Page 62 - Gulf Marketing Review

S T R A T E G Y

BEING GLOCAL

Why are we still failing to localise our marketing strategy? Alex Malouf, Chair,
Europe, Middle East and North Africa, the International Association of Business
Communicators, delves deep into the issue.

emember that tagline from HSBC, “The in their own language is more important than don’t, they shouldn’t be working in marketing).
Rworld’s local bank”? The word local was price. The second is that 95 per cent of Chinese Whilst we may appreciate its importance to our
a powerful expression back in 2002, when the online consumers indicate a greater comfort consumers and stakeholders, why aren’t we
emerging world was grappling with globalisation level with websites in their language; only one doing a better job of crafting campaigns and
and all of its associated challenges. Today, in per cent of US-based online retailers offer sites content that resonates with our audiences in the
a world where global brands are ubiquitous specific to China (this learning could just as region? For me, there are two basic answers.
and are present in virtually every country and easily be applied to the Arabic language in
locale, there’s an increasing appetite for local the Middle East). Localisation of marketing roles. We have a
messaging and content. Even as I look through my social media particular challenge in terms of getting more
Don’t take my word for it. Research from feeds this morning, it’s noticeable how many locals to join the marketing industry. It’s a simple
the Globalisation and Localisation Association campaigns have that "copy and paste" feel to argument to be made, in that the more our
(Gala) reveals some powerful consumer in- them, as if someone has just inserted a desert organisations mirror our consumer base, the
sights into the need for a localised approach background and translated the Arabic. There are higher the probability that we’ll be able to un-
to marketing. The first is that 56.2 per cent of few marketing professionals who don’t under- derstand these consumers and then develop
consumers say the ability to obtain information stand the importance of localisation (and if they campaigns specifically for them.

62 I GULF MARKETING REVIEW I DECEMBER 2017/FEBRUARY 2018