Know-How Exchange : Strategy

My colleagues have hit the nail on the head. No matter what the GM WANTS, the corporate brand must maintain congruency.

I manage a corporate brand which is spread throughout 5 different continents including the US, Europe, and Australia. Every distributor/"GM" requested control over the marketing for their territory. Although I understand the need for different tactics in different environments, I could not allow everyone to run different campaigns.

Instead, I allow each company/agent to perform testing and suggest marketing tactics for their area, then we review and set parameters. We do this to protect the overall brand, not to soothe our egos. Imagine the disaster of several different companies launching their own marketing/ad campaigns, pricing, etc.

They have freedom, and I encourage input and initiative, but EVERYTHING, including graphics, must be approved before implementation. It is very similar to how movie and book publishers control the advetising, distribution and pricing of their products.

In summary, consider turning over some of the territorial duties to each respective GM, but the umbrella corp should be the authority in order to maintain congruent branding.

Good Luck!