What Is Glocal?

According to Britannica encyclopedia, glocalization is “the simultaneous occurrence of both universalizing and particularizing tendencies in contemporary social, political, and economic systems”. This term is believed to derive from the Japanese word “dochakuka” and its actual meaning is global localization. Japanese used this term to describe the concept of localizing farming techniques to local markets. In English, this word is a combination of “global” and “local” and refers to the marketing strategy of making a global product suitable for the target audience of each market.

The concept of glocal

In the business world, the concept of glocal is widely spread among brands that desire to promote their products at a global scale. While maintaining the global character of the product, local elements are being incorporated, so that it is communicated and understood in the market of each target country. This way the brand adapts to the needs and cultural values of people in certain areas and achieves a level of personalization.

However, glocal seems to be a major issue for the marketing departments, as experts acknowledge its value, but they are unsure of how to achieve it without jeopardizing the essence of the brand. According to the Widen Connectivity Report 2018, more than half of the marketers participating in the survey did not know how to approach the glocal concept.

How to make a product glocal

Adapt to local needs

In order to make a product glocal, it must be adapted to fit the needs of the local buyer. Culture, ideals and habits must be taken into consideration when tailoring the brand to the target audience. An example of that can be the food area, where recipes and ingredients must be adapted to the preferences of each region. This way the product gets familiar to the consumers and applies to their habits.

Adjust your marketing strategy

It is very important to also accommodate the marketing strategy around a product into the local market. This includes the promotion, branding, social media presentation, etc. The words, images and even communication channels used for each cultural group must be chosen carefully and match the diverse particularities of people.

Don’t just translate, localize!

One way to achieve glocalization is through localization of all textual content around a product. Language experts familiar with each local audience translate the brand and documentation based on the cultural specifications, ideals and nuances.

Take advantage of technology

Technology can be very effective to marketers in monitoring and managing all the work performed by different teams around the globe. Tools and recording systems enable them to monitor and implement the glocal strategies into the daily workflows.

A glocal product is a successful product

As previously stated, a successful glocalization can lead to a great product embracement and acceptance globally. It is very important for marketers and teams to always keep in mind that these products refer to people raised in specific cultural conditions and must be presented to them in a natural and familiar way. To ensure the success of the glocal concept the gap between the global and local must be bridged to enter and stick into a new local market.

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