Balancing Local with Global Communications Strategies

The pandemic caused the largest and fastest disruption in history to international trade, global supply chains and international travel. As the world’s trading systems recover from the pandemic shock, a more connected digital world offers the best prospects for a sustainable future.  Leaders need to plan for a world where both globalization and local priorities will continue to shift, with local relevance climbing the corporate agenda for global businesses.

Businesses have to strike the right balance between local market needs and global strategy, supported by the right communications strategies. Each country is moving at a different pace and tackling their economic recovery in different ways.  Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been ranked first and second globally as the best places to be during the pandemic.  The Kingdom’s digital capabilities and predictions of a strong economic recovery saw it rise 18 place to the No.2 spot in Bloomberg’s COVID Resilience Ranking Report for January. What people experience is not the same everywhere, which means communicators need to think regionally and locally when it comes to PR.

“The current move to localization may not be with us to stay as countries will focus again on promoting global economic growth, but in the interim a brand and what it stands for needs to be expressed depending on location and cultural context and adapted to local needs and sensitivities.” says Abdulrahman Inayat, Co-Founder and Director of W7Worldwide. “For international organizations, the motto ‘act local, think global’ has never been more relevant in the post-Covid world. As part of having to overcome the disruption created by the pandemic, companies also have to cope with the consequences of climate change and new economic structures.”

Localization and creating communication strategies that appeal to the various publics in the Arab world is a main focus of W7Worldwide’s business model.  The agency produced its ‘7 Steps to Balancing Local with Global Communications Strategies’ in a latest industry report. An effective localization strategy is a company’s plan and approach to adapting its content and messaging in different countries. This means addressing the language, culture, customer behaviour, and social norms. There is important research that must be carried out to avoid potential damage to your brand reputation or even offend your target audience if you get your messaging wrong. Understand your target markets, languages spoken, the culture and societal attitudes, purchasing habits and behaviours, and the media landscape.

Corporate communicators must have a deep understanding of localism in establishing a company’s reputation in the domestic market whilst managing stakeholders’ expectations of the corporate entity. They need to turn global strategies into local communication plans, backed with evidence of the organization’s commitment to the local market. A local reputation issue can quickly grow into a global crisis. It is therefore vital to tailor global strategies to local circumstances and markets. The local communications team will require the right level of autonomy and expertise, as they are the ones navigating the local landscape.

By positioning the brand behind a core mission and fulfilling that mission with local sensitivity, brands can navigate language barriers and cultural differences.