Have you ever wondered why your products are successful in a country, But when you try to expand internationally, the results are not what you expected? This is not always due to the quality of the product or the marketing strategy, but to a key factor: the way you adapt your message to each market.
At Geotelecom, we know that every culture, language and way of communicating is different. That's why in this post we explain what transcreation is, why it is essential for international marketing and how to apply it to make your business succeed in any country. Read on and discover how to really connect with your global audience!
What is transcreation?
Transcreation is a term used primarily by advertising and marketing professionals to refer to the the process of adapting a message from one language to another, while maintaining its intent, style, tone and context.
It combines translation and writing in a creative process of adaptation to the culture and emotion.
As marketing experts, we must ask ourselves at what stage we are, where we want to get to or what our strategy will be.
- I am in several countries, I want to open one more.
- I want to try a new market, but it's not clear to me.
- The market is not working, I must review my strategy.
- I have indirect sales in a sales country, I want to open it.
- My catalog is very broad, how to give value to what I want.
Let's get down to business and let's look at a clear example of a bad practice:
Starbucks has not been right this time:
And just the opposite, good practice of one of the kings of international marketing, Apple:
In this example, it is clearly adapted to the country, the language and the language of the moment.
Cross-cultural transcreation: Hofstede
Now that you know what transcreation is, let's show you how to apply it to your ecommerce.
The grandfather of cross-cultural communication, Hosftede, sought to understand how values in the world of work are influenced by culture and conducted a study involving 50 countries to analyze the values of their employees.
The Hofstede's theory has proven that familiarizing ourselves with each culture's norms and expectations can help us marketers better understand multicultural audiences.
Hofstede's 6 dimensions
He developed a series of interconnected dimensions to contrast the culture of each country.
In this way, we will be able to draw a starting point from which to base our strategy in each country.
Individualism
Individualism is the extent to which people feel independent, rather than interdependent as members of a larger whole.
Power distance
It is the extent to which less powerful members of organizations and institutions, such as the family, accept and expect power to be distributed unequally.
Masculinity/Femininity
Masculinity is the extent to which the use of force is socially endorsed.
Avoiding uncertainty
It relates to society's tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity.
Long-term orientation
In a long-term oriented culture, the basic notion about the world is that it is constantly changing, and it is always necessary to prepare for the future. In a short-term oriented culture, the world is essentially as it was created, so the past provides a moral compass and adhering to it is morally good.
Indulgence
Doing what your impulses want you to do is good. Friends are important and life has meaning. In a restricted culture, the feeling is that life is hard, and duty, not freedom, is the normal state of being.
Let's take another real example, where we will apply Hofstede's map of cultures.
According to the chart, France and Spain avoid uncertainty. France is much more individualistic and long-term oriented. If we were selling books on an international website, we should emphasize much more the benefits over a country like Spain.
As for Portugal, both have female values. Portugal, has a more short-term orientation, Therefore, we must make the offers very clear, measurable and accessible.
Italy is a more masculine and competitive country, The country will have to include messages related to personal success. On the other hand, it will share with Spain the high power distance.
Each culture will look for what is important to them in each product. So, in your market you focus on one dimension, but in another you need to completely change the strategy.
Keyword research + transcreation = success
Expanding your eCommerce internationally is a big step, but for your strategy to succeed, it is essential to adapt your message to each market effectively. Transcreation allows you to truly connect with your global audience, ensuring that your brand is not only understood, but also relevant and engaging in each country.
At Geotelecom, we help you to to set out a sound business strategy and to optimize your Google Ads campaigns to achieve the impact you want in each market. Contact us and together we will design the best strategy for your business to grow globally.
