Part 5 of Martin focuses on internationalizing the branded bio. In an age of globalization, showing some degree of understanding of international cultures is critical to the well rounded brand. In my intercultural classes I use the automobile metaphor of having a “gobal chassis, and a local body”. In other words, you need core universal attributes that would be attractive in every culture, as well as some country-specific attributes that would be unique to certain cultures.
Take some time to think about what universals you think are important to your brand, and then pick some personal brand attributes that might be required only in certain cultures outside your own. Think about McDonalds….they have many menu items that are universal, but in certain countries they need to be sensitive to large populations fish-eaters and vegetarians without compromising their broader global brand attributes.
Personal brands need to have the agility to shift based on these cultural factors. Keep in mind that these cultural variances can happen within your office without leaving the countries. My research focuses on how CIO’s and CMO’s have very different cultural dimensions in the United States. Finance and Human Resources corporate cultures can be as different as Germany and Japan.
The 21st century brand must possess the cultural intelligence (CQ) that leads to success in a global workplace…whether online or face-to-face.
So in your response be sure to discuss how you can reinforce your international attributes beyond posting them on LinkedIn…. Think about using blogs, storytelling, Foursquare checkins. Facebook updates, Tweets….etc that scream GLOBAL in a subtle way.
