Culture has a major impact on shaping the values, assumptions, and behaviour of individuals and organizations in society. What is more, each of us views the world according to our own cultural biases. However, when looking to export into a new market, it is vital not to make the assumption that everyone in all countries views their world like you do. The culture of a country will impact significantly on the success or failure of your expansion into a new territory and you ignore its impact at your peril.

The use of local market knowledge is priceless. Understanding the culture impacts the way you communicate both verbally, in terms of tone and approach, and also visually, and you need to make sure you use the design and creative style that is appropriate to that market place when creating your marketing materials. Also, don’t forget to consider that colours have their own non-verbal impact on communication and those meanings can vary from country to country. e.g. White is the colour of mourning in Japan while black has similar symbolism in the USA and Europe.

To read more about cultural factors and how to expand successfully into International markets take a look at my article “The Keys to Successful International Marketing” published this month in Direct Commerce magazine.