Why going local is more important than ever
January 22 2020, by Claudia Müller
Why is going local more important than ever? In a world that seems to become smaller through globalization and technology, we think that we are closer to each other in terms of distance and therefore more alike. But assuming that we have culturally assimilated is a big misunderstanding.
Think global, act local
Yes, you have read it right: It´s not act global and think local. That does not work anymore. Look at Netflix for example. End of last year the company initiated a dubbing revolution. That means, that they dub most of their content and will provide it in 31 languages. The reason behind it is simple: The audience demands it. The company’s research has shown that most of the viewers like to watch dubbed versions instead of equivalents with subtitling. So if you think of the paradigm of think global, act local, Netflix is doing exactly this. And why? Because they made research instead of relying on opinions. That is exactly what we preach at Mango Kollektiv: Do research before you spend a lot of money on content that nobody wants to see or interact with.
Local Markets Are People, Global Markets Are Products
When companies think big, they often can’t see the forest for the trees. It might have to do with the euphoria to sell products all over the world and the idea that it might be cost-efficient to draw one global strategy. But if you want a bright future for your business, you should first have a clear vision of who your target group is. Therefore, it is important to invest money for research in the beginning to reach the right consumers. It will pay off in the long run.
Let’s use a runners analogy to support the argument: If you run too fast in the beginning, you will get exhausted easily and have more trouble staying focused before reaching the finish line (aka the right target group). In that state, adjusting your running strategy will become tough, you’re simply too tired (aka your vision might be clouded because of thinking of all the energy and money you already spent). Instead of getting out of breath too quickly, get into the mindset of a long-distance runner when it comes to the first training on new terrain (aka doing business in a new market or adapting a global strategy). Get the necessary insights to be able to target the right group with the right product. How Marieke de Moij is putting it in her book about Global Marketing and Advertising:
There may be global products, but there are no global people. There may be global brands, but there are no global motivations for buying those brands. So don’t sprint with a global but run with a local.
Translations for Localization
Are you thinking of hiring a translation agency to get your content ready for the new market? It might be good to reconsider this strategy as translation can never cover different intellectual styles and ways of thinking. No wonder that the translation industry has come up with transcreation, a word that combines translation and creation. Transcreators are not only translating words but are functioning as cross-cultural intermediaries. They are localizing the message so that it will be understood correctly by the target group.
However, it’s an even better idea to first do in-depth research (check out our case) to find out if the target group is interested in your product and then go further with the creation of content that might have to be rewritten from scratch. As we read before, the reasons for buying products vary from culture to culture. Research will help you to be cost-efficient by giving you important insights upfront. It can help you find out whether your product is relevant in the new market as it is now or if it needs to be altered to reach the target group.
The revival of cultural identities
Sociologists Martin Albrow and Elizabeth King define globalization as “all those processes by which the people of the world are incorporated into a single world society.” Economically speaking you could think of goods, services, technology, and data. But as we have learned earlier there are no global people, therefore also not one global society.
The paradox of globalization lies in its effect. On the one hand, local cultures seem to disappear because we are connected and able to use the same resources. On the other hand, we can see that politically there are more nationalistic parties rising that transmit the idea of tradition and heritage. Local cultural identities are more important because they give people orientation in a world that has become too complex to understand. Identification and understanding of one’s culture are therefore eminent.
Why it´s all relative
An Italian thinks that Dutch are super organized and efficient on the work floor. If you ask a Swiss, he experiences the Dutch work floor as messy and less efficient. And if you ask a Japanese, you might get the answer that people are working very little and things are chaotic. An Italian probably also thinks that a boss needs to know an answer to all the questions of his or her employees, whereas a Swedish employer does not share this expectation at all.
What you think is ‘normal’ is not what people of another culture think is ‘normal’. As Erin Meyer puts it in her book Culture Map, when considering the impact of cultural differences on your dealings with other people, what matters is not so much the absolute positioning of a person’s culture on a particular scale, but rather their relative positioning of a person’s culture on a particular scale.
Going local is not only cost-efficient but also the best way to reach your crowd. In times were people feel lost because of fast technological progress and frightened about ecological and political changes, the need for familiarity and comfort zone arises. Because these mean more safety, being understood and recognized. So if you want to be part of the comfort zone of your consumer, try to get in their cultural world as this will be your chance to bridge the culture gap.
Claudia Müller
Claudia is the co-founder of Mango Kollektiv. If you want to know more about her, click here.
If you want to find out how Mango Kollektiv’s culture-specific approach to consulting businesses can help you, click here.