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As more companies aim to reach a global audience, they are also tasked with navigating new cultures and understanding new audiences. Every country and region within has unique cultural norms, values and consumer behaviors, and brands must understand all of these elements to gain positive exposure and recognition outside of their home countries.
Here, members of Forbes Agency Council discuss strategies for overcoming the biggest challenges brands face in reaching diverse global audiences. From conducting thorough research to partnering with local influencers, here are 15 effective ways to balance brand consistency and adaptability across markets worldwide.
1. Balance Uniformity With Localized Strategies
Global brands must balance uniformity with localized strategies that consider language, customs and legislation to resonate across cultures. Coca-Cola focuses on community programs and charitable initiatives tailored to local markets. Nike allows users to customize products through its “Nike by You” platform to cater to varied cultural tastes and trends. - Isadora Marlow Morgan, Isadora Agency
2. Build Local Influencer Partnerships
Adapting to diverse cultures, preferences and languages while maintaining brand integrity is a major challenge in global branding. When it comes to marketing, working with locals—especially influencers—can help bridge this gap, particularly where internet and mobile use is prevalent. Through highly targeted influencer partnerships, you can effectively drive brand recognition in new markets. - Ismael El Qudsi, SocialPubli
3. Develop A Deep Understanding Of Your Audience
Live it. Immerse yourself in the culture. Forge alliances with locals. Experience their world emotionally. Never confuse translation with communication and connection. It is about knowing, understanding and, most importantly, caring. Done right, it is never just about selling a product. It’s all about earning trust. The more soulful the approach, the stronger and longer the brand’s success will be. - Stephen Rosa, (add)ventures
4. Stay Centered On The Human Aspect Of Storytelling
Talking about global markets and strategies for cultural impact can sometimes divert from the fact that what it all comes down to is people. Human beings are at the core of every marketing effort, global or local. Centering that human aspect in a brand’s storytelling builds trust and reliability, and will ultimately strengthen brand image and recognition—and influencers are the best way to do so. - Christoph Kastenholz, Pulse Advertising
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5. Build A Flexible Brand Identity
In overseeing the JPMorgan Chase brand across 18 countries, I learned that building a flexible brand identity was very important. While consistency in branding is important, flexibility allows adaptations to different cultural contexts. This means developing a brand core that is universally appealing, while also being adaptable in its expression to fit different cultural landscapes. - Kathleen Lucente, Red Fan Communications
6. Adapt Colors, Imagery And Narratives To Fit Local Tastes
A major challenge of building a brand in a global marketplace is maintaining a consistent brand identity while also localizing content. Brands can develop a flexible strategy, maintaining core elements such as logos and key messages universally while adapting colors, imagery and narratives to fit local tastes and cultures. This ensures a coherent identity that resonates both globally and locally. - Muhammad Eltiti, BOOST
7. Be Mindful Of Regional Cultural Norms And Values
One major challenge in global brand recognition is navigating cultural differences. Brands must adapt by creating localized marketing campaigns that respect regional norms and values. Utilizing local influencers and providing cultural sensitivity training can help teams tailor messages effectively, ensuring respectful and resonant brand communication across diverse markets. - Joschka Weltgen, Compado
8. Study The Details Of Each Region
A major challenge of building brand recognition in a global marketplace is understanding the markets you are in and ensuring that your messaging and offerings are able to resonate with each region while still retaining consistency in brand voice and message. Studying each region is paramount to ensuring success—these nuances can be as small as the way words are spelled to as large as color perceptions. - Sanju Ganglani, gang&lani media
9. Stick To Themes With Universal Meaning
There are different cultures that have different ways of life and languages all over the world, but the human experience is almost universal. Anyone can relate to things such as providing for your family, finding someone you love and striving for a better life. You can adapt your content to the different cultures you are marketing to, but if you keep to those themes and stay authentic, it will resonate. - Jason Hall, FiveChannels Marketing
10. Do Ongoing Local Market Research Via Social Listening
Navigating cultural nuances is a big challenge in global branding, and the best way to handle it is to invest in ongoing local market research. An efficient method is social media listening, which involves monitoring conversations and trends on local platforms to quickly gain insights into consumer preferences. Using this information, brands can make adjustments and act accordingly. - Christine Wetzler, Pietryla PR & Marketing
11. Localize Content By Translating Relevant Messaging
One major challenge of building brand recognition in a global marketplace is getting your content to appeal to all different types of audiences. Brands can adapt their strategies to resonate with diverse audiences by localizing their content, which can include translating the content and utilizing relevant messaging and references. - Jordan Edelson, Appetizer Mobile LLC
12. Share Stories From Team Members In Their Own Words
Consistency is a massive challenge, but another challenge is ensuring that you are not trying to shoehorn your brand into trending topics in an attempt to stay relevant. One of my favorite ways to share our diversity is to share stories from our various team members in their own words. This approach lets us share new, diverse perspectives organically and will evolve as our teams grow. - Bernard May, National Positions
13. Aim For Authenticity
Try to reach people from different cultures in a way that feels genuine. For me, celebrating diversity isn’t just a box to check. It’s about crafting marketing that respects traditions and resonates with local audiences. We can’t be cookie-cutter global; it’s about being flexible and empathetic. That’s how we build real connections—one culture at a time. - Sun Yi, Night Owls
14. Research Cultural Nuances, Local Slang And Humor
Adapting messaging across regions is tricky. What lands well in one market might totally flop in another. Cultural nuances, local slang and even humor all vary. To really connect, brands need to do their homework and tailor content for each audience. Localize visuals, tap into regional trends and partner with local influencers who get the vibe. - Frederik Bussler, Bussler & Co
15. Determine If Global Growth Is Needed
The world is big—really big. This makes it difficult to build brand recognition globally unless the brand has an almost unlimited marketing budget and is bringing competition for customers’ attention from competitors based overseas. Most brands need to focus on concentrating their money where they can win and accepting that they might not be the brand of choice in every country. - Mike Maynard, Napier Partnership Limited
