Cross Cultural Branding: Is Your Brand On Track?
Marketing 101: Know Your Audience.
You need a complete understanding of your market across the globe: this means messaging micro in a macro world using cross cultural branding.
It has also meant the dawn of a new era of public relations. Social media has made a brand accessible with just a few clicks of the keyboard, no matter where they reside across the globe.
If you don’t know what cross cultural branding really means, or if you aren’t employing it-whether you’re a small business of one or a corporation of thousands-you’re already behind the curve.
Cross cultural branding means that your big-picture message flows well across cultures, efficiently navigating the unique channels of your audience while assuring that your overall marketing message remains on track.
Since different images, words and designs can mean different things to different people, it’s incredibly important that you research your audience and adapt your messaging as needed. Just ask some of the biggest names out there~it’s far more cost-efficient to research beforehand rather than have to back-pedal after the fact.
Cultures are crossing.
Your message must as well.
How can you assure that your branding is on track with the fluid economy of this increasingly borderless world?
First, assume nothing.
No matter how much you think you may know about marketing and branding, there is always more to learn and homework to be done, especially before launching a new campaign or marketing campaign.
Even if you think you know your stuff front-to-back, remember that some cultures read right-to-left.
Before posting anything on your brands social media, learn your audience and assess whether the concept or image melds with your customers, as well as your potential customers.
What you may believe is fresh and innovative may not play well in markets that emphasize respect for their elders, so it’s imperative that you know that before you post.
The internet has given every customer the tools to be well-informed and research a product before they buy. It’s also given you the same opportunity as a brand to quite easily learn about the markets that you’re addressing and form your message accordingly.
Though the term cross cultural branding may sound daunting, when it comes down to it, it’s simply following the adage “think before you speak”, adapted to modern times. When the advice was given decades ago, it was meant to give one pause so that their words weren’t misconstrued by their audience; today your audience is the world, and you must make your brand speak as such.
