Local marketing. Just different.

Having worked with some global companies like HSBC and some considerable smaller companies I’ve come to realise that there are some fundamental differences between their marketing tactics.

Most biggies will give it the whole “think global, act local” shenanigans but with all those people involved, policies, governance – they fundamentally can’t do local. It’s just too detailed. And if it’s too detailed no one who makes decisions has any interest or knowledge of local. Everything is naturally broad brush stroke stuff. And that’s fair enough.

On the other hand your local retailer can’t comprehend budgets that run into 7 figures when they are arguing over the cost of their 5×2 ad in their local rag. They know it reaches their target market. They see a bit of a spike in their footfall that week, but they can’t precisely track that back to the ad.

And no national or global business is going to run different ads, personalised by geography down to village level – it’s just too big, too complex and actually not that interesting to them.

Even if they devolve budgets down to territories – those territories come up against all the policies, governance stuff from HO. They are not allowed to use channels that they know work either, like social media.

But you know what – it’s not that difficult, if you’re prepared to do the grunt work. Google has a massive focus on local right now. Mobile is massive and getting massiver and that’s all about right now, right here.

It’s not difficult – it’s a bit daunting that’s all. But if a florist, electrician or carpenter can think local – then an HSBC should be able to do the same.

Do we have a problem? No we do not.