Are brand identity strategy(ies) a vital element for the

internationalization of a company?

Dennis Joel Zárate Torres

Internationalization is becoming a necessity for companies,

even for those that are successful in local markets, this affects both

big as well as small, since the reduced size has ceased to be a limitation

to compete with the outside, there are actually companies that are born and conceived as

global companies, aimed at competing in international markets (Gabrielsson,

2005)

The brand is much more than the graphic representation of the company's identity.

It is a value, a strategic factor, according to the report 'The Health of Branding in Spain.'

developed by the Spanish Association of Branding Companies (AEBrand) and ESADE

(Brand Institute), key to the internationalization of any company.

The existence of harmony between the company, the mission, vision, culture, and values is

summarize in brand identity, even though some companies do not consider the real

the dimension and importance of the brand have had to adopt this conception of identity

as a strategic asset for organizations. (Oroval M)

In the current process of business globalization, the brand appears as a

strategic variable of increasing importance within decisions, policies and

internationalization strategies (Kelz and Block, 1993; Luostarianen and Gabrielsson,

2004).

It is an increasingly undeniable fact that the competitiveness of the brand

companies are situated in the field of intangibles, typically manifested as a

asset with which the corporate brand is built with corporate values, history,
heritage, organizational culture, key figure of the organization, heritage of the

company, etc. (Cerviño, 2002)

The objective of this essay is to analyze the different strategies such as

vital elements for the internationalization of a brand, as well as to verify the

importance of brand identity in companies through four attributes: weight,

extension, depth, and international projection of the brand. (Gaitán R).

The Peso refers to the leadership that a brand has in its category, due to

example if one thinks of a black cola soda one can directly relate it to the

CocaCola brand, in the same way, if one imagines family entertainment it can be

relate to Disney.

The extension refers to the brand reaching over the years this

attribute. It is often decisive for entering new international markets

to have a degree of consolidation in the market, at least locally, for example, IBM has

gained recognition due to the millions of investments year after year in positioning its

brand in the e-business market.

Brand depth refers to the closeness or proximity that a brand

It reaches out to its consumers to cultivate loyalty and affection, this attribute aims to foster fidelity.

the consumer until the client can make it their own.

After identifying the four brand identity attributes, it is necessary to

continue with strategic analysis to initiate an internationalization process for this

the company needs the ability to reach and satisfy the demand of others

world regions, this implies that the company must identify the different factors

regarding culture, traditions, and idiosyncrasies that may be compatible with income

from the company without threatening the typical factors of the region, however, it results in
importance of considering to what extent the corporate brand is deemed important in the

achieving the organization's objectives.

As the first point of strategic analysis to initiate a process of

internationalization, a brand identity must be created that facilitates the insertion of

new markets generating corporate identity through a brand, for this it is

It is important to recognize how the consumer chooses certain brands, there are two

explanations, the first is because it transmits certain sensations that can be

identified by customers and the second may represent or motivate to relate to

an object or image. The true essence lies in the meaning it represents

as a livelihood, an attitude, a set of values, an expression or a concept,

therefore, corporations can manufacture products, but what consumers

they buy brands. (Klein, 2002)

A second point of strategic analysis is the brand adaptation process in

a globalized market, perhaps one of the biggest challenges brands face

at the time of positioning themselves in the market, generally the changes that brands

they adopt in their offerings in international markets are based on packaging, the

language in an advertising message, or even in certain particularities of ingredients

the input of the product, for example the case of McDonald's so that its brand has

acceptance in India had to adapt to local customs, such as the fact that a large part

The population of India does not consume beef because they consider it an animal.

sacred, therefore he changed his beef hamburgers to enter as a chain

100% vegetarian. The strategy is that the brand must keep its main elements intact.

characteristics of its essence when entering a new market, there will likely be

elements that cannot be adapted, however the aim is to maximize the

international market.

As a third point of analysis, it is to deepen the forms and instruments of

communication used in international markets. Communication is a

dialogue between two agents, on one side, the source generating the messages and on the other, the

receiver source of the images. The purpose of communication is to build an image.

relative to that identity, therefore communication intervenes as a mechanism

transmitter or identity encoder in a message and as a creator of the conditions

necessary for distribution to the target audience. (Tajada, 1994)

Finally, a vital point of strategy is about the corporate identity of the

brand in its external presentation format, that is why the visual identity is

important as a system of signs created, organized, and arranged according to the criteria

and principles that can represent, characterize, and communicate the concept of identity of

brand. The visual identity encompasses the following functions: it identifies, it allows

identify a product or service, the visual attraction that graphic elements exert,

that is, it generates associations between brand and consumer; difference, it has the function of

to provide a brand with unique graphic elements that enable differentiation from others

brands; reinforce, the visual identity reinforces the company's image, for example the font

Xerox's digitized X represents the company's incorporation into the digital age.

Among the benefits obtained from the implementation of an identity

the brand is experiencing an increase in organizational recognition, with the

increase in consumer confidence, which is why brand identity is

constitutes the highest value of the company in which one must constantly work

in its development.
 As conclusions, it should be emphasized that the internationalization of the company has already

it is not an isolated phenomenon in few companies, but on the contrary in a current world

globalized should be considered to operate in different types of international markets and

It is precisely for this reason that it is necessary to apply different strategies to achieve success.
 References

Oroval M & Varela, Challenges in the internationalization of Spanish brands.

Third report of the Spanish Multinational Company Observatory (OEME).

Retrieved from:Unable to access or translate the content from the provided URL.

Gaitán R, Globalization of Brands, La República Colombia. Retrieved from:

The provided text is a URL and does not contain translatable text.

part_43002

Gabrielsson, M (2005): Branding Strategies of Born Globals, Journal of

International Entrepreneurship, volume 3, pages 199-222.

KELZ, A. and BLOCK, B. (1993), Global Branding: Why and How, Industrial

Management, volume 93, number 4, pp11-17.

Klein, Naomi. No logo. Rio de Janeiro. Record 2002.

LUOSTARIANEN, R. and GABRIELSSON, M (2004), Finnish Perspective of

International Entrepreneurship, Handbook of Research on International Entrepreneurship

Cheltenham, Edward Elgar, pp 383-403.

CERVIÑO, J. (2002): International Brands: How to Create and Manage Them,

editorial Pyramid, Madrid.

Tajada, Luis Ángel (1994), Integration of the identity and image of the company.

Madrid: ESIC, 1994.