Econsultancy|International Content|In association with Lionbridge 1.Executive Summary3 1.1. Acknowledgments4 1.2.Methodology4 1.3.About Econsultancy4 2.Foreword by Lionbridge5 3.Findings6 3.1.Leaders versus mainstream63.2. Strategy and governance73.3. Internationalization and localization9 3.4. Ownership17 3.5. Types of content, metrics and KPIs19 3.6. Budgets23 3.7.Measuring ROI263.8. Best practice resources31 4.Global Marketing Lessons33 5.Appendix: Respondent Profles34C o n t e n t s Published September 2017 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. CopyrightEconsultancy Ltd 2017 31. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This study, entitled International Content – Monetizing Global Content Assets and Measuring Success, highlights the characteristics that diferentiate leaders from mainstream companies. The research, published by Econsultancy in partnership with Lionbridge, defnes international content leaders as those companies that are particularly well equipped to compare the impact of content on a like-for-like basis across regions and markets.Based on a survey of global businesses, and a series of interviews with senior executives working forinternational organizations, the report looks at the role that a global content strategy plays in helpingcompanies to expand their international brand footprint, while simultaneously seeking to improve thecustomer experience and increase their revenues.Below are some of the key fndings of the research: Leaders are signifcantly more likely than other companies to exert high levels of centralizedcontrol for content, with almost three-quarters (72%) of this high-performing group describinggovernance as either ‘very tightly controlled at a global level, with no local autonomy’ (30%), or‘tightly controlled, with some local autonomy’ (42%). For the mainstream group, only 58% say thatgovernance is tightly controlled, and this percentage shrinks to just 10% who say there is no localautonomy. Leaders are almost twice as likely as their peers to say they have ‘a well-developedframework for internationalization and localization of content.’ (43% of leaders, versus 22% ofthe mainstream).This research also highlights the importance of a technology platform that is ft for purpose,with leaders much more likely than their mainstream counterparts to have this in place. Almost two-thirds (63%) of leaders strongly agree that they ‘have a modular, extensible andstandardized tech platform that facilitates expansion into other markets’, compared to only 12%of the mainstream. Central technology infrastructure is a key area being targeted by leaders forinvestment. Six in ten of these businesses plan to increase their content-related budget in thisarea, around double the percentage for mainstream respondents (31%). Just under two-thirds (65%) of leaders believe that internationalization of content is ‘critical forcreating a global brand,’ compared to only 36% of mainstream respondents. As well as helpingto create truly global brands, there is a broad consensus among leaders that carefully plannedinternational content is integral to digital transformation and the overall customer experience.Leaders are three times more likely to agree strongly that a global content strategy is crucial formaking their organizations digitally ft for purpose in the age of the customer. (57% of leadersversus 18% of mainstream companies). Leaders are more than four times more likely than respondents from mainstream companiesto agree strongly that ‘there is clear ownership within the business for internationalization ofcontent’ (60% for leaders versus only 14% for the mainstream). Respondents are most likely toindicate that ‘responsibility for content is shared across specifed business functions, e.g. digitalmarketing, dedicated content teams,’ with just over half of leaders (54%) and two thirds (67%) ofmainstream companies saying that this is the case.Econsultancy|International Content|In association with Lionbridge 4Econsultancy|International Content|In association with LionbridgeLeaders are twice as likely as mainstream companies to assign primary responsibility for measuring the impact of content to analysts (46% versus 23%). For leaders, responsibility forinterrogating data is more likely to lie with analysts than with anyone else.There is a clear distinction between leaders and the mainstream around their use of key performance indicators, with the top-performing group signifcantly more likely to be using commercial KPIs such as sales (54% versus 47%), proft (44% versus 29%) and conversion rates(48% versus 30%).Leaders are pushing ahead, confdent of tangible, measurable return on investment. More thanhalf (54%) of these respondents believe their budgeting for international websites is ‘very muchbased on a quantifable understanding of the likely revenue uplift’, and have ring-fenced specifcbudget for internationalization of content (60%).Among content internationalization leaders, nearly three quarters (72%) assert their global con- tent strategy is delivering value, and that they have the data to support this. Only 3% concedethat their strategy is ‘very ad hoc and unscientifc’. In contrast, only 22% of mainstream companiesclaim their investments are delivering proven value, and the majority (53%) appear stuck in a middle-ground where they believe activities are working but accept this is ‘by no means proven’. Leaders are more likely than their peers to be planning to extend the number of markets inwhich they have a local web presence. Two-thirds (66%) of leaders are planning to do this in thenext 12 months, double the equivalent percentage for the mainstream (33%).1.1Acknowledgments Econsultancy would like to thank all those who completed our 2017 International Content survey, and particularly those whom we interviewed for the report, namely: Henry Burr, Head of Optimization and Customer Insight, Kaplan International English Ian Cameron, General Manager, Global Brand & Communications Dept., Epson Lars Silberbauer, Senior Global Director, Social Media and Video, LEGO Group Dr Nitish Singh, Professor, Boeing Institute of International Business, School of Business,Saint Louis University, and Co-organizer, Brand2Global Conference Regula Stricker, Head of Marketing, Continental Europe, Jupiter Asset Management Alberto Viotto, Senior Director, Web Marketing and Strategy, DocuSign 1.2Methodology This report is based on fndings from an onlinesurvey felded in June 2017. The survey link wasdisseminated to select Econsultancy, Lionbridgeand third-party respondents. Third-party respon- dents were ofered incentives to take the survey. A total of 278 qualifed respondents completedthe survey. Detailed breakdowns for the profle of respondents are included in the Appendix. The main elements of note are:The overwhelming majority of respondentswere at the level of manager or above, with43% describing them-selves as at C-suite,director or vice-president level (includingsenior vice- presidents).Respondent industries were varied, thoughthe best represented were technology (16%),manufacturing (12%), and fnancial services(10%).Just over one third (35%) of respondentsconsider businesses (B2B) as their primary market. Twenty-fve percent targetconsumers (B2C), and the remainder focusequally on bothpany sizes were large: 79% had annualglobal revenues of at least $250M, 44% hadrevenues of more than$1B and 20% hadrevenues of at least $5B.The vast majority of respondents were fromNorth America (83%). 1.3About Econsultancy Econsultancy’s mission is to help its customers achieve excellence in digitalbusiness, marketing and ecommerce throughresearch, training and events. Founded in 1999, Econsultancy has ofces inNew York, London and Singapore. Eco