Think Global, Celebrate Local

Daniel Love
Nov 5
3 min read

Issue #9

The power of culturally sensitive campaigns.

With Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and many other winter celebrations fast approaching, we’re taking a closer look at the opportunities and challenges of localising seasonal campaigns for global audiences. While the festive season offers brands a chance to connect with customers through shared moments of joy and generosity, it also calls for careful consideration of cultural nuances, traditions, and beliefs. Getting localisation right means going beyond translation — it’s about crafting messages that feel authentic, inclusive, and relevant to each audience, wherever they are in the world.

For the Love of Localisation

Managing seasonal messaging

When creating seasonal holiday campaigns for global audiences, localisation is essential to ensure messages resonate authentically across different regions and cultures. A one-size-fits-all approach — like promoting Christmas imagery or language in the Middle East — can unintentionally alienate audiences or appear culturally insensitive. Instead, brands should tailor content by understanding local traditions, values, and religious sensitivities.

This might mean focusing on universal themes such as togetherness, generosity, or celebration, rather than specific religious references. For example, instead of a “Christmas Sale,” a brand could launch a “Season of Giving” campaign that celebrates kindness and community in ways that align with local customs. Inclusive imagery, diverse representation, and thoughtful timing of promotions all contribute to respectful and effective global marketing that builds trust and connection with audiences everywhere.

It’s always a balancing act. There’s no need to ignore one’s own cultural traditions for the sake of pleasing people. (An impossible task anyway.) But pitching other options, scoping out potential issues, and having a considerate approach can never be a bad thing.

Campaign Spotlight

Lunar New Year: The Great Chase

Nike’s Lunar New Year: The Great Chase campaign is a standout example of effective seasonal localisation. Rather than simply translating a global campaign, Nike created content specifically for the Chinese market, centring on the culturally significant tradition of giving red envelopes (hóngbāo) during Lunar New Year.

The ad features local language, storytelling, and culturally relevant visuals, which makes it feel authentic and respectful of the holiday’s meaning. At the same time, it retains Nike’s global brand identity, linking the festive narrative to themes of athleticism, perseverance, and community. This campaign works so well because it goes beyond surface-level festive imagery, connecting with the audience through real cultural insight, showing that localised content can be both relevant and emotionally engaging while maintaining a consistent brand voice.

Localisation vs Translation

A look at the key differences

Translation simply converts your message into another language, whereas localisation goes further — it adapts content to fit the cultural, linguistic, and behavioural norms of each market. While translation ensures your copy is understandable, effective localisation makes it relevant, compelling, and “native-feeling.”

Data supports this: up to 75% of consumers prefer shopping in their native language, and localised websites can increase conversion rates by 1.5× to 2× or more. In one study, localised websites saw conversion rate rises of up to 70%. Beyond conversions, 96% of companies report positive ROI from localisation efforts, with many achieving three times or more return. In short, while translation is the baseline, localisation is a strategic investment that drives stronger engagement, higher revenue, and global growth when done properly.

Learning Lessons

Why to appreciate an unsubscribe

1. It means people can actually unsubscribe. (You’d be surprised by how often the option is effectively hidden.)

2. It keeps your subscriber list healthy. A smaller, engaged audience will always outperform an unnecessarily dense one.

3. It’s a signal that your content isn’t right for them — not that it’s wrong, full stop. Learning what’s not right for some can help you learn what IS right for others.

4. It helps your deliverability. Every unengaged contact who doesn’t unsubscribe hurts it.

5. It creates space for the people who do what to hear from you.

Sometimes the best sign of growth is knowing when to let people go.

Let’s Connect

Localising bespoke content is a challenge — wrong imagery, assumptions about traditions, or poorly timed launches can backfire. Daniel Love can help you navigate these challenges, providing expert advice and best-practice strategies to make your campaigns inclusive, relevant, and globally effective.

BOOK A CALL

Until next time,

Daniel

Brand Consultant | Content Editor | Digital Developer