. Then people act surprised when it doesn’t work in Singapore like it does in Stuttgart.
It’s not a localisation issue. It’s a leadership one. If your global marketing teams can’t flex your brand without breaking it, you don’t have a brand. You have a template.
Growth in complex markets, like Asia Pacific, for example, needs clarity, not just at the top but on the ground. Sales teams need to know how to sell the value. Partners need a version of the brand they can actually use. Local marketers need room to adapt without reinventing the wheel.
None of this happens if the brand’s just paintwork. You need foundations—deep ones. Brand as a business tool, not as an identity kit.
And before anyone tries to file this under “marketing stuff,” let’s be clear: this is a strategic issue. It shows up in the product. In the pipeline. In performance. Ignore it, and you’ll waste millions trying to fix what’s actually a clarity problem.
Brand strategy - when it’s done properly - is what keeps a business coherent and adaptable. It helps you scale with sense. Make sharper bets. Say no to bad ideas faster.
So ask yourself this:
Can your teams explain what you do and why it matters—consistently, confidently, and without the 72-slide deck?
If not, forget market turbulence. Blame the muddle that made it out the door.