Everywhere in the world and right next to you.

UBS, the world's most successful investment bank, claims to only have two locations - everywhere in the world, and right next to you. Their tag line "You & Us - UBS" is supposed to convey thoughts of global size, strength, resources, trust and ability. I like their marketing schtick, but it made me ask myself another question:

When is universality a good thing?

Does a client in Manhattan need the same thing as one in Arthur, NE? What about a client in Athens, OH vs. one in Athens, Greece? How important is specialization? When thinking about a global enterprise, how do you achieve economies of scale and compatibilities of message while being responsive to the needs of the local business?

Can any business exist by being truly universal?

The world's most transcendent business is probably McDonald's. Many economists point to the Big Mac Index, a weekly published list of the price of the world's most popular sandwich here and in countries around the world as a quick take on the relative value of the dollar against 33 foreign currencies. There are few icons in the world that are as broadly recognized as the Golden Arches. But, even within this country, there are variations in local offerings. In heavily Catholic areas, the Fridays during Lent offer a great opportunity to push fish sandwiches. In the deep South, you're more likely to see barbecued options. In certain parts of the burbs, McDonald's are more likely to have playgrounds.

Do these regional differences hurt the brand?

I argue no. While standards can be highly beneficial, they must be viewed in context of what the business needs are. Rigid conformity to absolute standards minimizes the ability of your front line to respond. So, how does a business find a balance?

An interesting survey would be to ask your customers, vendors, employees and senior management to answer these questions:

What do you love about our company?

What do you hate about our company?

What do we do better than our competition?

What does our competition do better than us?

How similar do you think the answers would be? What information could you get by taking that regionally as well as by respondent segment? Would you get the same answers from IT and Marketing? What about Legal and Sales? While no business can (or probably should) allocate its resources identically across all categories, it's interesting to think about the penetration of the message. Does your senior management think you have a stellar website that your customers think is a joke? Are middle managers empowered to make unusual concessions if it benefits the overall bottom line?

One of my favorite examples is an engineering firm who needed a special project done and was considering American labor, foreign labor, or importing foreign labor. They settled on the latter, and brought five gentlemen in from India. Culturally, they preferred to work without shoes and for their wives to be able to cook them their favorite dishes. The manager's solution? Rip up the carpet and reinstall it with extra thick padding, and add a special oven to the kitchen. The price? 30% less than it would have cost to outsource to a local firm.

So, when are floating standards a bad thing? When should standards be set?

First, legally. Rules on document retention, etc. must be followed even when annoying. However, giving employees some discretion on how to improve compliance may be a good thing. Changing from a paper to electronic filing system (assuming that satisfies regulations), color coding files, sending out reminders may all be good ways to make it easier for employees to integrate standards into their process.

Second, brand wise. While a franchise owner may think Big Macs taste better with spicy mustard than special sauce, the brand's overall value is likely to be harmed if Corporate is broadly promoting a traditional product. A better solution may be to insist on certain standards, but give franchise owners a small amount of discretion to try new products. It might even be a great test market with rewards for success.

Third, ethically. Chick-Fil-A, a self-proclaimed Christian company, insists on all sites being closed on Sundays so their employees can attend church and be with their families. Locations that want to be open on Sundays must not be allowed to violate the company's overall ethical standard or the overall credibility will be damaged.

Finally, universality must be evaluated in multiples. Best Buy is a great example of having strings of different types of stores - some known for great service/personal shopping, others for low prices, others for technical expertise. While the general brand is the same, there's a great opportunity for mini-brands based on local markets.

The best opportunity for a company to establish a universal brand is to decide on which elements truly need to be universal, and leave everything else to local taste.