Global Lessons:
How Culture Rewrites
the Marketing Playbook
the Marketing Playbook
The Local Rules of the Game
I’ve always been fascinated by how much humans dream of understanding aliens, yet even here on Earth, we can feel like aliens to each other sometimes. The first time I worked in the tourism industry, I saw this play out daily with every new traveler and destination. A family arriving in Caracas would ask different questions than a couple flying into Miami: Where will we stay? What will we eat? Which shops feel familiar, and which ones feel foreign? Even clothing choices shifted with the culture. The differences are so broad that no matter the similarities, marketing will always need to be rewritten for each world we step into.
I’ve always been fascinated by how much humans dream of understanding aliens, yet even here on Earth, we can feel like aliens to each other sometimes. The first time I worked in the tourism industry, I saw this play out daily with every new traveler and destination. A family arriving in Caracas would ask different questions than a couple flying into Miami: Where will we stay? What will we eat? Which shops feel familiar, and which ones feel foreign? Even clothing choices shifted with the culture. The differences are so broad that no matter the similarities, marketing will always need to be rewritten for each world we step into.
I experienced this again years later in China, during a business seminar where I visited over ten companies across industries: healthcare, vehicle manufacturing, tech innovation hubs like Innoway, and global players like General Motors. Some were purely national, rooted in Chinese culture, while others were multinationals learning to adapt. Out of all these visits, the one that struck me most was to the United Nations office. On their website, they remind us that culture is a driver of sustainable development and human connection (UNESCO – Culture & Development). For marketers, this means culture is not just an external factor, it’s the stage where consumer behavior plays out. The true narrative starts here: culture influences not only how people travel but also how they select, trust, and remain loyal to brands
Key Takeaways: The Local Rules of the Game
All countries have their own culture and play by its local rules.
What feels typical in one city may feel far-off in another, and marketers must adapt to those variations.
What feels typical in one city may feel far-off in another, and marketers must adapt to those variations.
There no a “one-size-fits-all” strategy. Big corps can share products and services but
they need to be reframed to match local expectations.
they need to be reframed to match local expectations.
Culture shapes every layer of consumer behavior, from what people purchase to how
they build trust with brands
When Global Brands Go Local
they build trust with brands
When Global Brands Go Local
If I ever felt like an alien on Earth, it was in Shanghai’s street markets.
What felt shocking to me (like skewered insects) was everyday comfort food to locals.
Culture makes the ordinary extraordinary, depending on who’s watching.
What felt shocking to me (like skewered insects) was everyday comfort food to locals.
Culture makes the ordinary extraordinary, depending on who’s watching.
Street food photo: Left Shanghai, China/Right Mexico City, Mexico
Global brands know this better than anyone. McDonald’s in China doesn’t just sell their famous burgers and chicken nuggets; their menus include ramen style soups and tea-based drinks to match local tastes.
In Spain, the same brand embraces the hype around ham by selling the country’s famous croquettas.
The logo may be universal, but the product positioning and menu adaptation change dramatically
depending on cultural context. Same golden arches, different playbook.
Global brands know this better than anyone. McDonald’s in China doesn’t just sell their famous burgers and chicken nuggets; their menus include ramen style soups and tea-based drinks to match local tastes.
In Spain, the same brand embraces the hype around ham by selling the country’s famous croquettas.
The logo may be universal, but the product positioning and menu adaptation change dramatically
depending on cultural context. Same golden arches, different playbook.
McDonald’s China vs. McDonald’s Spain
A renowned brand: Coca-Cola. Some of this brand’s success in globalization is accredited to their ability to adapt to the countries they have gone into. They not only feature different logos and packaging designs that feel foreign to American audiences but they went and created different flavors for their various consumers around the world. For example, when visiting Mexico, a consumer craving a Coke will find it in a glass bottle since it's tied to local traditions,however, in the U.S. it’s all about comfort and grab-and-go cans.
This is globalization in action, where brands remain global in identity but local in execution.
A renowned brand: Coca-Cola. Some of this brand’s success in globalization is accredited to their ability to adapt to the countries they have gone into. They not only feature different logos and packaging designs that feel foreign to American audiences but they went and created different flavors for their various consumers around the world. For example, when visiting Mexico, a consumer craving a Coke will find it in a glass bottle since it's tied to local traditions,however, in the U.S. it’s all about comfort and grab-and-go cans.
This is globalization in action, where brands remain global in identity but local in execution.
As Harvard Business Review reminds us, market research isn’t just about tracking sales numbers, it’s about uncovering the cultural context behind them. That’s often where the real opportunities hide.
Key Takeaways: When Global Brands Go Local
Culture reshapes products and services. What feels “foreign” in one market can be normal in another.
Brands thrive when they stay globally recognizable but locally relevant.
Data without context misleads. Market research only works if it uncovers the cultural why behind consumer behavior (HBR).
Encore: Culture as the Heartbeat
Culture isn’t a side note in consumer behavior, it’s the rhythm guiding every choice people make. From Europe’s ham-driven McDonald’s menus to Shanghai’s street markets to Mexico’s glass-bottled Coke the lesson for us global marketers stays the same: Companies thrive when they play by the local rules of the game. The brands that become successful and renowned aren’t the ones with the best executed campaigns, but the ones that speak to the consumers in the language of trust, taste, and belonging. As marketers it is our duty to remember: Culture doesn’t just shape what people buy, it shapes why they buy, and why they stay loyal long after the sale.
Main Takeaways for Marketers
1. Culture is the ultimate filter. What feels normal in one market will most likely feel foreign in another.
Brands cannot assume universality.
Brands cannot assume universality.
2. In an interconnected world, glocalization is survival.
Global recognition only works when it adapts locally to earn trust and loyalty.
Global recognition only works when it adapts locally to earn trust and loyalty.
3. Research needs context. Numbers mean little without cultural understanding;
market research must uncover the why behind consumer behavior (HBR).
market research must uncover the why behind consumer behavior (HBR).
4. Consistency builds recognition. Localization builds connection.
5. Loyalty is cultural. Consumers don’t just buy products; they buy belonging, values,
and the feeling of being understood.
and the feeling of being understood.
Topic: Consumer Behavior: Cultural Factor