Marketing is basically a fancy way of saying “Hey, look at this awesome thing we have!”. But if your audience doesn’t understand you – or worse, if you accidentally insult their culture – your message falls flat.
In today’s global economy, your potential customers speak different languages, live in different cultures and definitely don’t all find the same memes funny.
That’s why localization and internationalization aren’t just nice-to-haves, they’re essential. Otherwise, you might as well be shouting into the void or worse, launching a campaign that makes people laugh for all the wrong reasons. Here is why marketers should care about getting it right. We have 5 main categories.
Expanding market reach and revenue growth: Customers prefer buying from brands that communicate in their native language. Research from CSA Research shows that 76% of consumers prefer products with information in their own language and 40% will never buy from websites in other languages. Ignoring localization means leaving money on the table and limiting global expansion.
Enhancing brand trust and engagement: Localization isn’t just about words. It’s about cultural adaptation. A message that works in one market may fall flat or even offend in another. A brand that speaks the local language builds trust faster by using relevant imagery and aligning with cultural values.
Avoiding costly PR and legal mistakes: Bad translations or culturally insensitive campaigns can lead to PR disasters (e.g. KFC’s “Finger-lickin’ good” slogan was mistranslated in China as “Eat your fingers off”). Certain markets have legal requirements for language use (e.g. France’s strict language laws). Failing to comply can lead to fines or bans.
SEO and discoverability: A localized website improves search engine rankings (SEO) in different languages and regions. Without localization, marketers miss out on local search trends, keywords and algorithms, reducing visibility in global markets.
Better customer experience and retention: Customers who feel understood and valued are more likely to engage, convert and remain loyal. Poorly translated content creates confusion, frustration and lost opportunities. One example would be payment localization, adapting to local payment methods and currencies.
Ignoring to adapt content for other markets is like showing up to a fancy dinner party in pajamas – you might technically be there, but no one’s taking you seriously. Marketers who skip localization risk losing revenue because customers won’t buy what they don’t understand. Bad translations can turn a brand from trusted to tragic overnight (just ask any company that’s ever botched a slogan). Meanwhile, competitors who do localize and transcreate will happily steal your market share while you scramble to fix the mess. Oh and when customers can’t figure out what you’re saying? Get ready for a flood of support tickets. Bottom line: localization isn’t just a nice touch. It’s the difference between global success and becoming an international cautionary tale.
Overview of the “Marketing and …” series:
Marketing and the globalization factor
Marketing and transcreation
Marketing and the importance of international markets
Marketing and the extra steps to take to embrace other markets
Marketing and achieving the best results for international markets
Marketing and the factors to measure international success