A localization strategy is a distinctive market approach company uses to handle purchasing patterns, client behaviors, and general cultural variations in each country it operates in.
It can be challenging to provide customers in a new foreign market with a customer experience that feels familiar and comfortable to them. Developing a localization strategy for each country ensures that consumers from other countries receive the same high-quality service they anticipate from a local company.
What goes into creating a localization strategy for a company?
Web marketing: Customers in some markets, for instance, choose mobile surfing over desktop browsing, which may affect your web development strategy. Reviewing local marketing localization and high-quality content translation services may close potential engagement gaps between companies and customers in various native markets.
Cultural norms: Meeting cultural norms, such as knowing how to address your clients better, is crucial. In some cultures, using honorifics is a must. For example, when speaking with customers in Japan, one is expected to use the gender-neutral suffix “sama.”
Purchasing preferences: Each country should have a customized shopping experience with local currencies and unique payment methods. You should provide these customers with an alternate payment mechanism because, for instance, credit cards are less often utilized in many nations.
It might be challenging to keep track of all these moving aspects constantly, but marketing localization services can assist firms in putting practical ideas into practice.
What is the benefit?
Your company will be better equipped to reach clients where they are by implementing localization plan solutions. Businesses can successfully increase the size of their prospective consumer base by utilizing localization solutions. Address validation solutions resolve shipping issues brought on by poor formatting or typos. Comprehensive localization software handles everything so you can concentrate on creating great products rather than putting various solutions for each problem together piecemeal. To make the process smoother, you can ask a marketing localization company for help.
5 Brands with Outstanding Localization Strategies
- Coca Cola
There is a reason why Coca-Cola sells around 2 billion beverages worldwide. Coca-Cola was one of the few worldwide brands that had been able to captivate a global audience for more than a century before companies like Netflix and Airbnb became widely used. The “Share a Coke” campaign was first introduced in 2013 and allowed the business to demonstrate its marketing and content localization skills. The phrase “Share a Coke with John” would be typed on product bottles instead of the company’s emblem, as it had become customary. Coca-Cola would utilize various common English names on each label, such as Mary, Sarah, and Jack. More crucially, they customized their content by printing names like Oisin and Aoife to identify with the locals in locations like Ireland and Russia, where these names are uncommon.
But in China, people believe it is rude to use someone else’s first name, so they give their best performance. The Chinese prefer to refer to one another by their surnames and honorary titles, which went against Coca-Cola’s goal of fostering close relationships. How can close personal ties be maintained if people do not know each other by their first name? Coca-Cola, however, substituted words like “classmate” and “close buddy” for names. The tactic assisted the marketing group in overcoming cultural barriers without compromising the integrity of their product awareness campaign.
2. Netflix
Netflix is for sure the best when it comes to creating content tailored for particular locations! Customers’ interests and preferences are greatly influenced by where they live, and the company’s objective is to give customers the movies and documentaries they want to see. Netflix ensures that subtitles are translated according to the demands of their target demographics because people will only view a film published in a language they understand. Even the homepage and suggested movies change based on the user’s location and preferred language.
The company’s efforts to produce content show its dedication to app localization. The firm has made enormous investments in the creation of original Netflix movies, TV shows, and documentaries during the past ten years. Netflix produces content that is aware of cultural and political influences, in contrast to Disney and Pixar, which concentrate on telling American stories.
3. Airbnb
The introduction of Airbnb in 2007 was nothing short of a revolution in the tourism sector. Since then, the business has expanded to become one of the most valuable multinational corporations in the world, with a worth of over $62 billion.
Airbnb’s success is mainly attributable to how it initially embraced localization. Localization was a vital component of the business’s strategy from the start. Early on, the business understood that it would need to provide its platform in a variety of languages if it wanted to be successful in overseas markets. As a result, Airbnb has been able to expand its platform fast and effectively into new markets without compromising on quality or user experience. Various languages are available for every part of the platform, including the user interface and customer service. Even the company’s emblem adapts to local tastes (e.g., using a heart symbol instead of the letter A in countries where that would be more meaningful).
To appeal to consumers in various areas, Airbnb localizes its platform and produces localized content. This includes user-generated information like reviews and listing descriptions and user-generated content like blog posts about well-known tourist destinations.
4. Apple
Apple has established a solid reputation in America by portraying its product line as chic, pricey, and incredibly wanted. Undoubtedly, the world’s most beloved brand was created by a marketing genius Steve Jobs. The “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” marketing campaigns, which distinguished the computers as functional yet fashionable goods, were the brainchild of Mr. Jobs. Despite a financially troubled past, the company would eventually grow to be among the largest in the world, competing with Microsoft and Google, among others. Even though most of the company’s marketing initiatives were successful in the West, they would have been less well received there.
For instance, in Japanese culture, it is improper to disparage others, especially ones who are competitors. As a result, the Japanese would have thought the “Mac vs. PC” campaign was silly and unpleasant. Apple was forced to adopt a new strategy as a result.
The corporation did not directly criticize Microsoft as it had in the West; it did not just “Easternize” an American advertisement by translating its wording. Apple hired two comedians who had acted in the popular local movie Rahmens. The target group adored the advertising, which portrayed PCs as ideal for formal settings while conveying that Macs were made for those who liked to have fun. If only the material had been translated, Apple’s marketing team’s efforts would have been a complete failure. The business took its time to discover what Japanese consumers find appealing and modified their advertising requirements to fit the cultural norms of their target market.
5. Kentucky Fried Chicken
Kentucky, the home of KFC, is renowned for its distinctive Southern American cultural food. Only four decades after the company launched its first location in 1987 and millions of miles to the East, China, Kentucky Fried Chicken is still a prized treasure. American cuisine was uncommon and greatly underestimated by Chinese palates during Mao’s rule over China. Therefore, when the first franchised store opened, all involved parties had to start from scratch.
KFC managers in China decided to use a different American business strategy. For instance, American investors concentrated on selling more products as a franchising possibility to satisfy their profit margins. Innovation went out the window because all retailers were required to maintain the same level of food quality. However, quality had to come first because food is so highly valued in Chinese society. Instead of sticking to the same menu, the managers modified the locals’ favorite cuisine by adding more pleasing items to Chinese plates. KFC saw tremendous success, and many residents still regard it as their preferred fast-food restaurant.
Final Thought
Localization is key to becoming a leading global brand if you are willing to capture a larger global audience. It can be challenging, but it is definitely worth it! Choose the best marketing localization agency for your project, and be ready to conquer the world.
