I recently had the pleasure of successfully collaborating with Luis Gallardo. It has been a very amazing experience. I must confess, I learned a lot from him.

I’ve recently read his new book too. It is named “Brands&Rousers”. It is a very valid guide to correctly manage a brand today. Yet better, It is a must-read. Especially if you are a Brand Manager of a big Multinational Corporation.

So, I decided to go further. In other words, I took chance to ask Luis for sharing with us a couple of managerial thoughts and takeaways about how to successfully manage a Global Brand in an every-changing world.

Have a good reading!

Mindfulness, brands & rousers for the new world reality

by Luis Gallardo, Managing Director at THAP Group

Certainty is a thing of the past. Companies no longer have the luxury of assuming that they can survive glitches in the market with a few last-minute tweaks: markets are now too changeable from too many angles for that to be a sustainable approach. It is not enough to simply develop an ad hoc, last minute response as changes occur; strong companies have a mindset and approach that anticipates change and have systems in place that can deal with any changes quickly and efficiently.

Change comes from so many different directions that companies and leaders can be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed or blindsided. Every day, we are facing a multitude of changes that affect every aspect of running a business. Laws, regulations, compliance requirements, customer preferences, technologies, competitors, changing demographics and shifts in lifestyles are only some of the forces at work. All of these present an immense challenge for any business, but when magnified by the many other countries, businesses and customers entering the global marketplace, with different legal requirements, customs, cultures and consumer preferences, and the challenge is truly immense. Time moves on and markets evolve.

” Success will only follow for those organizations that respond effectively and swiftly to the only constant left in business: change. ”

It’s hard to dispute the view that during the first years of the 21st century the world has experienced a frenetic pace of change and witnessed massive upheaval. Although change has always been with us what makes this situation different is the realisation that chaos and upheaval are now the norm rather than the exception. Companies need to desensitise themselves to the sensationalist, headline-grabbing scaremongering about recent events – from share prices tumbling and climates warming to threats to jobs and governments defaulting on debts – and just accept the new reality that these things are here to stay, they will continue to occur. In particular, we need to be wary of falling into the trap of thinking that the need to cope with such drastic changes is only a temporary requirement. What we need to do is better prepare for the likelihood of change, control our response and get better at anticipating and shaping events. Instead of assuming that there will be a resumption of business-as-usual and that things will settle down soon, we now need to view change and the ability to adapt as an essential business skill.

Leaders need to ask themselves: what are we doing to ensure the long-term success of the company? While dealing with uncertainty is hardly a new concept for businesses, it is the sheer scale of change that we now have to deal with that presents such immense challenges and that leaves the unprepared company vulnerable and such easy prey to their more-battle-ready competitors.

A changing world

In recent decades, several themes have shaped business life as a whole and executives thinking in particular. These issues include the rise of technology and its impact both on what customers want and what business can achieve. Interestingly, history suggests that the impact of technology is often over-estimated in the short-term and under-estimated in the long-term. The rise of globalisation is another recurring theme, highlighted by the value of being both global and local. Closely-linked with globalisation is the need to appreciate difference and the implications of diversity, an issue long-recognised by business executives and reflected in the concept of segmentation.

Another constant theme is the desire among customers, employees, shareholders and societies for an ethical approach to business with greater social awareness and responsibility. Crucially, the need for an ethical approach resembles the need for a clear customer focus: it has to be genuine and felt throughout the organisation. The understanding of behaviour, people and relationships is now an established mainstay of modern business and is an area that has grown rapidly in credibility. Issues of trust, engagement, loyalty and connection have become increasingly relevant. Managing for the long-term as well as the short-term is another recurring theme. The case for developing relationships with customers and greater shareholder value through intangible assets (such as brands) is nothing new, but it has grown in relevance in the 21st Century.

These inexorable shifts in business are clearly significant, but change is taking place in other areas as well ranging from economic and politics to society and attitudes to the future.

“Of all the changes that are taking place perhaps the one with the most significant implications for the future – and certainly the most striking – is the world’s changing demography.”

At the time of Christ the global population has been estimated at being around 150 million people, and it didn’t reach one billion until around 1800. By 1900 it had grown to 1.6 billion, and by 2000 it had almost quadrupled to 6.1 billion. Incredibly, by 2011 it had reached 7 billion. In other words, in the 12 years from 2000 to 2011 global population rose by 900 million; a figure that this is more than the entire global growth in population from the time of Christ to the year 1800. These changes combine with a significant decline in mortality, increased international migration and the growth of urbanisation.

In addition, the composition of households and family structures are changing in the developing world, with the result that the influence of women is increasing and consumption patterns are changing. The trend is for future populations to be older, and this will have considerable implications for businesses and governments. As if that wasn’t enough, urbanisation is spreading like wildfire and in 2006, for the first time, the world’s urban population exceeded its rural population.

Other forces shaping the future include tribalism, an ever-present aspect of the human condition that cannot be ignored. We need to recognise the implications of this and adapt our businesses accordingly. In addition, the innate universalism and interconnectedness that is present in many societies affects our response to sudden changes. For example, a sudden event or disaster such as a tsunami in Japan or a virus outbreak in Hong Kong could easily move markets and swiftly impact other issues, such as exchange rates, legal requirements and consumer spending.

The consequence of all these changes cannot be ignored. For many, many reasons, the only thing companies can be sure of is that things will change quickly. Adaptable processes and a flexible strategy will become the basic, essential requirements for the successful businesses of the future. It is in navigating this new, volatile business world that fortunes will be made or lost.

Luis Gallardo is Author of Brands & Rousers. “The Holistic System to foster High-Performing Businesses, Brands & Careers”. (link towww.brandsrousers.com)

Luis Gallardo is a global brand and marketing leader and expert in the areas of strategic brand management, brand engagement, brand expression, marketing, communications, business development, and reputation management. Former managing director of global brand & marketing at Deloitte, Luis provided leadership to Deloitte’s member firm network of more than three thousand marketing and communications professionals.

Davide Scialpi

Global Marketing and DIgital Marketing Strategist , write to me: davide.scialpi@reinventadeeoceans.com

London UK.