Any brand looking to break into
a new market and, in the long run, go global must understand how important it
is for its message and product to align with the target market. While it is
crucial to overcome language barriers, perhaps the greatest hurdle when
entering new markets is actually navigating through cultural and social
differences.

To successfully enter any new
market, brands must align their image with the cultural nuances and preferences
while trying to stay true to their original goals, and this is where effective localisation
plays a leading role.

Localisation is adapting your
content, products and services to a local market. To successfully localise your
brand, you must speak your target market’s language on the surface and
subsurface levels.

This article will be looking at
some global entities that adapted their brand to local markets successfully and
the localisation strategies they used to achieve results.

7 Companies
That Got Localisation Right: Their Strategies and End Results

Although localisation may be part of the itinerary for a host of global brands. Not every entity gets it right. In fact, there have been several localisation fails in the past that had financial and reputational implications on the brands involved. But this post takes the alternative route to explore brands that actually got their localisation efforts right.

1. Netflix

NETFLIX is a
localisation success story with a presence in over 190 countries. By adapting
its technology and process to cater to the indigenous markets worldwide, the
company was able to amass a record-breaking 213 million subscribers in all its
active regions.

Netflix’s localisation strategy doesn’t just involve translating their user interfaces; they create content local to the specific regions and demographics where they have a significant presence. This typically involves translating, subtitling and voice dubbing content and creating raw content that includes elements relatable to the region in question. Even their movie recommendations are tailored to appeal to the region it’s operating from.

  2. Airbnb

Airbnb has managed to
spread across 220 countries by providing its clients with authentic and
personalised hospitality experiences.

Their website and app are
translated into 63 different languages. User-generated content such as reviews
and listings are also automatically translated, ensuring customers have a
personalised experience.

Lastly, they take it up a notch by providing localised guides that point out places to see and things to do in the locality.

  3. CocaCola

Before the arrival of
brands like Netflix and Airbnb, Coca Cola was one of the few brands to bridge
the regional barrier and garner loyalty on a global level. They successfully
localised their “share a coke” campaign by using names common to specific geographic
regions. For example, in African countries, Coca Cola used tribal names
synonymous with the culture.

In China, where it’s considered disrespectful to call a person with their initial name, Coca Cola replaced the “name” section with phrases like “close friend” and “classmate”, thereby overcoming the cultural difference while still managing to keep the authenticity of the campaign.

  4. Slack

Slack is an app dedicated
to making the communication process simpler, faster and more fun for work
teams. Launched in 2012, it’s grown to include a database of over 400 thousand
companies worldwide.

Slack localises its apps for foreign shores by translating its interface and localising the witty remarks, idioms, and anecdotes for which they’re best known. Using expressions, stories and references familiar to the region in question helps them ratify their trust with the global users.

 5. Apple

A perfect example of
localisation is how Apple handled the “I’m a Mac I’m a PC” campaign that
differentiated their Mac Computers as simple but stylish. Although this
marketing campaign succeeded in the western world, it would have flopped in
Japan.

Japanese culture frowns upon belittling competitors; therefore, the Mac versus Windows PC in Japan would have come across as tacky and unpleasant. So, instead of simply translating the whole campaign, they developed a new advertorial strategy. They recruited two well-known comedians and published ads that depicted PCs as perfect for formal settings, while Macs were great for individuals who wanted to have fun.

6. Nike

With humble beginnings, which started almost 60 years ago in Oregon, Nike has expanded into over 170 countries. On the surface level, Nike’s global strategy transcends content to involve partnering with influential sporting personalities from around the world. But on a content level, they were able to localise their web and app platforms for major languages from all the continents and even went ahead to localize their SEO glossaries. Nike also localised its product offerings, and a perfect example was when they launched the Chinese buyers’ lion, tiger, and shark-themed designer shoes.

7. Nintendo

Japanese gaming hardware giant Nintendo conducts
localisation and product development tasks together from the get-go. They
gather a group of localisation experts who are in charge of translating the
games, creating marketing content, filming brand videos and eventually
launching the product on western soil.

Conclusion

From the example cited above, it
is evident localisation is indispensable for any company looking to break into
the international market.

While there is a size-fits-all
approach for the perfect localisation execution, there are definitely
strategies brands can adopt to ensure success while operating on a budget.
Although the big companies might have the budget to hire in-house localisation
teams, other smaller brands might be best suited to go with a professional
language service provider like TIL for their global expansion journey.