How do you monitor the marketing performance of multiple brands in more than 170 countries? That's the challenge for Mark Kirkham, chief marketing officer at PepsiCo International Beverages.
“You can't be a global CMO today if you don't understand what's changing in the brand manager role in Uzbekistan, Tanzania, Cairo, and Kyoto,” says PepsiCo's International Beverage Director Chief Marketing Officer Mark Kirkham told The Drum.
Kirkham said global chief marketers were once “big brand managers” focused on large-scale campaigns and rebrands, but now they need to be on the ground and understand the day-to-day challenges of local marketers. That's what it means.
“I get to get close to marketers from different parts of the world and understand their backgrounds, passions and ambitions from both a career and personal perspective,” he says of his responsibilities as lead marketer.
Last year, Pepsi unveiled its fresh look for the first time in 16 years, announcing the news to the world on the same day. It was no mean feat to get 179 countries up and running on time with a consistent campaign with regional variations.
Kirkham describes the challenge as “how to drive all the power and strength of a major global brand, but not just a top-down approach, but an extreme approach where it becomes fragmented in every market around the world.” “How to avoid this,” he explains.
The problem for many global marketers is that they tend to forget that Europe alone has more than 50 countries and 24 official languages, he added.
Two weeks ago, Kirkham was on a business trip to Hanoi, Vietnam, where he conducted informal customer research. He goes to his shop for coffee and gathers a group of 18-year-olds to 22-year-olds to discuss what they like to eat and drink and what they watch and enjoy online. I did. He then spoke to a street vendor to find out what, if any, Pepsi drinks were being brought in and why.
While this sounds like an ideal scenario, Kirkham admits it's not always easy for him and his team to find the time. He lays out his two basic rules to help him and marketers free up their time.
First, you need to set aside time to engage with consumers at least once a month. “You don't have to attend a formal meeting like a focus group every time, but finding time to engage with consumers once a month is enough.” Second, traveling to other countries for business meetings is enough. He says he always does consumer experiences and trade visits when he goes. “You go to a deal, you meet a customer, you meet a retailer, and then you go to a coffee shop, then you go to a restaurant, you go to the gym, you go to a sports game. When you spend time with people in real, normal settings, you become richer. It gives you great insight.”
He added that it's worth remembering that local marketers are also consumers. “We need to leverage the fact that we have a diverse community of marketers around the world and listen and understand their cultural dynamics, their family dynamics, and their day-to-day.”
Take a “lead market” approach
Kirkham says that while clear processes are essential for global and local marketing teams to function effectively, CMOs need to be “mindful” that processes don't limit creativity. “When process dictates how you do everything, you lose some of the creativity and spontaneous ideas.”
In many international businesses, global marketing teams develop ideas and local marketing teams create most of the assets that make them relevant to the market. However, PepsiCo uses a “lead market” approach where local markets develop ideas for global markets.
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Kirkham gave the example of the British team promoting Pepsi's UEFACS sponsorship campaign as the Champions League final will be held at Wembley. Energy drink Rockstar's “Press Play'' campaign is one example. The UK team secured Stormzy for an exclusive performance on Spotify, and the project was then exported to Germany, Poland and Saudi Arabia, where Stormzy was replaced by local musicians.
“Working with market team leaders makes them feel like they are part of a global team. This allows them to produce work that is both locally relevant and globally scalable.” can.”
All of this will not only help you build better brands and creative strategies, but also make you a better leader, Kirkham adds. “A cumulative understanding of the consumer, the team, and the business. When you combine those three things, you end up being better at your job.”
