Expert Insight: The Importance of Cross-Cultural Marketing in Branding

The importance of cross-cultural communication in business is a topic which has become increasingly important as technology has closed barriers and made us closer than ever before. Nowadays, for a business to succeed in the global environment, strategies must be put into place to ensure effective cross-cultural communication and negotiations. Companies must learn to be flexible in terms of marketing and advertising to adequately cater to the needs of different cultures and regions. Cultures and subcultures all have different tastes and will likely react differently to the same marketing piece. This means that companies must search for ways to integrate cultural insights into their messages in a way that will benefit their marketing strategies.

I spoke with various multi-cultural marketing experts on what they believe the importance of cross-cultural marketing in branding is and why businesses should adopt the practice in order to see higher success rates. Here’s what they had to say.

Italian Trade Agency Marketing Specialist Daniele Deustachio agrees that cross-cultural communication is vital for a brand. According to Daniele, “In today’s world, for a brand to be successful it must have a valid cross-cultural communication strategy to be able to connect with potential consumers worldwide. Brands must understand the needs and trends of different cultures. For example, the language they speak, the way they communicate or the way they perceive things are all crucial elements that your brand must take into consideration when dealing with different cultures. Cross-cultural consumers are important for the growth and globalization of the brand but it also helps your brand to adapt accordingly to the needs of different markets to execute a marketing strategy that will enhance the interest of potential consumers of different cultures and create a connection between your brand and the desired audience.”

Multicultural Marketing Storyteller Michelle Zambrana says that effective cross-cultural marketing is always a win-win when done with the right research, approach, and content. She adds that “When it comes to addressing a particular consumer demographic or segment, brands must consider how they tailor their approach to also reach cross-cultural audiences with authenticity and relevancy. The error brands tend to make is thinking that there is still a “one size fits all” method to getting their message across, and within that lose potential revenue-making opportunities to reach audiences that could be incredible brand loyal consumers for years to come.”

In order to combine a brand’s image with the intended advertising message in a way that is appealing to different cultures, marketers must balance knowledge of the culture with the translated message. As FIU Brand Management Professor Eirasmin Lokpez-Cobo states, “In today’s global economy, businesses need to target their internal and external communications through culturally relevant approaches that resonate with audiences from diverse cultural backgrounds. Cultural adaptations are not the same as translations since they require an in-depth understanding of the audiences’ cultural traits, societal norms, and values. To ensure cultural relevance, companies should leverage internal inclusive policies. In addition, brand alignment is a top consideration for marketers developing cross-cultural communications, since the brand identity should remain consistent across markets.”

As the United States continues to become more diverse, recognizing the need for multicultural marketing is only half the battle. Marketers must also consider cultural norms, language barriers, and cultural values. After all, according to LunaSol Media CEO Danay Escanaverino, numbers are telling a story that marketers need to listen to. She adds that “With 92% of the population increase in the last 15 years coming from multicultural consumers, we are at the point of critical mass. Hispanics account for almost $2 trillion dollars in spending power while LGBTQ Americans, Asian Americans and African Americans represent over $1 trillion dollars in spending power each. These are the consumers that are driving spending and not having a cross-cultural approach to your marketing strategy is no longer viable for either sustaining market share or targeting growth.”

FIU Marketing Graduate Student and Digital Executive (Viola) Dinh also believes that cross-cultural marketing should serve a larger purpose. She adds that “Cross-cultural not only means the diversification of the population, but also means the diversification in consumers’ interests, influences, and behaviors. Thus, focusing on cross-cultural consumers will bring a lot of opportunities for brands such as the growth of brands, the diversified portfolio of customers, the strong awareness of brands, and so on.” Dinh goes on to support her point by citing a report by Nielsen and adds that 21 of the 25 most populated US counties are already multicultural, demonstrating just how important it is to find marketing strategies to reach these populations.

Multicultural Content Executive Veronica Montali believes that cultural differences are a very large factor in impacting whether a brand succeeds or fails. Montali argues that “As the established media and social platforms increasingly reflect, U.S. consumers embody a wide array of cultures and lifestyles and they are constantly interacting within and beyond their circles. So why should a brand not do the same? Why not consider all lifestyles and cultures when strategizing? Excluding a set of cultural values and lifestyles from your marketing plan will mean setting your brand back. In light of this, traditional demographics need to be challenged. So, start your planning with a brainstorming session aiming to compile a multicultural checklist of groups beyond gender, race and age. This will give you the framework for a definition of cross-cultural consumers you want and can target, depending on your budget.”

In this day and age where we frequently see so much cultural diversity and global business continues expanding, it is vital to the success of a business to understand different cultures and practices and what makes them tick to properly market cross-culturally. This practice goes far beyond simply translating a marketing piece. Brands must find ways to include social norms, religion, education, language, morals, values, laws, social status, and ways of living into a message to deliver their communication piece in a way that is truly convincing for the targeted audience. Each cultural has their own sets of principle and norms that they live by which influence how they receive and process information.

Marketing is the art of reaching out to and persuading the targeted market to purchase a product. Appropriate measures are needed to convince prospects that as a company, you exist to meet their needs. If a company does not understand the importance of cultures in the business environment and how to use these tools to their advantage to reach out to different people, it becomes very difficult to market in a way that is inclusive for all. Truly understanding cultural differences allows for effective management and ensures that people process the behavioral differences and interact appropriately to the message being delivered in a way that shines a positive light on a brand for years to come.