Know thy customer, sell thy service: Why Cultural Awareness is Key for a Successful International Marketing Strategy

When it comes to international marketing strategy, first impressions are critical. In fact, a study by the University of Southern California found that people form opinions about a website within 50 milliseconds of viewing it. That means you have just a fraction of a second to make a good first impression.

And if your international marketing materials don't relate to a person's culture, they might not be able to relate to your brand at all. A study done in 2022 by CIIM showed that if your ad is culturally relevant to your audience, you’re 3.8 times more likely to enhance your brand’s perception to that target market. A study by Nielsen found that 72.6% of consumers are more likely to buy a product if the packaging and marketing materials are in their native language. And according to a survey by SDL, 56.2% of customers said that the ability to obtain information in their own language is more important than price.

I witnessed both successful and unsuccessful outcomes of this lesson.

Let’s start with the mistake.

Early in my marketing journey, an American company wanted to collaborate with my partner’s business and do some Facebook ads to get their name established in Australia. They sent me the imagery and everything, and I immediately knew it wasn't going to work.

The messaging on the ads was very much about protecting your own home from invaders, but it just wasn't relatable to the Australian market. Us Aussies don’t priotise protection, home invasion or weapons as much as Americans do.

The houses looked different, the grass was different, and the way we dress is different. We have very different diversity in terms of our culture.

I told this company that this ad campaign was going to fall flat and people were going to see that this is just an American photo that's been slapped onto a Facebook ad.

And sure enough, the ads were a complete failure. People could tell that it wasn't made for them and they couldn't relate to it.

On the other hand, when I was working full-time for a company doing managing their social and digital marketing, we wanted to create a TV ad for our New Zealand division.

We started creating the concepts with the creative agency, but as we got further down the road, we realised that we needed to film in New Zealand to truly capture the culture and environment. We could have tried to film it in Australia, but the grass, houses, and clothing are all different.

We needed to respect that within the ad.

So we filmed the ad in New Zealand and it was a fantastic success, creating amazing brand awareness.

The lesson here is clear: if you're going to market your business internationally, do your research. Make sure you understand the culture, the people, the land, and everything else that goes into it. If your international marketing materials aren't relatable, you might not be able to create that personal connection that's so critical to success.

Remember, you only have one chance to make a good first impression.

Being culturally aware is critical when it comes to establishing a successful business in a new market. Not only does it help you avoid potential missteps and blunders, but it also allows you to connect with customers on a deeper level, building trust and brand loyalty over time.

When you take the time to research and understand the culture, values, and beliefs of a new market, you can create marketing materials that truly resonate with your target audience. This might mean adapting your messaging, using different images or colours, or even localising your website and other materials to better suit the local language and customs.

By doing so, you show that you respect and appreciate the culture of your new market, and that you're committed to building a long-term relationship with your customers. This can lead to increased brand awareness, customer loyalty, and ultimately, increased sales and revenue.

Being culturally aware can help you avoid potential pitfalls and miscommunications that could harm your brand reputation. For example, a marketing campaign that's considered offensive or inappropriate in one culture could damage your brand's reputation and hurt your chances of success in that market.

And in a time when a brand can be cancelled in seconds thanks to the speed of social media, you really need to think about your audience first and foremost every step of the way when creating anything to market your business.

Being culturally aware when establishing a business in a new market can help you build stronger relationships with customers, increase brand loyalty and awareness, and avoid potential missteps that could harm your brand's reputation. It's a critical component of any successful international marketing strategy.

So how can you do this research? Here are a few ways:

• Ask your audience. If you have customers int eh country you want to push your brand into, ask them what the culture is like. Get them involved with your campaign. You just might find this helps elevate your brand even more with word-of-mouth.

• TikTok is a fantastic place to research what cultures are like. Many expats have made a name for themselves detailing how the culture they’ve moved into is different to their home.

• Put a call out on your socials, or on Fiverr for some market researchers.

• Try using ChatGPT. Give it a prompt such as “Hey Chat, I would like to market my [home culture and type of] Business to new customers in the [new country]. I know that their culture is slightly different. What are some cultural and even physical differences I should be aware of when creating my images for a new ads campaign? Please include things like language, etiquette, sports, terrain”. You can ask Chat to expand on any details it gives you.

It’s not hard to do this, but as with anything in marketing, it takes time. If you’re thinking of going global, do your research! and if you need a professional sounding board to make sure you’re going in the right direction, let me know.