Want international PR? 10 things to consider

I’m English and I live in San Francisco. Have done for years, but I still speak with a funny accent that makes people instinctively want to break into Dick Van Dyke mockney.

So, I’m in quite a good position to witness the globalization of PR and marketing. Social media has done more than anything else to remind us that brands are global, people appreciate good customer service wherever they live, and that, no matter what the local media landscape, putting 2.0 after something is really just passé.

BUT, let’s not forget that even though brands are global, interaction does need to be personal. This applies whether you’re calling, tweeting, emailing or Facebooking your way to mass awareness and cut-through. And for that level of interaction to be successful, you usually need a dedicated local effort. One size really doesn’t fit all, especially when one region contains multiple countries, languages and cultures. Of course, this all needs to be tightly integrated and closely aligned with an over-arching corporate strategy, so it’s no surprise that some companies can feel a little overwhelmed when rolling out an international PR effort.

LEWIS works with many brands across multiple international markets and over the years we’ve honed an approach that combines the best of both worlds: corporate strategic alignment with local flavor and flair. These are some of the questions we ask our clients who are considering an international campaign. They’re designed to really get to the nuts and bolts of why they are looking at certain markets, what they hope to get from the program, and if they are really ready to go for it. No surprise, but many of these are logistical points – the devil is in the detail for this type of activity, and can often make the difference between success and failure.

They’re not in order of priority, but are the ones that spring to my mind. Take a read and see what you think:

1)    Do you already have a dedicated sales force/day to day management of the local operation in place? Is your company ready to reap the business benefits of all the great coverage you’ll get?

2)    What’s the real market priority? Europe is a big place, so you’ll be better off prioritizing key countries than trying a scattershot approach, ditto for the other continents

3)    Do you have local spokespeople, on the ground, with local language capabilities? English might be the de facto lingo for many businesses, but many local press prefer a local language approach

4)    Any marketing peeps on the ground? Can you tie your PR into a wider awareness effort?

5)    Is your strategy/top-level messaging built out at a corporate level? Can you give international teams the strategic direction they need, in order to get the best results?

6)    Time differences count, especially when reporters are on an urgent deadline.  – Have you thought this through in terms of day-to-day execution of the campaign? What systems have you set up to deal with this? If you’re on the West Coast and have an urgent inquiry from your UK time while you’re asleep, what’s the work flow? Online reporting sites and East Coast point people could be one answer

7)    Always factor in seemingly minor things like varying dates for public holidays. They’re going to be different in each country, and can really count when considering something like a global product launch. Have you checked whether a date works for every market you’re launching in?

8)    Does your US PR team contain any international folks or expertise? If so, they’re in a good position to help you make sense of if all, so tap them for advice

9)    Do you have any local customers yet in the market you’re considering? Press will always want to see evidence of local traction, so even just one marquee customer could help secure interviews and might make all the difference

10) Have you done a media/social media audit in each market prior to initiating activity? You might find some key regional differences that will help you get on the right track when planning and strategizing. For example, blogging might be less popular in Germany, while the UK has more than ten national daily newspapers (for now at least, check this vid from LEWISer Will Sturgeon), so that will influence the mix of tactics you pursue

Proper planning, followed by strategic co-ordination are the keys to success, so it pays to ask yourself these questions (and there will be many more), before pressing the big red “global” button. That way lies the path to a joined-up, efficient and successful international campaign.

This is just a starter for ten, so I’d love to get your thoughts. What big questions did I miss?

Update: Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz were kind enough to include a discussion of this post on their latest PR podcast: FIR. Check out the podcast here, it's about 35 minutes in, but the whole show is great and very informative bit.ly/xqzHj

Comments

[Norbert Mayer-Wittmann]

This is a great article -- I have shared it with many of my friends + colleagues.

I speak 2 languages (German + English) as a native speaker (it's called diglossia) and what you recommend is completely spot on!

In Germany (and probably in many other countries as well), even the local community dialect / customs will play a significant role with respect to the success of a campaign.

Kudos to a well written piece!

[Louise Tipton]

Hi Norbert - thanks! I'm sure there are many more points that i've missed, but hopefully i covered the basics for you. Would be interested in feedback on other tips from other countries too.

[Sally O'Neill]

Absolutely, Louise. All valid points. Based on experience in Europe, other considerations for North American companies planning marketing and PR in Europe include:

1/ TRANSLATIONS. Don’t forget that there are 15+ languages in EMEA. Not to mention regional dialects and languages (Catalan/Spanish, Swiss French/German, Dutch/Belgian/Flemish). So allow time (and budget) to translate content to be taken seriously with local media/customers/partners

2/ NEWSWIRES. They exist in Europe, but aren’t used at all like US newswires. Consider the personal touch instead

3/ EUROPEAN VISITS. Don’t over-estimate what’s possible. “Doing Europe” in a week is possible, but it involves a lot of flights, can be very tiring and you won’t be at your best if you’ve got a day of media interviews or a customer event where you need to be on top form. Take your time and be clever about which locations you visit

4/ VACATIONS/HOLIDAY. People take a lot more time off work in Europe than in the US! While the impact of globalisation means times are changing, remember June is a dead month in the Nordics and August is extremely quiet in France, Spain and Italy. Don’t plan product launches or visits at this time

5/ That brings me nicely onto the NORDICS. It’s four countries (well, five officially if you include Iceland). Four languages, four currencies, four very different cultures. It’s a pretty expensive location to live/do business too. Don’t try and “do the Nordics” – prioritise markets based on market potential to avoid spreading resources too thinly

Despite all these differences, it’s possible to build strong global brands using consistent messaging and by showing you understand local cultures and sensitivities. Final word: Don’t forget visuals – to use an old cliché, pictures speak a thousand words. And they don’t even require translation.

[Norbert Mayer-Wittmann]

Sally raises an interesting point.

AFAIK, graphic images (even pictures of buildings or landmarks) may be trademarked locally, such that this should be considered before use. I've read Susan Sontag's some of work about the meaning of images, and I would highly recommend her work (I actually met Ms. Sontag shortly before she died when she was here in Germany - and I could easily tell that she had a very deep understanding of the significance of cultural heritage)

Also, it should be no surprise that different cultures have different standards of decency. For example, I found it very funny when I heard that since workers at Wal-Mart in Germany were encouraged to smile at customers, many customers felt they were being "hit on"... it cannot be overemphasized that social standards and cultural norms vary from country to country, region to region and even from town to town. Although the fact that cashiers smiled at customers may not have led to Wal-Mart's demise, it probably didn't help, either.

Such nuances can be game-changing. To re-iterate: Having someone on the ground who understands the audience the way they EXPECT to be understood -- to be "one of us", not some foreigner who just landed at the airport -- will probably play a significant part in making or breaking a good relationship with business partners and/or customers.

[Stacey Stewart]

Very interesting post! I think that one thing to consider even in a "westernized" country, are cultural differences from country to country. It is very important to understand how to do business in other countries before approaching the idea. If your business etiquette is not up to par, you may not even get your foot in the door!