The recent launch of Nokia's new mobile phone, the Nokia 114, has something more than just a low price and array of features. The phone also supports Urdu among its nine languages, opening up the market for the 150 million Urdu speakers in India. In keeping with recent global mobile development trends, this launch is yet another great example of local adaptation for a global brand.
With an eye to an untapped market of, at minimum, 50 million new customers, Ikea has done amazing cultural engineering to open up demand-side India — including possibly manufacturing the welcome mat! It’s an amazing lesson in retooling just about everything a company does and still remain true to the brand in philosophy and practice.
How did 7-Eleven realize a fivefold increase in sales in 2011 and add 36 stores in Indonesia in one year alone? It’s a case study in successful “glocalization,” a combination of “global” and “localization,” or shorthand for “think globally, act locally.” Glocalization covers everything from employee training to marketing collateral, point of sale (POS) software, product selection and even local labor laws.
Without thoughtful localization, a brand in a new culture runs the risk of coming across as rude, weird or unappealing in light of local tastes and customs. But if a brand goes overboard with changes, it runs the risk of becoming unrecognizable, and most of a brand’s equity rests in its consistent identity.
In this article, we’ll take a look at how 7-Eleven got it right. At the heart of their success? The Indonesian concept of nonkrong.
Ever heard of BRIC? This is yet another must-know acronym for the entrepreneur, economist and business professional who is interested in engaging in global business.
BRIC, also known as the “Big Four”, is an acronym for a grouping of four countries that are considered by some analysts to offer the most potential for booming economic development in the upcoming decades: Brazil, Russia, India and China. These countries have several interesting traits in common that will appeal to you as a business person looking to market products or services to foreign countries.
As reports of protests and violence in Thailand came streaming in over the past month I wasn't quite sure where to turn for on-the-ground, local coverage of the conflict. Despite having lived in the country as an expat some years ago, my language is not good enough to delve into Thai-only newspapers like Thai Rath, the Daily News, or Matichon's Khao Sod.
It's a common problem: many ex-expats and media hounds thirsty for insider knowledge into a country's current events feel frustrated when events erupt and they don't know what to read — or more specifically, what to believe.
Global Voices, a nonprofit organization based in The Netherlands and supported by a handful of marquee foundations and donors, is helping to solve that problem. It is a community of more than 200 bloggers around the world who — with the help of volunteer and part-time authors, editors, and translators — provide reports from areas of the world that may not have accurate or deep representation in Western media sources.
Around the world, people eat dumplings in some shape or form — ravioli in Italy, wontons in China, empanadas in Argentina, and pupusas in El Salvador are just a few examples.
Using a broad definition, dumplings are dough wrapped around a filling. Let’s take a quick world tour of dumpling cuisine.
Nepal and Tibet: Available at restaurants and street corners, meat-filled or vegetarian momos are the fast food of the Himalayas. Who wouldn’t love a quick momo after walking several miles to work or school along steep mountain trails?
The Walt Disney Company is filming a new adventure movie for Indian audiences in the southern dialect of Telugu. The Hollywood entertainment giant will also create a dubbed version in Tamil, another southern dialect, to further broaden its localization efforts, reports the Associated Press.
In 2008, in partnership with Yash Raj Films, Disney released a Hindi animated feature called "Roadside Romeo," which was a huge success. The film used the voices of national Bollywood stars to increase its appeal to local audiences.
The storylines of the films are also adapted to local tastes: simple stories, mixed with singing, dancing, humor, and the "in your face" emotion typical of Bollywood productions, noted Forbes at the time of production.
Smart, fun and useful. Acclaro shares news and tips on translation, localization, language, global business and culture.