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Brand Global, Adapt Local

How to Build Brand Value Across Cultures

Build long-lasting value by crafting brands that transcend cultural boundaries through developing a deep understanding of diverse cultures and consumer preferences.

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EAN: 9781398619715

Edition: 1

Published: 03 Jun 2025

Format: 234 x 156

296 pages

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About the book

How can you scale a brand globally while staying true to its core?

Brand Global, Adapt Local is a practical guide for mid-career marketing professionals who want to develop strategies that deliver impact in diverse markets. Written by global brand experts Katherine Melchior Ray and Nataly Kelly, it shares proven frameworks, examples, and actionable tools from world-leading companies including Nike, LVMH, Nestlé, Shiseido, Natura, and Marriott.

By exploring how top brands balance consistency with cultural adaptation, this book equips you to implement strategies that build credibility, strengthen audience connection, and optimize performance across regions. You will learn how to:
- Develop a global mindset that fuels innovation and market growth
- Apply cultural insight to create locally relevant brand strategies
- Interpret and act on international market data with precision
- Localize campaigns without losing your core brand identity

With detailed chapters and real-world examples, Brand Global, Adapt Local helps you apply strategic principles to achieve measurable results, elevate your professional profile and shape your career in international marketing.

Themes include: strategy, principles, cultural insight, brand localization, global marketing, career development

About the authors

Katherine Melchior Ray lectures on international marketing and leadership at UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business. She has over twenty-five-years experience building the world's best consumer brands at companies including Nike, Nordstrom, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Hyatt, Shiseido and Babbel across the world including in the USA, Japan and Europe. She has guest lectured at Stanford, Wharton, Brown and Portland State University.

Nataly Kelly is Chief Marketing Officer at Zappi, based in Boston, MA. Previously she served at HubSpot as Vice President of Marketing, Vice President of International Operations and Strategy, and Vice President of Localization.

Katherine Melchior Ray

Nataly Kelly

- Chapter - 00: Introduction – welcome to the global village;
Section - ONE: The foundation of marketing and branding;
- Chapter - 01: What is marketing—and why does it matter?;
- Chapter - 02: The what, why, and how of brand;
Section - TWO: Culture, consumers, and communication;
- Chapter - 03: Lower the waterline – navigating cultural landscapes;
- Chapter - 04: Back to basics – cross-cultural communication is anything but!;
- Chapter - 05: The twenty-seconds rule – understanding the local consumer;
Section - THREE: Creating value across cultures;
- Chapter - 06: Born in Borneo – innovating products for cultural value;
- Chapter - 07: Give the customer a melon – service brings culture to life;
- Chapter - 08: Found in translation – brand flexing across cultures;
- Chapter - 09: How global is your website ? digital marketing across cultures;
- Chapter - 10: Adding complexity – building a global B2B brand;
Section - FOUR: Connecting the global dots;
- Chapter - 11: The two most important words in French – building teams across cultures;
- Chapter - 12: Expanding horizons – building a global career;
- Chapter - 13: Conclusion – the journey continues;

Reviews

David Aaker, considered the “Father of Modern Branding"

Brands shouldn't strive to be the same everywhere-they should strive to be strong everywhere. Rooted in purpose, fluent in culture-this book will show you how modern brands win.

Greg Hoffman, former Chief Marketing Officer, Nike

The best brands don't just adapt to culture-they help shape it. Katherine and Nataly's insights into global branding show how to keep a brand's soul intact while igniting passion across diverse markets. Brand Global, Adapt Local is a must-read for marketers and leaders who want to create brands that not only sell but inspire.

Emmanuel Prat, former Chairman, LVMH Japan

Brand Global, Adapt Local is an essential guide for leaders navigating the complexities of global business. Rich with real-world examples, this book invites us to see the world with fresh eyes and embrace the human dimension at the heart of every successful global brand.

Miki Iwamura, VP of Marketing, APAC and Japan, Google

In the age of AI, speed is easy-relevance is hard. Brand Global, Adapt Local illuminates a critical truth: technological reach is meaningless without genuine human understanding. Katherine and Nataly offer a vital blueprint for navigating the complexities of global expansion to build digitally scalable, yet culturally nimble brands. A must-read for leaders wanting to thrive as technology rewrites the rules of engagement.

Rohit Deshpande, Baker Foundation Professor, Harvard Business School

Brand Global, Adapt Local is a refreshing take on the long-acknowledged tension between international economies of scale and demand for cultural authenticity. Katherine and Nataly address this classic debate between economics and anthropology with an immensely readable perspective that is part branding next practice and part personal travelogue. With intensifying anti-globalization debates, this book could arrive at no better time.

Jonah Berger, Wharton Professor and bestselling author

Some books teach marketing. Some teach psychology. In Brand Global, Adapt Local, Katherine and Nataly teach both-and more. By blending consumer insight, innovation and masterful storytelling, it reveals how cultural intelligence turns good brands into global powerhouses. Whether you're launching a product, shaping a message, or leading a team, this book will change how you think about influence across borders.

Stephan Gans, SVP Chief Insights and Analytics Officer PepsiCo and co-author

Winning in global markets isn't just about reach-it's about relevance. In Brand Global, Adapt Local, Katherine and Nataly showcase how brands can stay globally strong while locally agile, ensuring they connect with consumers in a meaningful way, no matter where they are.

Marty Neumeier, author

In Brand Global, Adapt Local we get wisdom from the trenches. Katherine Melchior Ray has earned her stripes in the most demanding industry in the world: fashion. Her insights on cultural differences alone are worth the price of admission. Eye-opening stuff.

Elisa Riboldi, Chief Marketing Officer, Nestlé Iberia

Timely and thought-provoking, Brand Global, Adapt Local offers sharp insights on business, branding, and culture-and what it takes to go glob al today. More than a book, it's an inspiring journey that will leave both the marketer and the traveller in you wanting more.

Brands shouldn't strive to be the same everywhere-they should strive to be strong everywhere. Rooted in purpose, fluent in culture-this book will show you how modern brands win.
David Aaker, considered the “Father of Modern Branding"

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