How to Be the Next Avocado Toast: Freedman International’s 4 Fail-Safe Ways to Capturing a Global Audience
The data strategy sorcery delivered by Freedman International equips brands with the knowledge and insight they need to ensure their messaging strikes a chord locally, while also resonating with global audiences in authentic ways. Pioneers of insight-driven localisation, the company helps provide cultural context which helps to inform and optimise creative production and global delivery.
Brought in to assist global brands with multi-market operations who are facing cultural challenges, Freedman specialise in the contextualisation of local consumer insight. Designed to facilitate strategic and creative approaches across multiple markets, the company’s methodology combines global consumer data and local consumer research with a global community of over 350 in-market experts in 95 countries.
Breaking down their latest Local Insights products - which can be mixed and matched or used as a package - Freedman shares their findings with LBB readers, outlining the 4 most effective ways to capture a global audience and meet diverse market challenges.
1. Explore
Many brands have their sights set on global expansion, but before that is possible, brands must explore markets and unlock local insights that will inform the creative, especially if a brand hopes to make waves in yet-to-be-explored territories. Backing up an understanding of different demographics with local evidence is the most effective way to identify a brand's potential for growth in that specific market. Freedman recommends compiling an in-depth overview of the country which explores the cultural values and beliefs, attitudes and experiences, aspirations and preferences, first and foremost.
In their ongoing work with Fitbit, Freedman continues to play the role of cultural expert by advising the fitness product on how to reach different consumers in various markets by splitting narratives into clearly defined culturally relevant communication. Taking the time to craft local narratives that align with the wants and needs of each market helps transform communication into multi market communication.
2. Belong
The next way to drive optimisation is by focusing on “impact through empathy”, a crucial consideration for any brand who hopes to authentically belong in a local market. The answer to understanding how different people behave, what they are motivated by and what shapes their identity is found in the cultural context of where they grew up and what they are influenced by. Tapping into these cultural truths by examining the thoughts, feelings and concerns of local audiences helps brands craft content that resonates and feels authentic, locally.
Emotional connections cannot be forged and one of the biggest mistakes a brand can make when branching out into new markets is alienating the audience by applying ill informed ideas. Having recently worked with a leading employment and job seeking online platform, Freedman was tasked with unearthing the cultural truth of what it means to get a better job for different identifying groups in various local markets. Keen to source insights that answered questions related to the motivation, financial expectations and social dynamics of each local market, Freedman helped the brand understand what shapes the identity of their consumers.
3. Communicate
Brands must acknowledge the diversity of the world and the consumers they hope to reach, by accepting that a one-size-fits-all-approach to communication is ineffective.
Advertising and marketing combines persuasion and influence, a formula designed to win over consumers and establish meaningful connections. The best way to implement this is by proving relevance and a genuine understanding of what moves minds and hearts, implementing that into brand communications. Big universal ideas, while often working at a base level, tend to lack depth and emotional connection. Avoiding generic, uninspired creative briefs and, instead, tapping into key consumer and cultural shifts will result in increased brand loyalty.
Freedman has been helping clients develop impactful campaigns and brand strategy by identifying the invisible cultural forces that drive consumer behaviour and combining these with effective advertising practices that prove effective in the local market.
4. Validate
Validation is Freedman’s fourth and final tip for capturing a global audience. Despite being one of the last steps conducted by the data experts when working with brands, it is one of the most important aspects of creative production.
Sense-checking final ideas is crucial before a product or project goes to market. During this stage, a cultural assessment is conducted to measure how the content will land with a local market, providing the opportunity to identify and fix any potential cultural oversights and presenting the chance to fine-tune the creative. By doing this, brand marketers gain peace of mind knowing that comprehension and reliability has been accounted for. Being open to feedback and sense-checking helps avoid cultural mishaps, furthering a brands’ accountability and improving the chances of being received as authentic by global audiences.
Please feel free to get in touch if you want to find out more about how these products can add value to your brand specifically by contacting jade.firth@freedmaninternational.com
