# Marketing
How to Adapt Your Marketing Strategy to Local Cultural Values? USA, Eastern Europe
Red Rocket TeamJan 20, 20254 min read
In This Article
How do Cultural Values Influence Consumer Behavior? Understanding the Impact of Culture on Marketing: A Framework for Marketers Adapting Marketing to Asian Cultural Values Connecting with European Audiences Localizing Marketing for the United States: Hyper-Personalization Latin America: The Importance of Emotion and Community What NOT to Do When Adapting Marketing Strategies? Final Thoughts
Almost any owner of a small or medium-sized business would like to take their company to a new level – international. First of all, this step allows you to tell more people about yourself, your goods and services. Secondly, by reaching large groups of target audiences in different countries, you have a better chance of boosting sales.
Everything so far seems simple and perfect about entering the international market. However, is this really the case, or do entrepreneurs still face certain challenges? Undoubtedly, when you start operating in other countries, you should be well aware of all aspects of jurisdiction, economy, traditions, and culture. The last factor has a huge impact on how the target audience will relate to your brand and products/services.
If you want your business to succeed in other regions, countries or even continents, we recommend you to learn more about how to create a localization marketing strategy. You've come to the right place, as we've gathered a lot of valuable information on local cultural values in this article.
How do Cultural Values Influence Consumer Behavior?
In the modern world, there are hundreds of countries, languages and peoples that have certain values and habits. Some of them have simply been passed down from generation to generation. That is why you can notice that the outfits of the natives of the Arab world are almost always the same. They respect the religion, culture, traditions, and history of their people, so they wear the same clothes as their ancestors.
As you may have already realized, cultural values can influence many aspects, including buyers' decision-making. For example, the «omotenashi» philosophy of hospitality has been popular throughout Japan for many years. This is a practice whose aim is to provide high customer service and customer service and to try to guess in advance what customers need. For customers from Western countries accept efficiency, quality and self-service capability as the main factors.
Imagine you are faced with the task of developing software for a foreign market. Besides choosing the right technical stack, you also need to analyze the values of the target region. Businesses that fail to adapt to cultural differences risk alienating potential customers. Conversely, those who align their messaging and branding with local values build stronger emotional connections and foster long-term loyalty.
Understanding the Impact of Culture on Marketing: A Framework for Marketers
Adapting to different cultures will allow marketers to better understand the main factors for buying and decision-making for people from a certain country or region. Many entrepreneurs underestimate how much cultural values can influence marketing campaigns. Dutch sociologist Geert Hofstede developed a theory in the 70's of the last century that you can apply today to assess the influence of culture on marketing. Here are the dimensions Hofstede’s theory consists of:
- Power distance.
- Individualism.
- Masculinity.
- Avoidance of uncertainty.
- Long-term orientation.
For example, the USA values individualism and scores high for this, resulting in a preoccupation with individual achievements and freedom of choice. Marketing messages here often hold to the motif of self-expression, unique benefits, and competitive advantages. A lot of Eastern European countries are collectivist, where community and harmony within the group are important.
The other critical aspect of the localization approach is knowing the difference between high-context and low-context communication styles. Eastern Europe has high-context cultures relying on implicit messaging, traditions, and nonverbal cues. Here, subtle storytelling and symbolism are used to advantage in advertisement. People in low-context societies such as the USA prefer explicit, direct communication. In such regions, clear, concise, and factual messaging is better.
On the other hand, an advertisement for a smartphone in the USA, for example, may concentrate on special features and technical specifications. However, the same product could be sold in Eastern Europe as a device to stay connected with family and continue traditions.
When marketers integrate Hofstede's theory and understand the differences between high and low context, they can create localized strategies to reach out to their target audiences through structurally linked means and cultural alignment to maximize the effectiveness of the campaign.
Adapting Marketing to Asian Cultural Values
We suggest starting to consider the differences in cultural values between Asian countries. Actually, this is one of the difficult continents for successful market capture, as people in China, Japan, and other countries are used to choosing their native companies. However, there are still some ways to adapt to the Asian market to build successful marketing campaigns.
Each of you is well aware of the American company McDonald's, which is present in almost every country on our planet today, with crowds of customers every day. The process of McDonald's adapting to different cultures is interesting and generally based on the tastes of target audiences. Let's talk about specific examples.
- India. According to statistics, up to 40% of the population in India are vegetarians who have completely eliminated meat from their diet. This has forced McDonald's to adapt to this and make their meals predominantly for vegetarians.
- Japan. In Japan, locals love to add rice to their daily diet. Therefore, the local McDonald's management developed rice-based buns.
People in Asia have a lot of habits and cultural values that may seem strange to people living in other continents. However, if you want to find success in the Asian market, you should study their culture, traditions, and history to form a marketing plan.
Connecting with European Audiences
The next market we want to look at in this article is Europe and the specific cultural values of consumers. Cultural values in Europe are diverse and deeply rooted in history, traditions, and community. Marketing in this region requires an understanding of shared values, such as sustainability, family, and heritage, alongside regional nuances. Europeans often appreciate brands that emphasize authenticity, environmental responsibility, and local relevance. Respect for tradition and a focus on quality over quantity are also significant drivers of consumer behavior.
We would like to take the American company Coca-Cola as an example. How does Coca-Cola adapt to different cultures? It is no secret that soccer is the most popular sport in Europe, and Coca-Cola uses it for its marketing campaigns. For example, they often sponsor major soccer tournaments on the continent, such as EURO. In their videos and banners, they show that their drink and soccer bring people together. This is very relevant in Europe, where dozens of different nations are concentrated.
In addition, Coca-Cola used seasonal campaigns that capitalized on local traditions. For instance, in Germany, where the company premiered its Christmas-themed ads, they jived with Germany’s love for the fest, picturing Santa Claus and everything that goes along with these traditions. In Italy, Coca-Cola collaborated with local events, such as summer festivals, to strengthen family and community connections.
Localizing Marketing for the United States: Hyper-Personalization
Cultural values like individualism, innovation, and diversity in the United States play a big role in consumer behavior. Americans prioritize personalization while maintaining a focus on self-expression and individuality. There are several factors in shaping the purchasing decisions, among which share a major place: convenience, efficiency, and the adoption of the latest technology. Companies need to adopt these values and make marketing that works with the local culture if they want to survive in the U.S.
IKEA has been a successful example of a non-U.S. company that has adopted its market to the American market. The Swedish giant furniture company localized content and strategy by focusing on the American obsession with individuality and convenience. Size and comfort were two cultural musts in the US, and IKEA responded by offering its larger furniture that could fit American homes.
Not only did IKEA embrace hyper-personalization, but it also used advanced digital tools to help its marketing. The IKEA Place app is a great example: With the IKEA Place app, customers can see how they would feel looking at the furniture in their house through augmented reality. The company even ran US campaigns targeted at Americans, including items related to sustainable living.
Latin America: The Importance of Emotion and Community
Cultural values like emotional display, close family ties, and strong community feeling are part of the consciousness of consumer behavior in Latin America. Brands in this region are people's brands grounded in shared and shared experiences, heritage, and traditions. A lot of the time, with Latin American audiences marketing that tells a story, celebrates things, and builds social connections, it tends to resonate and almost creates loyalty that sticks around.
An amazing example of Latin America's success in adaptation stands out, and that is Netflix. By product localization with original content, the global streaming giant created localized content for Latin American cultures and languages. For example, parts of La Casa de las Flores and Club de Cuervos blend sarcasm, melodrama, and family relations that will resonate with Latin American viewers. These series aren’t merely regional values. They also celebrate the idiosyncrasies of local cultures.
In the same way, Netflix uses social media in a culturally relevant way with humor, memes, and references to the most popular events at the time in the way they resonate in the local community. As an example, Netflix runs special deals and promotes content related to those types of holidays, such as Día de los Muertos (Day of the Day of the Dead), which refers to Mexican holidays of remembrance and celebration.
What NOT to Do When Adapting Marketing Strategies?
Failing to respect cultural sensitivity will damage a brand name and create divides between audiences. For instance, Pepsi’s infamous «Live for Now» Kendall Jenner ad was down for trivializing social justice movements. Another example is the Dolce & Gabbana campaign in China. That had a model trying to fit a pizza slice onto chopsticks was deemed to mock Chinese culture and led to a boycott and public backlash.
To avoid such misfires, brands must prioritize cultural understanding over assumptions or stereotypes. That involves doing market research to the smallest detail, working with local experts, and collaborating with them to involve as many voices as possible in the creation. Potential problems can also be identified before launch from testing campaigns with focus groups in the target region.
Final thoughts
As you may have already realized, companies that use localization strategy are always one step ahead of their competitors. Why is it so? Their clips, banners, and other types of advertising are better accepted in different countries. For example, McDonald's is special in that they often launch unusual and seasonal dishes in different countries. If you can clearly understand the cultural values of the market you are targeting, your chances of successful marketing increase significantly.
