What is Brand Localization?
Decoding Brand Localization's Core Elements and Secrets for Successful Overseas Expansion
As a professional agency specializing in localizing overseas brands, today we will provide a comprehensive analysis and disclosure of the core elements of brand localization. We will explore the strategies of brand localization based on the standards of the European and American markets, discussing how sellers and brands should approach this process to indeed be considered "local brands" in the eyes of Western audiences. So, let's dive into the critical aspects of brand localization together in this OSMO blog post!
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What is Brand Localization?
In the traditional field of advertising, there isn't a specific term for brand localization, as all aspects of branding, marketing techniques, public relations, and creative advertising should naturally adapt to the local context. However, for brands expanding into foreign markets, the concept of "localized adaptation" tailored to American consumers, for instance, refers to brand localization. In simple terms, brand localization involves branding through the lens of Western thinking and logic.
Furthermore, to achieve successful brand localization in the European and American markets, brands and businesses must focus on more than just branding (branding is only part of the process). Brand localization is a comprehensive approach, encompassing brand content localization, brand visual localization, brand social media localization, brand marketing localization, brand public relations localization, brand advertising localization, and more.
Starting from the insights that resonate with the market and extending to the visual representation and marketing approach exposed to the public, maintaining a consistent and unwavering brand ideology both internally and externally is the daily operational mode for Western-localized brands, without exception.
When adopting this approach, brand localization is not about producing creative content and generating traffic; it's about being professional, cautious, strict, and persistent.
Although the brand localization process might seem challenging, any scale of overseas business can find various entry points for brand localization. By implementing strategies and techniques used by pioneering Western brands, you can witness positive results in a short period. Achieving complete cultural localization might take time, but adapting and applying predecessors' experiences can make your brand localization efforts more effective than you imagine.
What Does Brand Localization Encompass?
What would this process include if we were to follow international standards to complete a set of brand localization operations for an overseas brand?
1. Analyze the Overall Business Strategy
The first step in formulating a brand strategy involves analyzing and studying the brand's overall business strategy and objectives. Identifying the company's desired achievements will help develop the best business strategy. Existing objectives and overall strategic goals will provide background information for the brand's desired achievements, influencing how to establish a powerful brand to ensure future success.
2. Research Your Competitors
Assess the existing market to better understand the brand's competitors. Delve into the unique selling points of competitors to understand the information and values they provide to your shared consumers. Providing unique value based on the current offerings is essential for the brand's success.
Consider using tools like SWOT analysis during competitor analysis. The SWOT model allows brands to analyze their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It helps brands better understand the market gaps they can fill and determine the value they can offer. Besides analyzing competitors, the brand can conduct its SWOT analysis to gain additional insights by comparing the results.
3. Define and Research the Target Audience
Identifying the brand's target audience is crucial. The focus should be on serving the most realistic (ideal) consumers, rather than pursuing those who are less likely to purchase the brand's products or services. The brand's target audience should be the group that is most in need of its products or solutions for their pain points. It is important to be as specific as possible when determining the target audience, taking into consideration factors such as age, gender, location, occupation, values, income, interests, and habits.
After determining the target audience, conducting in-depth research is necessary to better understand them. Regular research can help the brand formulate a more comprehensive branding strategy that meets its needs. It is advisable to consider using high-quality market research tools like surveys, and focus groups, and analyzing overall economic trends to gain a better understanding of the brand's target audience.
4. Develop Brand Messaging Strategy
The next step is to determine and develop the brand's messaging, which will be conveyed to the audience. It is crucial to tailor brand messages to individual audience segments with similar core value propositions. The selected messages should inform the audience that the brand can solve their problems and help them understand what the brand is and what it can offer them. Focusing on conveying an understanding of the brand will help solidify its position in the minds of the target consumers.
Fix Spelling and Grammar: 5. Build the Brand's Foundation
Ensure that all departments within the company share a common understanding of the brand. This involves identifying the company's internal information to ensure that all departments have a clear view of the company and brand's future and can contribute to the company's success on the same page. Establish the company's:
Purpose
Vision
Mission
Values
The brand strategy aims to strengthen the brand's image in the market. It's essential that the brand accurately reflects each of these elements to best represent the company to consumers. It's also crucial that the brand leader's beliefs, behaviors, and commitments align with these internal aspects of the company.
5. Create a Unique Brand Visual System
Developing the brand identity goes beyond choosing a name and writing a slogan. It involves strategic decisions about various design elements representing and symbolizing the brand. The brand identity should include the following:
Logo
Color palette
Fonts
Graphics
Image style
Logo application design
Brand personality is crucial for brand identity. It should resonate with the target audience, not just aesthetically but also emotionally. While visual elements are essential for brand representation, remember that graphics are a form of content output, and ensuring alignment between brand content and the final visual representation is the embodiment of a complete brand strategy. Ensure that each logo has a logical or even data-supported rationale.
Core Secrets of Brand Localization
During brand localization, we easily fall into several pitfalls, often critical factors affecting the final outcome and presentation. To help brands achieve a "genuine" international standard in localization as quickly as possible, let's explore the core secrets that can enhance brand localization.
1. Abandon Preconceptions
Just as overseas people might have preconceived stereotypes about us, we, as domestic individuals, might also have preconceived notions about Westerners. However, to smoothly promote brands/products overseas, we must sometimes discard unhelpful mental habits and be open to different ways of thinking and logical approaches. Holding preconceived notions about overseas audiences might lead to unnecessary setbacks for our brands. Opening our minds and genuinely trying to understand foreign consumers are the first steps toward reaching our target audience and, therefore, extremely important.
2. Traffic is Not the Main Goal of Social Media
New media platforms are essential gateways to the overseas market and valuable tools for understanding local consumer sentiments. Many brands use these platforms (IG, TikTok, YouTube, etc.) to disseminate their messages and content—and that's correct. The role of media is undoubtedly to enable us to express ourselves actively and find like-minded communities. However, using overseas new media platforms as critical channels to gather the latest market information is equally essential. By searching hashtags and trending topics, we can learn what conversations occur among locals, the latest trends, and what content resonates most with the audience. Understanding the content created for local audiences and the emotions and logical thinking behind it will help brands better anticipate their needs and create demand based on psychology in the future.
Effective New Media Strategy = Consumer Recognition = localization = Consumer Engagement = Sales Conversion
3. English is Key
Let's reverse our perspective on this matter. English is the most widely used language in the West. So, as a local brand, if we cannot master the primary communication language, how can we prove our localization?
Writing proficient English with logical clarity > Flowery words
When communicating in English, especially when presenting new products or services to consumers, sophisticated vocabulary won't necessarily enhance the authenticity of an article. In fact, it might come across as contrived. In pursuit of linguistic perfection, many brands introduce complex grammar and sentence structures, which can lead to confusion among consumers. For most product categories, using more down-to-earth English language expressions will suffice. In some cases, brands can even incorporate "correctly incorrect" language use, like American slang, to add a touch of authenticity. Ultimately, this approach can bring consumers closer to the brand.
