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Transcontinental Teamwork: A Collaborative Case Study in Using Multilingual and Multinational Information Resources
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September 2006 | Perma Link | Views: 510
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By Marcy Phelps and Udo Hohlfeld
 Marcy Phelps, Denver, Colorado, USA -- As an independent information professional, it's easy to fall into the 'Lone Wolf Syndrome'. You become so accustomed to working alone that it becomes difficult to let go and trust any part of your work to someone else.
A recent project reminded me how easy and productive it can be when you call in an expert. In this case, it helped me uncover information I would not have found otherwise, and it added a much-needed international prospective to the project. The project also highlighted the value I receive from my membership in the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP) <http://www.aiip.org/>.
 My client, a creative agency specialising in business-to-business product launches, was in the early stages of a rebranding project. They were working with a company that had recently been acquired by a German firm. To help them develop a presentation for their client, my client asked me to find the following information:
- What other companies has the parent firm acquired, and what have
they done regarding branding for these companies?
- What is the perception of these companies and their products both
globally and in the US?
- What can be found regarding acquisitions and/or product launches for
some of their competitors?
- What can be found regarding branding after business acquisitions in
this industry, as well as other business-to-business industries?
Specifically:
- How do they use sub-brands?
- Are there examples of companies keeping their names after
acquisition?
- How did they use the parent company in the logo?
My client had a short timeline. Ideally, they wanted the research within three business days. After some discussion, we agreed that the project would be completed in two phases. Questions 1 and 2 would be sent within three business days. Questions 3 and 4 could be completed two business days after that.
I first checked English-language sources, including Dialog, Factiva, and SkyMinder. Dialog File 551, TFSD Worldwide Mergers & Acquisitions provided the information I needed about what companies they had acquired. SkyMinder had a great company profile that helped round-out the data.
It wasn't long before I realised that this project would not be complete without the help of a German researcher. I contacted fellow AIIP member Udo Hohlfeld after he was recommended to me by two other AIIP members. Udo responded quickly (it was Friday afternoon here in Denver, Colorado, USA). Over the weekend, I sent him what I needed and what I had already found. When I woke up on Monday, the results of Udo's research were in my inbox. He had confirmed what I discovered about the acquisitions, and he had found some great information about the acquiring company's branding strategies and public perception of the company and its brands. One article, however, was in German, and for it to be useful to me it needed to be translated.
I was able to compile most of the information we had found that helped to answer the first two questions and send it to my client by close of business Monday, per their required timeline. Udo provided the translation of the branding strategy article by Tuesday morning, and I sent my client the update before they arrived in their office.
Over the next two days, I completed the second phase. Since I knew my client would not have the time (or the inclination) to read all the documents we retrieved in the course of the research, I distilled much of the information into bullet points. I also created charts that would help them visualise and compare the various approaches to branding sub-brands, using Udo's helpful translations.
My client let me know that they were very pleased with the research, and they even sent me their presentation. In it, they included the charts I had provided, and they inserted a number of quotes from Udo's translated articles. Finally, they said that they had impressed their client with the thoroughness of their preparation.
I was happy I took the plunge and trusted someone to work with me on the project, and I learned about working with a cross-border partner. Some tips I picked up along the way:
- Be aware of time differences and how they can affect your deadline
- Look to trusted sources for referrals
- Be sure to discuss and put in writing all agreements regarding what
information is needed, as well as time, format and budget
requirements
- Discuss how and when payment will be made and in what currency.
In this case, our international teamwork enhanced information and satisfied our clients. The next time you need to research a foreign company or industry, add value to your project: use your network to bring in multilingual sources and the services of international researchers.
-- Marcy Phelps
Udo Hohlfeld, Wollstein, Germany -- As a German competitive intelligence specialist I have long enjoyed the benefits of AIIP's international network of information professionals of all brands. On a Friday evening a call for help from fellow AIIP member Marcy Phelps arrived in my inbox.
I learned that she needed regional expertise and local language skills. Marcy had a tight timeframe, but Marcy and I agreed that we could exploit the advantage of being in different time zones. Starting early Monday morning (my time) would be sufficient to meet her Monday morning deadline (her time). Meanwhile, Marcy would send me what she had already found to avoid double work. The question of my being paid for the project was easily solved as we decided to use PayPal, a simple and relatively secure way to transfer money between different countries and currencies.
Early Monday morning I started work on the open questions, making use of German-language sources. The database host I used is called GBI- Genios. It covers almost all German language professional and news publications in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Additionally, I checked on various publications from either German marketing associations or professional associations. Within three hours, I was able to confirm Marcy's findings and add important insight into the acquiring company's marketing and branding strategy. Of course, I offered to translate some of the German sources into English. Since I was on a tight deadline for another project that I had postponed half a day to support Marcy, the translation could not be done before the following day.
This project, which started in the US, shows how easily project scope can become international. In such a case, the use of partners with special regional and local expertise and language skills adds to the project success and results in a satisfied client. Some benefits of this special project include:
- The customer is satisfied with the outcome of the expert research
- Marcy could impress her customer with superior results within a
tight timeframe
- AIIP, once more, proved to be of high value to its members
- And I have a new customer (Marcy Phelps).
-- Udo Hohlfeld
About Marcy Phelps: As the company founder and president of Denver-based Phelps Research, Marcy Phelps <mphelps@phelpsresearch.com> offers business intelligence and market research for business executives. Marcy publishes a free monthly
e-mail bulletin, ResearchNOTES, with useful sites and tips for Internet research. To subscribe, go to <http://www.phelpsresearch.com/research.html>.
About Udo Hohlfeld: Udo Hohlfeld, Competitive Intelligence Specialist and founder of INFOplusDATEN GmbH & Co. KG, has more than 10 years of experience in information gathering worldwide and analysis. Udo has an MA in English and Political Science from Heinrich-Heine-Universitat, Germany, a certificate in Competitive Intelligence by Drexel University, USA, and a Professional Certificate in Management from the Open University Business School, UK. You can reach Udo at <uch@infoplusdaten.net>.
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