The role of branding in market entry

TEXT: TIMO MANSIKKA-AHO

Bringing a product to a new market is about a lot more than the act of making the goods available. Especially in the mayhem of fierce international competition, standing out and creating a memory trace is crucial. Even to the point of overtaking physical delivery in importance.

At the very least, branding should be the first task at hand for anyone aiming to succeed in international launch. It is also the phase where many keep falling short.

“Companies still think that the best way to generate sales is to simply hire people to sell”, Anne Laitinen, CEO of Buorre, says. “However, if you work without a sufficient basis, your sales efforts are quickly lost in the crowd and wasted.”

Whether companies like it or not, branding is the only way to make a lasting first impression and build credible presence. That calls for patience and investments – both of which make conventional salespeople squirm in agony.

The fact that branding is not even an openand-shut project but continuous process where every act counts is like rubbing salt to the wounds. An international breakthrough suddenly sounds like an insurmountable task – at least if you don’t take it with the seriousness that it deserves.

But when you do, the opportunities suddenly arise.

That is what Riikka Kosola, CEO of Vamo, has done, and experienced.

Vamo is a Norwegian-Finnish company that fishes for red king crab and sells it to luxury restaurants. With France as the company’s newest market, Kosola relies heavily on the power of branding.

The product, and everything that can be associated with it

“Red king crab is a high-quality product, but a successful market entry also requires sharp approach and full commitment”, Kosola points out. “The core of the brand must be crystal clear and thought through.”

As an outcome of this vision, Vamo created a brand statement “Fish is fashion” and is currently doing plenty of legwork in pushing it through to a carefully picked target audience.

Every piece of marketing material, every action reflects that statement – as well as builds exclusivity through unique experiences. The brochures have a special feel, and they are given only to selected recipients. At the tasting events, a trained top chef knows how – and in which order – to make and present every part of the crab so that the overall experience is the best possible. Restaurants are visited, gifts are given to chefs. Not in the purpose of expecting something in return, but to show appreciation.

That is the French way, and that is only one of the examples where the understanding of local culture – another thing so often overlooked by the anxious export professionals – proves downright essential.

Riikka Kosola and Anne Laitinen both emphasize that understanding and respecting market-specific differences is essential. While the values and other brand fundamen- tals should be recognized everywhere, some room must be left for localization.

After that, it is about meeting with the customers, feeding imagination, providing experiences, and becoming unforgettable. Not necessarily an insurmountable task anymore, but still definitely not easy.

Then again, if it were, then everyone could do it. A great brand is a prerogative of the chosen few.

Designing growth. Read more at buorre.fi & www.lecrabvamo.no