As more and more companies come to view the entire world as their market, brand builders look with envy upon those that appear to have created global brands—brands whose positioning, advertising strategy, personality, look, and feel are in most respects the same from one country to another. It’s easy to understand why. Even though most global brands are not absolutely identical from one country to another—Visa changes its logo in some countries; Heineken means something different in the Nether-lands than it does abroad—companies whose brands have become more global reap some clear benefits.
A version of this article appeared in the November–December 1999 issue of Harvard Business Review.
