The Global Standard

Supporting brands in China I often used the term ‘global standard’. This and relative words like ‘worldclass’, ‘international’, ‘worldwide’ are popular for a reason. Especially in China, where the sharp contrast of going from a closed to an open economy, people tend to think in terms of catching up to the world and the latest new (from abroad) being better. Under these conditions, the Global Standard is an upgrade, an impetus for change, and a race towards progress.

The Chinese consumer buys into the global standard because of the concept’s relevance to their aspirations (as tied to historic change). But, the driving curiosity about what is going on elsewhere is not unique to the developing world. People in most places have sought food from other regions to supplement their traditional dishes. Chinese, Indian, Japanese, American fast-food chains, Swiss cheese, etc are now found in much of the world. The Global Standard appears to be about variety, diversity, quality, and the freedom to choose a novelty that may very well not be a novelty elsewhere.

As social animals, we relate to others within our perceived communities, and measure our fortunes relative to these peers. The question then begs: who do you identify with, who do you think should have more or less the same opportunities as you?

Who we relate to is fluid. During different life stages, the size, depth, breath, and focus of our communities change. Parents, Peers, Teachers, Colleagues, Partners, Extended Family, Children, Strangers take on different meaning and importance depending on social, adaptive, physical/mental circumstances and priorities. Depending on the subject at hand, and the extent of our exposure and knowledge, we perceive various scales of community. If the extent of my perceived community had stayed my neighborhood in Athens, and had I not moved to London and later Zurich and later studied architecture, I would not have compared urban levels of green, nor decided that my original hometown needs greenroofs.

The Global Standard is also about the free flow of ideas. Our challenge is to maximize the flow of good ideas and recognize and limit the movement of harmful ones.