This document discusses the importance of creating native brand experiences for global audiences. It defines native brand experiences as content and presence that resonate across markets by meeting local expectations, using the proper context and language, respecting cultural sensitivities, and resonating with the audience. It argues that translation alone is not enough and that brands must commit to understanding local nuances to connect with diverse global customers. The document provides examples of how considering factors like dialects, meanings of words, cultural norms, and buying behaviors can help brands succeed in new markets. It also outlines key steps for marketers to start building native brand experiences, like hiring local strategists and taking a company-wide, coordinated approach.

1. smartling.com
Redefining How
Brands Approach
Global Content Creation
Turning the concept of native brand
experiences into reality.

2. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 2smartling.com
very company with a website is
a global company. CMOs and
marketing executives with an eye
toward meaningful growth see huge
opportunity for global reach.
But in order to scale and grow the
bottom line beyond your immediate
audience, it is critical to create
content that caters to ever larger,
ever more diverse audiences –
including multilingual audiences.
To successfully capture the
attention (and revenue potential)
of this global audience, your
organization must commit – at a
company-wide level – to creating
native brand experiences with
content and a presence that
resonate across all markets.
In this white paper,
marketers will learn:
• What defines native brand
experiences, and how brands
that prioritize fluency
create them;
• Why the objective to deliver
successful native brand
experiences is critical for
fueling global growth; and
• How to begin building native
brand experiences for
customers – and why it must be
an enterprise-wide initiative.

3. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 3smartling.com
For many brands, the initial foray
into global commerce is translating
a few website pages into another
language. While that is definitely
a step in the right direction, it is
nowhere near enough to satisfy
local demands and cater to locally
relevant requirements – it fails to
truly connect people with content.
Reaching people with an experience
that is exclusively for them takes
more – more effort, more care, and
more resources.
But it also matters more – more
meaningful interactions, more
valuable relationships, and deeper
penetration in more markets.
It has been shown that US
companies can significantly grow
global revenue1
by expanding into
previously untapped markets.
In fact, LinkedIn’s 2014 revenue
increase of 45% was attributed
in large part to its move into global
markets, including China.2
Brands – and the marketing
executives behind those brands –
that get it right already understand
that, to engage a global audience, a
brand needs the capacity to be truly
fluent in every language.
1
Smartling: What Do US Companies Going Global Need to Know?
2
International Business Times: LinkedIn Revenue Up 45 Percent Thanks To International Expansion And Increased Hiring
Translation is Not Enough

4. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 4smartling.com
Being fluent in every language means
creating content that resonates with
people – in any language, across all
cultures, and in every market – so
that, at every touchpoint along the
customer journey, your customers
feel like you are speaking directly
to them.
Brands that prioritize fluency in
their marketing efforts feel local to
global customers, because – even if
you are headquartered on the other
side of the world – you have made
a committed effort to speak their
language. You are communicating
in local dialects and considering
regional idiosyncrasies. You are
taking into account points of cultural
sensitivity, and take an appropriate
and respectful approach to passive
and active communication at all
times. You know their currency and
you know their customs – as well as
the universal business standards
that apply in any language.
Thisabilitytobefluentineverything
youdoisfundamentaltobuilding
nativebrandexperiences.
What Does it Mean to Be Fluent in Every Language?
¿Cómo se dice...?
In Spanish, there are at least
six different ways to say
“buddy,” depending on which
Spanish-speaking country you are
in (Spain, Argentina, Colombia,
Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Mexico,
or Cuba).
There are also more than 100 ways
to say “run,” depending on context.
(Are you going out for a run, or do
you have a song running through
your head?)

5. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 5smartling.com
The native brand experience is a
concept and effort that goes well
beyond the content translation that
is the entirety of many companies’
globalization efforts.
Many American companies still
operate under a ‘lift-and-drop’
mentality, where content, marketing
campaigns, mobile apps, products,
and product literature are created
in English, in a US context, and then
replicated and directly translated
for other English and non-English
speaking audiences.
This strategy fails to take into
consideration cultural nuances,
slang, local phrases, and other
factors that speak to and engage a
non-US audience.
Even for English-speaking
audiences, there are differences in:
• Spelling (US color vs. UK colour);
• Meaning (US takeaway vs.
UK takeaway);
• Phrasing (US two weeks vs.
UK fortnight);
• Formats (month/day/year in the
US vs. day/month/year in the
UK); and
• Naming conventions (as you
will quickly discover on a trip
to Wagamama in London, snow
peas are mange-tout in the UK).
The Traditional Approach vs. the Native Brand Experience
– and Why It Matters

6. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 6smartling.com
Along the same lines, there are
significant differences between
French in Canada and French in
France,3
Spanish in Argentina and
Spanish in Spain, etc.
European marketers know that, if
they are creating content for a UK
audience, they should generally
take a thought-leadership approach;
whereas in Germany, consumers
tend to respond more positively to
immediate insight and information
on features and benefits.
Truly global brands understand
these subtleties across markets –
getting as granular as necessary
to create experiences that feel
authentic, resonate with
audiences, and ultimately drive
growth and new business with
customers who value and
appreciate their relationship
with the brand.
3
Smartling: French in Canada and French in France: 50 Differences that Will Surprise You

7. 7Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation smartling.com
Localizing Content is
Not Just About Language
There are four key elements to building native brand
experiences that are effective, impactful, and sincere,
from both the brand’s perspective and the
customer’s perspective.

8. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 8smartling.com
Recent research from Euromonitor4
indicates that today’s
consumers are “... time-poor, seeking convenience,
greater choice, global availability and instant
gratification.” They are looking for brands that make it
easy – and enjoyable – for them to engage with and buy
from. Creating content that is clear, simple, and
accessible – from advertising and marketing all the way
through to product and support – is critical to
standing out in non-native markets.
Expectations
1
4
Euromonitor: Top 10 Global Consumer Trends for 2015

9. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 9smartling.com
Anyone who has used Google Translate knows that
literal translation only gets part of the way there in saying
what needs to be said. Word-for-word translations are
often unnatural, inaccurate, error-prone and – worst of
all – lack context.5
Cultural nuances, use of local dialects
and phrases, and awareness of the ‘voice’ of specific
demographics in a given market provide the context that
makes or breaks the all-important connection with a
specific audience.
Context
2
5
Website Magazine: A Hybrid Approach to Website Translation: Tech & Humans

10. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 10smartling.com
Every community around the world holds dear to a set of
conventions, traditions, superstitions, and regulations
that bind them together and weave the very fabric of their
cultures. A brand committed to being fluent everywhere
is prepared to create native brand experiences for each of
them. That means understanding – and respecting – that,
while the color white represents purity in the Western
world, in China, it is the color of death, loss, and mourning.
In the US, the number 13 is unlucky – and in Italy, it is just
the opposite.6
Cultural Sensitivity
3
6
Smartling: What Do US Companies Going Global Need to Know?

11. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 11smartling.com
Every brand wants to understand
what makes customers tick. But
brands that are fluent anywhere go
levels deeper to understand what
makes customers tick in specific
markets and regions around the world.
A message that could be considered
clever and cheeky in one market could
fall flat – or even be offensive – in
another. It is a delicate balance, but
getting it right can net huge results.
A recent campaign for the League
of Conservation Voters (LCV), an
environmental advocacy group,
successfully leveraged ‘Spanglish’ (an
informal, conversational combination
of ‘Spanish’ and ‘English’) in a social
media campaign targeted to the US
Hispanic market. They reported that
“ads with Spanglish copy drove 54%
more clicks and produced 72% more
engagement than the all-Spanish or
all-English creative.” 7
Creating
native brand experiences means
knowing what a specific audience
wants – and serving it up in a way
that resonates with them and inspires
them to take action.
Resonate
4
7
Hispanic Marketing Online: Using Spanglish to Take Your Hispanic Marketing to the Next Level

12. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 12smartling.com
From a business perspective, there
are three core customer stages
– pre-awareness, awareness and
evaluation, and customer – that
fall under the umbrella of ‘buying
behavior’. Content that is aligned
with the key elements – it meets
expectations, it is in context, it is
culturally sensitive, and it resonates
– considers the possible buying
behaviors of the first two stages.
But brands that create native brand
experiences, as discussed, take
buying behavior to another,
holistic level.
Because they know their audiences,
such brands can treat buying
behaviors as an objective, as well as
an element, of creating native brand
experiences. If you ask and pay
attention to what each audience
wants, in any language, you can use
that knowledge to motivate your
audiences to actions that benefit
your business and growth efforts,
in any market.

13. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 13smartling.com
Successful Native Brand Experiences at a Glance:
SurveyMonkey is the world’s leading
provider of web-based survey
solutions, trusted by millions of
companies, organizations, and
individuals alike to gather the
insights they need to make more
informed decisions.
In its early years, 85% of
SurveyMonkey’s business was in
English. While the company was
already exploring global markets
with some success, it knew it
needed to reach out to users in their
native languages; nearly a third of
its subscribers were in countries
where English was not the preferred
language, and SurveyMonkey was
regularly receiving requests for its
services in other languages.
Brand Overview

14. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 14smartling.com
Today, SurveyMonkey boasts
17 different languages, and the
company processes transactions
in 28 currencies. By investing in the
right technology, the company rapidly
expanded on an international scale.
This enabled SurveyMonkey to shift its
business from being US-centric
to being globally focused, and
fast-tracked the company’s
long-term goal of increasing
international business to 75%.8
The Benefits of Building Native Brand Experiences
8
First Round Review. The Inside Story on How SurveyMonkey Cracked the International Market.

15. 15Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation smartling.com
Getting Started: A CMO’s
Guide to Making Native
Brand Experiences a Reality
A better approach to global content allows brands and
marketers to focus on what matters most – building
native brand experiences. These five key steps and
strategies will make the effort more manageable, and
provide more valuable outcomes.

16. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 16smartling.com
One of the first steps in creating native brand
experiences is to hire people in the market you are
targeting. These are not your typical localization
managers. These are market-focused strategists who are
thinking about local customers when they are creating
messages and materials for that market. They will be
the ones who know that – as mentioned earlier – when
creating campaigns for different markets, Germans tend
to be motivated by facts and figures, while the British may
respond better to thought leadership.
Hire Local Marketers
1

17. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 17smartling.com
Developing native brand experiences takes time,
planning, resources, and investment. But you do not
have to attack it all at once. Start by localizing key
components first (e.g. contextualized messaging) and
scale from there. Or start with one market and build the
entire native brand experience, instead of translating
parts of your website into six different languages.
Take Small Bites
2

18. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 18smartling.com
Wherever possible, deliver new content and product
offers to all locations at the same time they are delivered
in your native language. Brands need all audiences to feel
equally well-served, no matter what distinguishes them.
Sync Your Efforts
3

19. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 19smartling.com
Developing native brand experiences
is not just the responsibility of
marketing, IT, or management. It
is a company-wide opportunity
and responsibility.
• Product developers need to
make sure product information is
created in a way that customers
in the target market are used to
receiving and processing;
• Finance needs to be structured
so that customers can submit
payment in the currency and
method that they would expect in
a local interaction;
• Sales should be able to anticipate
questions and highlight features
and benefits specific to that market.
Creating native brand experiences
will incorporate nearly every facet of
your business, and requires careful
coordination and visibility across
all groups.
Join Forces
4

20. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 20smartling.com
How can you implement a campaign
beyond US borders that is just one
theme within a single content strategy?
Marketers often spend a great deal of
time worrying about this process,
resulting in wasted resources and
delayed time to market. The good news is
that, in general, 80% of your strategy and
content is applicable to other markets
and can be translated directly.
An automated translation management
platform can shoulder a significant
portion of that burden by cutting
down on manual steps and providing
consistency across various types of
media. You can then concentrate on
turning the other 20% into native brand
experiences that your customers will
love and be loyal to.
Automate For Scale
5

21. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 21smartling.com
Familiarity is foundational to comfort,
connection, and trust – everyone is
wired to gravitate toward things with
which they are most familiar. To truly
engage with customers in countries
and locations outside your home
base, marketers need to provide them
with an experience that is something
they recognize and expect, and which
adheres to the conventions of their
language and culture.
Building your global customer base
is a commitment that takes far more
than translating website pages and
providing a local phone number. It
means considering buying behaviors
in context and building native brand
experiences across your entire
content and product stack.
Respect your customers’ languages,
cultures, and expectations for
interacting with a company native
to them, and they will respect and
buy from you like you are a company
native to them.
The bottom line is that native brand
experiences are all-encompassing,
multidimensional representations of
your company, which encourage
buy-in from your audience and involve
your customers in developing positive
and lasting subjective impressions
of your brand. Therefore, it is critical
that the entire organization – from
marketing and sales, product
development and support, right up
through the C-suite – is committed to
the effort.
In Conclusion: Native Brand Experiences Translate to More
Successful Customer Experiences

22. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 22smartling.com
Learn More
Native brand experiences resonate with buyers and
customers in any language, all cultures, and every
market – and are essential to global success.
Does your brand deliver? Access your FREE
Global-Ready Succes Kit and prepare for a
new phase of global growth.
Ready to get started? Smartling can help you to
develop a global content strategy that will propel you
into new markets, fuel global growth, and increase
your bottom line. Contact us today for a demo of the
Smartling Global Fluency Platform so that your brand
can be fluent everywhere.

23. Redefining How Brands Approach Global Content Creation 23smartling.com
Smartling uses technology to transform the way
content is created and consumed around the world.
Smartling’s Global Fluency Platform helps brands to
access new markets, more customers and greater value.
The Global Fluency Platform allows ambitious
brands to achieve a more dominant global position.
Smartling enables brands such as British Airways,
InterContinental Hotels Group, Uber, AdRoll, Shinola,
Spotify, Pinterest, Hasbro and SurveyMonkey to
provide truly native brand experiences.
Smartling is headquartered in NYC with over 100
employees. For more information, visit
www.smartling.com.
About Smartling

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