7. Fast forward 800 years >>> Distance closer than ever Means of travel faster and easier Silk, spice, drugs and human trafficking still happen Information – the NEW medium! Language still an issue Communication still a challenge Conflicts still an issue Show me the money everyone still wants it
9. Work with local knowledge One size doesn’t fit all Respect is a different concept in the East Prepare for the language barrier Deliver a sense of status and prestige Consider various communication mediums and interactions Understand their technological behaviours and habits Be sensitive towards the country’s values 9. Tailor to the local markets 10. Be genuine Ten experience principles
11. Capture audience insights Use local market experts to conduct user research Always check with local diplomats / staff to sense check the use of imageries and translations. Check out local newspapers and magazines to understand the local cultures Warning! Beware of information taken from the internet
15. Catered to multiple demographics China Tier 1 - Beijing – 22 millions, Shanghai – 23 millions, Guangzhou -15 millions Tier 2 - Secondary provincial capitals (consist of 23 cities) including Chengdu, Dalian, Nanjing, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Tianjin Tier 3 - Prefecture or county level city capitals
16. Catered to multiple demographics Eastern and western side of Saudi Arabia Dhahran – the west, the richer side, the headquarter of Saudi Aramco Jeddah – the east, the poorer side, its further away from the oil
18. Know your role in client engagements Do not assume everyone do businesses the same way as Europeans do Transaction oriented – Western Relationship oriented – Chinese Hierarchy oriented – Middle East
20. 4. Prepare for the language barrier 4. Prepare for the language barrier
21. Do you speak Chinese? Different dialect Cantonese? Mandarin? Traditional vs simplified Traditional Chinese 雞蛋 Cantonese 雞蛋 (gai1 daan2) Simplified Chinese 鸡蛋 Mandarin 鸡蛋 (jīdàn)
22. Typography “Arabic typography is half Arabic and half typography. It is not possible to separate letterforms from the reality in which they will appear. To understand Arabic typography is to understand first what is Arabic.”Nadine Chahine, type designer and Arabic specialist for Linotype GmbH
23. Typography Line length Sizing Arabic Non-web friendly fonts – only browsers that support CSS3 styling can render them Chinese text is laid out on a regular two-dimensional grid monospaced each character is centred at its own box allow 200% extra line height
30. Pay attention to the visual language Imagery choice Content / copy, tone of voice Information architecture layout Colours in culture Chinese – Red represents good luck and celebrations Gulf – obsession with gold
44. Use the right platform Accommodate mobile as the main stream platform Mobile vs. desktop / laptops Take connection speed into account Superfast speed in Japan and Korea Snail speed in parts of China and India Broadband (max speed 20MB) unjustifiably expensive in Saudi Arabia Identify consumer payment preferences Credit card vsAlipay in China E-commerce shop vsTaobao in China
49. Censorship and privacy Utilise the power of social media Uprising in the middle east - Facebook and twitter Take censorship seriously YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr are all blocked in China Baidu blocks pornography or references to topics such as Taiwanese independence, the Dalai Lama, and the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Blogging in Saudi Arabia requires a licence
50. Extra caution with imagery selection Imagery of women (Middle East) Islamic dress code Well dressed according to religion Rule of thumb – Be respectful – no exotic dancers or naked woman Prohibited content Alcohol – drunk, served or in the background Gambling – Islam prohibits playing or even being there Photo of intimacy When in doubt always replace image of people with images of scenery. Ensure people wearing national dress correctly Mixed couple imagery – always portrait as family Best to keep females and male images separated
51. Extra caution with imagery selection Sexual and political sensitive images (China) Pornography the Dalai Lama 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre
59. Imitation vs. innovation Successfully emerge to become global brands by enhancing experience, functionality and quality ZTE – 4th largest mobile manufacturer in the world “We are good at customisation, according to different cultures and customs. We can differentiate” LG, Samsung, Tsingtao, Lenovo, Haier
69. Work with local knowledge One size doesn’t fit all Respect is a different concept in the East Prepare for the language barrier Deliver a sense of status and prestige Consider various communication mediums and interactions Understand their technological behaviours and habits Be sensitive towards the country’s values 9. Tailor to the local markets 10. Be genuine Ten experience principles
Spice route – trade route via the seaSilk route – trade route via the land
3 billion of online users in the eastern market taking Middle east, India and China into account. 750 millions of internet users in China by 2015 according to the Mckinsey consulting report in Feb 2011 – Digital consumer behaviours in China. 333 millions of mobile users by 2012, and that is 100 millions growth from Feb to 2012.
Left top and bottom are Saudi Arabian, collar differentiates them from others in the Gulf area.
Figure out which part of China is the target demographic group.
Arabic version is not difficult to build – fluid grid, flexible layout. Also some CMS like Day now support mirroring function with some degree of CSS tweak
It is not that difficult to implement, take the spice as an analogy:Getting the right mix of discipline together with local experts. Adapt and adjust to the local technological and media needs.Tailor the local offerings, pick and choose what is acceptable locally, identify and focus where you want to take them to the next level. Quantity of the mix makes a huge difference in terms of success or failureUsing the right colour combination Trial & error is part of the continuous improvement process that makes things perfect. Pay attention to the detail and refine it as it goes along.
