Brand communication in foreign markets: how to sound natural, not like a translation

Entering a new market is more than translating the website. A customer in Germany, the Czech Republic or Scandinavia pays attention to different things than a customer at home, reads promises differently and reacts differently to tone. Communication in foreign markets means adapting the message so that it sounds as if it had been created locally.

Why does a home-market message not work one to one abroad?

The same argument can be decisive in one country and irrelevant in another. Translation will not catch that; adaptation will.

Companies entering a new market usually translate what they already have and are surprised that it does not work. There are typically three reasons: arguments arranged for the home customer, examples and case studies nobody abroad knows, and a tone that sounds too formal or too familiar in another country. Adapting communication means checking each of these elements and changing them where necessary, without losing the brand's identity.

How do we adapt communication to a new market?

1. We study the market and the competition. We look at how local competitors talk about themselves, what customers expect, and which arguments are standard there and which set you apart.
2. We rearrange the arguments. The brand message stays, but the order of arguments, the proof and the examples are chosen for the local customer.
3. We localise the content. We write texts in the market's language with someone who knows it from the inside. We do not translate sentences; we carry over the meaning and the tone.
4. We prepare materials and channels. The website, proposal, presentation and social media get a version for the market, consistent with the rest of the company's communication.

What do you get?

• a market analysis from a communication angle: competition, customer expectations, industry language,
• the brand message and arguments in a version for the market,
• localised website content, proposals and sales materials,
• communication guidelines for local partners and distributors,
• support in launching channels in the new market.

When is it worth adapting communication to a foreign market?

• before entering a new market, before the first materials are created,
• when the translated website and proposals bring no enquiries,
• when local partners or distributors talk about the brand in their own way,
• when the company already operates in several markets and wants to bring them together under one brand.

Frequently asked questions