How Global Brands Can Avoid Cultural Missteps In New Markets
Expanding into a new market can offer incredible opportunities for growth. However, if not managed carefully and with sensitivity, it also comes with the risk of cultural missteps that can damage a brand's reputation. Larger or global brands with long-established processes and marketing strategies may be especially likely to fall prey to failing to adapt to the traditions and nuances of an unfamiliar culture.
Understanding and respecting local customs, language and consumer behaviors is essential for building trust and connection when entering a new market. Below, 20 members of Forbes Communication Council share specific steps brands should take to ensure their outreach to a culture that's new to them is both respectful and effective.
The key is to partner with cultural insiders, not just translators. Localization isn't a checklist—it's a conversation. You must engage trusted cultural insiders who live the nuance, not just language experts. They will flag blind spots you didn't know existed and surface opportunities you couldn't Google. Insight happens on the ground, not in the boardroom. - Janita Pannu, OPIIA Inc.
You should start with local voices at the table. You are not just translating thoughts and context; you are translating values, humor, habits and meaning. The key is to bring local voices into the room early and listen like your brand depends on it—because it does! The brands that win globally do so because they show up with intention and respect. - Kristin Russel, symplr
Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
Based on years of experience, I would say a critical yet oft-bungled step marketers make when entering new markets is leaving the localized version of the website only half-finished or not done at all. I've seen large and small companies send out email sequences with the same problem. You should not leave localization to chance or another team. Done properly, it is money well spent. - Rebecca Takada, Outfoxr
You can easily get this one wrong. Marketers need to study and understand the market, ways of operating, and what's acceptable and not acceptable culturally. Every market will have its nuances; hence, a detailed study is important. What's also important is to realize how to go about things. There could be several barriers, including language, that may hinder progress when entering a market. - Fahad Qadir, Haleon
Marketers must localize their messaging by collaborating with local agencies or partners. This ensures cultural understanding and prevents missteps. Adapting campaigns to fit local norms and preferences shows respect and enhances brand acceptance, ensuring successful market entry without offending or alienating the target audience. Tailored approaches build connections. - Arnav Sharma, Tech Mahindra
Taking the time to listen to and do your research about a new market is essential for companies. Rather than rush, take the time to learn what you don't know and observe before executing. - Lyndsi Stevens, Celerium
Marketers should get to know local customs by genuine cultural consultation, not just rely on literal translations or general data. They should work with experts who are there, study how consumers behave and adjust their messages, visuals and offerings based on what they learn. An empathetic approach shows respect, builds community trust and makes sure the global brand resonates without offending local audiences. - Jamie Elkaleh, Bitget Wallet
There are over 200 languages and more than a thousand cultural organizations in New York City alone. In each place, diversity is driven by language, origin and more. It is important not to imagine anywhere in the world as homogeneous. Analytics play a key role in identifying the hundreds or thousands of subsegments in each city or location that we must understand to align with our audience. - Bob Pearson, The Next Practices Group
Before launching a campaign on a large scale, marketers should test it with a small local audience to gather feedback. This helps identify any elements that might cause confusion, misinterpretation or offense. By making adjustments based on this feedback, marketers can ensure the final campaign is culturally sensitive, resonates authentically and aligns with local values and expectations. - Lauren Parr, RepuGen
If possible, marketers should hire people who are local to a new market. It's important not to make assumptions based on what you read, hear or perceive, and having someone with firsthand knowledge of the area can significantly improve your efforts. This local perspective can ensure your content lands appropriately, and they can also help you shape strategies, bringing valuable context that an outsider might miss. - Victoria Zelefsky, Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation
Marketers should ensure their campaigns reflect local preferences and sensitivities, not just language. This means adapting visuals, tone and even storytelling to better resonate with the local culture. Small adjustments, like using culturally relevant imagery or humor, can go a long way in showing respect and building trust. - Katie Jewett, UPRAISE Marketing + Public Relations
As basic as it sounds, engaging and empowering marketing leadership talent in the new market is crucial to ensuring that your brand keeps cultural nuances in sight. The kind of local understanding that those individuals can bring to your brand strategy will provide eye-opening perspectives that you may have otherwise missed as an international brand. - Kerry-Ann Betton Stimpson, JMMB Group
One crucial step marketers must take when expanding into a new market is conducting in-depth cultural and linguistic localization research—beyond just translation. To avoid issues, marketers can collaborate with local experts, cultural consultants and native speakers who understand nuances that AI or basic translation tools might miss. - Kurt Allen, Notre Dame de Namur University
One nonnegotiable is to embed deep local insight from day one. Scale means nothing if you miss cultural nuance. Do not delegate understanding—co-create with trusted local voices. If you skip this process, you risk missteps or losing your license to operate. - Marie O'Riordan
Cultural missteps often stem from brands trying to look identical everywhere—few, if any, are truly big enough to pull that off. Success lies in balancing global identity with local relevance. Marketers shouldn't overlook visuals—imagery is every bit as culturally loaded as language and tone. - Liam Wade, Impression
Expanding into a new market requires a fundamental shift in mindset. Translating your positioning, messaging, campaigns and content word-for-word is not enough. What's needed is true localization, where content, visuals, design, currency, tone and context are adapted to fit local culture. Companies that understand this nuance are able to successfully enter new regions without cultural missteps. - Rekha Thomas, Path Forward Marketing
Global brand strategy is as strong as its local activation. Strategic CMOs design for local creation from the start. Nike gets this right—building deep connections with consumers and fans, activating trusted voices and local athletes in key sports, shaping culturally relevant messaging, and building products that serve and fit local consumers while embedding themselves into the soul of sports culture. - Toby Wong, Toby Wong Consulting
You must learn to listen first. Before launching anything, it's crucial to understand the local culture—its values, language and nuance. Marketers need to partner with people who live it. What feels universal may not land the same way everywhere. Humility and curiosity go a long way when building something meant to connect. - Rich Bornstein, Bornstein Media
Marketers need to identify the nuances of customer behavior and the expectations of the local market and adapt their marketing approach based on what matters to that audience (prioritize 'must have' over 'good to have'). This can be in terms of the channels they use to communicate with the audience (for example, Baidu versus Google or the use of business cards) or the communication and language preferences. - Aditi Uppal, Teradata
When entering a new market, there's no single step, unfortunately—but one can use design thinking principles: empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test. Testing with the local audience is key; it may send you back to the drawing board, but it ensures cultural fit. Also, marketers must involve local voices early—not just in feedback, but in co-creation. Authenticity grows when locals help shape the message. - Suneeta Motala, Stewards Investment Capital
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