Understanding how to market yourself across the globe means big bucks for today’s big businesses.

Learning how to present yourself positively and to place yourself strategically within a target country often means the difference between success and failure.

If your introduction to the topic of cultural appropriation was due to a celebrity, such as Pharrell Williams, being slammed for wearing Native American headwear,  Zac Effron, being called out for sporting dreadlocks, or Katy Perry, being criticised for performing as a Geisha, then you're not alone. 

Once upon a time, cultural appropriation was something theorised and discussed solely at universities.

I recently penned some musings about the privitization of cultural diversity in a blog post; the central theme being that politics and politicians don't know how to handle the boiling hot potato that is multiculturalism. The result, I predict, will be the private sector championing cultural diversity and multiculturalism with the politicians glady handing responsibility over.

To summarise the blog, I believe the private sector see the failings of politicians to positively engage and counteract the harmful anti-difference agenda as bad for business.

Looking to sell globally?

Export marketing will be crucial to your prospects – however it is key to always remember “cultural differences” in the back of your mind when putting together a strategy and approach.

Cultural differences have a long and rich history of ruining marketing campaigns!

Although a little cruel, cross cultural marketing fails are a humorous means of understanding the impact poor cultural awareness can have when selling or working abroad.

What can movie trailers teach us about cultural differences in advertising and marketing?

A lot argues interculturalist, Désirée Gergen.

A number of American marketing and advertising companies have come together to start a new organization that aims to encourage cross-cultural marketing: a sign of changing directions and prioritizations within the marketing world perhaps?

Cross-cultural marketing, i.e. marketing aimed to target one large, general market, has been enriched by a new association.

Five large agencies...

- American Association of Advertising Agencies
- Draftfcb, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG  -  Analyst Report, Pepsico, Inc. (PEP  -  Analyst Report)
- two divisions of WPP plc (WPPGY  -  Analyst Report),
- Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide and
- the Millward Brown research company

....have joined forces to form the Cross Cultural Marketing and Communications Association.

Instead of focussing on individual sectors or industries, the CCMCA will employ a “total market approach,” meaning that the market will be approached as a whole in order to generate revenue.

According to the New Yorker, founder Jeffrew L. Bowman believes cross-cultural marketing brings together two fields of industry that usually stay separated. He believes that companies are expected to be either in general or multicultural marketing, but that cross-cultural marketing unites these two fields.

In addition, the association’s work force will be recruited from different cultures to make sure all consumers on the general markets are understood.

In the New Yorker article, member of the advisory board of the new association Vita Harris, who is also executive vice president and chief global strategy officer at Draftfcb, explained this practice. According to her, the total market approach entails that agencies and advisors exactly know the consumers’ wishes. If a staff comes from different cultures, this is more easily achieved than when all employees have the same background.  

Zacks reported that the association was officially launched at the Total Market Industry Conference at Ogilvy & Mather on 9 and 10 September. Here, the association’s spokespersons addressed vital issues such as demographic and technological trends an strategies to attract new, skilled employees and keeping those that are already working for your company on board.

It is expected that the association will be beneficial to the overall advertising market. This is also what the association is aiming for. According to the New Yorker, Mr. Bowman states that the association wishes to “complement the other associations out there rather than compete with them for attention and resources.” He added: “If we’re successful, other organizations will adopt the total market approach. If we go away, great, it would mean we’ll have been successful.”

E-commerce companies that wish to go international need to focus on cultural awareness as part of their global marketing and sales strategies.

Not enough companies are applying localisation at every level, leaving gaps in their global goals.

Exporting food?

Beware of cultural differences and always carry out research on consumer, retail and shopping habits say the experts.

Did you know that the buying power of Hispanic consumers has increased  by 212%, to $1.5 trillian this decade (2010 -2020)?

Hispanic now account for 1/6 of American consumers, making this community a valuable prospect.