I’ll take the Chicken Maharaja Mac instead
McDonald’s can be found in more than 100 countries across the globe, but if you’re looking for a Big Mac in India you won’t find it. While there are plenty of McDonald’s restaurants in India, the closest you’ll get to eating a Big Mac is a Chicken Maharaja Mac. And if you order the Sausage McMuffin (which is a trademarked menu item), you’ll really be getting a spiced-up chicken patty. Cows are sacred in India. If you checked the McDonald’s India website before you traveled you would have known this.
Kentucky Fried Chicken’s corporate US website opens with a video which runs a recent television commercial starring the new Colonel Sanders – comedian Jim Gaffigan. A visit to the Saudi Arabia KFC does not show the video or Jim Gaffigan. Jim Gaffigan’s humor is popular here in America, but he may be offensive in Saudi Arabia.
These big brands did their homework before entering into global markets.
Companies in sectors from Life Sciences to Technology and Training are expanding across the globe for an opportunity to capture some of the 96% percent of the consumers who live outside of the United States (source: Small Business Association).
In order to capture and retain international consumers websites need to be localized.
What is localization?
Localization involves taking a product and making it linguistically and culturally appropriate for the region where it will be used or sold.
“I didn’t quite understand what the term localization really meant,” says Graziella DiNuzzo, who recently joined Magnum Group as the Director of Communications. “Once Vivian provided the visual of how mail boxes (called post boxes in other parts of the world) differ vastly around the world – I got it!”
Photo of Post boxes from left to right: US, UK, and Germany.
While doing business on the web in English might seem like a safe choice, localizing your website will allow you to expand the global footprint of your products or services and gain greater advantages over your competition.
A multilingual website
- Provides instant global reach
- Appeals to culturally diverse customers
- Enhances user experience and increases customer satisfaction
- Reduces the need for intermediaries
- Provides easy access to customers
- Allows you to tap into the 65% of Internet users who do not speak English
- Increases profit potential
- Triples online purchase probability
- Reduces customers’ learning curve
- Reduces costs of traditional advertising
International companies that hope to open their doors in foreign markets must be sure to serve their customers what they like – a red mailbox…a Big Mac with no beef… and that might just be a click away.
We would love to hear from you. Please email Vivian Isaak at visaak@magnumgroupinc.com
