Speak Like A Local - The Power Of Global Content

Jordan Two Trey Creative Directive - Created in Partnership with Youthclub

Cutting Through the Noise

When consumers see content that resonates with their local context, they are more likely to engage and convert. To gain this precious time with your target community content your needs to be engaging and one of the best ways to do this is to build affinity, familiarity, and trust. The most powerful way to do this is to shift global assets and stories into relevant and localised narratives. 

Global / Regional / City

Localisation can mean many things to brands and goes beyond merely creating assets in the territory or city that you are speaking to. True localisation is about understanding the market, culture, pain points, interests and current local trends. This covers everything from representative demographics, local styling, tone of voice and personality, as well as subtle brand shifts per market. 

We see some brands doing this well through a series of localised channels, varying from centrally created content that is uniformly shared across all territories, to hyper-locally created content that takes on board cultural and stylistic nuances and taps into local trends, talent and styling. The most powerful connections are harnessed when the community, culture, product and talent are aligned demonstrating respect and understanding, fostering stronger connections and trust.  

Sierra Design is an example of a brand that significantly shifts its content to align it to local markets, we see global content through a performance lens and Japanese content focussed on more literal technical content targeted to the preferences and aspirations of each market. 

Global / Japan / Korea  - Sierra Design Instagram

Brands such as Nike typically lead with performance globally which has more universal engagement and once its localised content becomes more lifestyle focussed where cultural relevance is key to engagement and conversion. A tiered approach to how you speak to consumers allows for nuanced approaches and specific value added per channel or outlet.  

Global (Performance Focus) / London (Lifestyle Focus)  - Nike Instagram

Localisation isn’t always obvious for it to be relevant, simply capturing content with the Eiffel tower in the background and calling it a day for instance would be too easy and comes across as pandering or obvious to a local Parisian consumer. Opium Paris understands their market, and their influences. They created a series of Parisienne and Moroccan assets with relevance to the Paris consumer and community through blending rich cultural traditions with streetwear, they empower the viewer to connect with their cultural roots and duality and reflects a more authentic view of the actual Parisian sneaker enthusiast or streetwear kid. The product showcases a mosaic pattern that draws inspiration from traditional Zellige – a glazed tile handcrafted in Morocco connecting back to the double culture of Opium’s founders.

GQ Magazine – Opium Paris x Nike                                                                 Example of a Morroco Shoot

Authenticity

Timberland approached us to deliver a localised campaign for Foot Locker, with the remit that local authenticity be at the core of the project, creating unique assets that speak to the European market and Foot Locker consumers in a more authentic, engaging and relevant way than existing global assets. We delved into the strategic identification of authentic brand-aligned talent with a European voice creating imagery and content that would resonate across EMEA.

Neon Bloom – Timberland for Foot Locker. Content created in partnership with Youthclub 

Speaking their Language

Localisation goes far beyond language it’s a feeling, an emotional connection that we can relate to on a personal level. But a brand’s voice can be a powerful tool to engage your audience with consideration to tone, humour and personality to illustrate cultural relevance and sensitivity.  

Ikea Malaysia created a campaign that was localised by taking a playful look at the local language and the brand name. They used phonetic similarity of some popular Penang Hokkien words with the Swedish company name. 

Above: showing side-by-side images of a chicken and a cabinet with the words “We are not Kay Kia. We are IKEA.” Kay Kia is the Hokkien word for chick. In this way, the brand cleverly maintains its own values and Swedish roots while showing an appreciation for the local consumer in a humorous and endearing way. Adforum – Ikea Singapore 

Adforum – Ikea Singapore 

Conclusion

Content is king it is at the heart of every brand strategy, and without it brands cannot effectively connect with their community or establish their brand identity.  Proper implementation of a successful content strategy requires recognition and understanding of the layers that need to be considered and the nuances of how to approach them. Global assets play a role in the big picture of creating an aspirational view of a brand and underlining its core principles and values. However, it is the localised assets that are the ones that create genuine authentic and personal connections.   

We believe that localised content is key for brands looking to deepen their connection with consumers. By embracing cultural nuances, enhancing engagement, and demonstrating authenticity, localised content can drive brand loyalty and advocacy in ways that generic content cannot. In an era of constant digital noise and messaging, where consumers crave personalised experiences, localised content is the bridge that connects global brands to the hearts of their local communities. 

If you would like to discuss how you can engage local communities, hit us up for chat!