A Florida honey-seller discovered Islamic people in Saudi Arabia
consume honey because the Koran hails its healing properties. A hot
sauce company in Delaware found out many Swedes like spicy food.
Both companies then turned their knowledge into cash--and you can
do the same.
"There are always opportunities," says Andrew Erlich,
president of Erlich Transcultural Consultants, a Woodland Hills,
California, firm that advises companies on social policy, cultural
marketing and customer service issues. "[But] it's rare to
see a company do it right the first time."
To help you get it right, here are six tips for tapping cultural
niches.
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1. Look for joint ventures. That's what Tropical
Blossom Honey Co. in Edgewater, Florida, did. The $4 million
family-owned firm used the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
trade matching service to locate the U.S. rep for a Saudi company
that was looking for a new honey supplier. Tropical Blossom now
ships approximately one-third of its $2 million in exports to the
Middle East.
2. Match your product to something that's already
popular. "I try to increase sales by matching our sauces
with [local] dishes," says Chip Hearn, the COO and owner of
Peppers, a hot sauce producer and retailer in Dewey Beach,
Delaware.
3. Find a key contact who understands the markets.
Hearn traded numerous e-mails with sources in Sweden, trying to
find the perfect sauce to sell there. That didn't work.
Ultimately, he turned to a distributor who already knew the
market.
4. Translate the meaning, not just the words, in your
advertising. "You have to be really careful with the
message you're trying to convey," says Howard Buford,
founder and CEO of Prime Access Inc., a New York City multicultural
advertising agency. For example, a razor blade company ran a TV ad
in Holland that showed a woman's leg and the product's
name, "Flicker." Because the word means "queer"
in local slang, Dutch viewers thought the leg belonged to a
transvestite.
5. Don't think you're an expert on a culture because
of your own cultural roots. "I may speak Spanish, but that
doesn't mean I know about a country I'm not from,"
says Patricia Pliego Stout, a vice chair of the Texas Association
of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce. "[Speaking the
language] is just the first step toward understanding a
culture."
6. Care about the culture. Buford says customers will see
right through you if you don't show interest in them and their
culture. "If you're not authentic," he says,
"you cause resentment and drive your sales down."
Christopher D. Lancette is a journalist in Atlanta who covers
international topics for Hispanic Business and other
publications.
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