Glocal - What is in a Word?

Glocal or more frequently Glocalization is a word now in more common usage that has, surprisingly, been around for almost 2 decades. According to Wikipedia it was coined a generation ago by Dr. Manfred Lange in Bonn, Germany in 1990 while preparing for the Global Change Exhibition. He was interested in the interaction between local, regional and global interactions hence coining the term GLOCAL.



Such forces are recognisable in efforts to prevent or modify the plans for the local construction of buildings for global corporate enterprises. These global entities are generally well-known brands - the Macdonalds, Asda/Walmart, Tesco, Sainsburies et al. For example, in The World is Flat, (Amazon.com), Thomas L. Friedman talks about how the Internet encourages glocalisation, such as encouraging people to make websites presented on the Global Internet in their native and hence local languages. In the Uk evidence can be seen of glocalisation where the big four supermarkets (the global marketers) have destroyed the small business by taking away the local market. The average High Street or shopping mall no longer has an independent baker, butcher, fishmonger, florist or grocer. All High Streets now appear to be clones with only global chains in place particularly in the retail food industry.



In the past the UK was allegedly referred to as "a nation of shopkeepers" by Napolean Bonaparte. More recently than that we were well known for having a public house, PUB, on every street corner. Now, sadly, we are saddled with Macdonalds, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Kentucky Fried Chicken and increasingly Tesco local and Sainsburys local stores replacing the small businesses that they have destroyed in the past and stifling the real development of a local economy. Increasingly, as consumers move towards healthier, organic locally sourced food in order to reduce the carbon cost and minimise food miles, the major global chains are claiming that they are entering the market. Now locally produced food can be sourced, driven hundreds of miles to a distribution hub and then driven the hundred miles or so back as a local product.



Now some marketers are trying to utilise global branding for marketing on a local basis TAG has taken the concept of independent financial advisers and linked them nationally to develop a nationwide internet based organisation. Now it is possible to simply search online for the local provider of the insurance product required.