Localisation For Global Marketing Campaigns

Global organisations spend millions of pounds crafting the perfect marketing campaign to raise awareness of their brand across the globe. However; a campaign can slowly turn into a nightmare when you find out your slogan translates to something very different; and often offensive; in another language.

The team here at Absolute Translations understand that marketing is an essential part of growing a business’s recognition; and building a loyal customer base. You want your brand message and values to be communicated effectively with potential customers; in order to push the sales of your products and services. However; as a global business this can be even more difficult due to the added barrier of language differences. In order to maintain strong branding in foreign territories; global organisations must adopt a localisation strategy to ensure successful communication with your target market.

Without a localisation strategy, brands may struggle to interact with their global audience; or even offend in their advertising; meaning your reputation in that region could be damaged. A good example of poor localisation is a marketing campaign by soft drink manufacturer; PepsiCo. In the 1960s, Pepsi sought to expand its market share across the world by convincing young people that this was the beverage for them using the tagline; “Come Alive! You’re in the Pepsi generation.” However, it was translated to “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead” in China; a far cry from its intended marketing message. It was particularly bad marketing in a country where ancestor worship is an important part of their culture.

One of the best examples of a successful localisation strategy is Samsung. In 2010; the technology market in France was dominated by brands such as Apple and Sony. However; the South Korean technology giant wanted to join its competitors. In order to take a slice of the French technology market, Samsung approached French consumers with an ingenious strategy to appeal to their love of art. The company organised an art exhibition at the Petit Palais in France with paintings displayed on their high definition TVs. As a result; the exhibition gained over 600,000 visitors – as well as giving them a 39% market share in France (higher than its competitor, Apple).

Organisations like Samsung show the benefits of localisation services for global businesses. If Samsung had simply just translated their marketing materials and distributed them to a French audience, they wouldn’t have been as successful. Businesses must apply localisation in their marketing campaigns to help consumers connect with their brand.

Here at Absolute Translations; the UK’s leading translation company; we provide localised language and linguistic solutions for a variety of businesses in the UK and abroad. Our huge team of native-speaking translators have an excellent understanding of over 200 languages; living and working around the world. As a result; this ensures all of your marketing materials are localised; and culturally-accurate for your specific foreign audience. For more information about our localised translation services, get in touch with our friendly team; on 0333 577 0767.