Survey: Marketing executives are going global

To stay competitive in today's business environment, marketing professionals need to be prepared to work on a global stage. According to a survey of 206 communications professionals at agencies, corporations and non-profits across six continents by the Public Relations Global Network, 7 out of 10 marketing executives say their organizations currently have, or will have in the next five years, a global marketing function.

Manufacturing, commercial and professional services, media, food and beverage, and tobacco were the industries that were most likely to connect globally.

So what are the benefits of making these worldwide connections? According to the report, 50 percent of respondents said it offers increased brand awareness, 49 percent said it offered a more positive attitude toward the organization and 44 said it offered support of their organization's business objectives and strategies.

But there are challenges that marketers and communication directors will have to overcome when they start working globally. The biggest of which, according to the survey, are culture and language.

Marketing and communications professions should also be prepared to extend their network in this expanding business environment. Half of the executives surveyed said they regularly develop relationships with marketing/communications professionals in other countries, with nearly 30 percent interacting at least once a month with these professionals. Similar percentages said they establish global connections with external clients or customers of their organizations and with representatives of other organizations.