00:30 – Cultural Relevance and Challenges
01:45 – Avoiding Cultural Mistakes
04:51 – Engaging Local Markets and Affiliates
08:29 – Diversity in Sampling and Representation
In this episode of Comms Testing Nightmares from Beyond Blue, Jenny, Phil, and Sam discuss common pitfalls and strategies involved in conducting culturally relevant market research. Their insights offer valuable guidance for pharmaceutical brands striving to align their strategies with diverse cultural contexts.
Understanding Cultural Relevance
Jenny introduces the notion of cultural relevance as a central theme, recounting a project where a winning concept faced cultural challenges in a key market. This issue, identified during the research phase, underscores the importance of cultural awareness in concept development. Phil points out that an unconscious US bias can sometimes permeate creative processes, leading to metaphors and concepts that resonate only with certain cultures.
The Importance of Avoiding Cultural Mistakes
Phil illustrates the consequences of cultural insensitivity with examples such as sports metaphors irrelevant to certain regions, or the colour red’s contrasting symbolism in Western and Eastern cultures. A noteworthy illustration involved a dry powder inhaler for asthma translating to “dust inhaler” in Italy, a marketing blunder that could have been avoided with prior cultural investigation.
Sam adds that cultural missteps can be surprisingly prevalent, recalling Brazilian reactions to gluttonous burger imagery and Japanese confusion over Ancient Greek references. These examples highlight the necessity of engaging local affiliates early in the creative process to ensure cultural appropriateness.
Strategies for Success
To prevent cultural misalignment, Sam advocates for early engagement with local markets, allowing organisations to vet visuals and concepts for medical and ethical appropriateness. This proactive approach, coupled with semiotics and symbolism research every few years, can equip creative teams with valuable insights into evolving cultural nuances.
Phil emphasises that engaging affiliates should be more than a surface-level exercise. By analysing patterns and understanding discrepancies between markets prior to development, teams can identify underlying cultural differences that may affect concept reception. This approach aligns with avoiding major mistakes like launching a campaign doomed to fail or not perform optimally in certain regions due to cultural oversight.
Industry-Wide Considerations
Jenny and Sam explore broad themes in the pharmaceutical industry that affect cultural sensitivity, such as diverse and representative sampling. Representing the right populations is crucial in clinical trial design and campaign development. Offering participants a choice of moderators, particularly in emotive studies, is highlighted as a key factor in obtaining truthful insights.
Key Takeaways
The podcast discussion emphasises the importance of cultural sensitivity in global pharmaceutical research. Pharmaceutical brands can align their strategies with cultural nuances through thoughtfully engaging local markets, leveraging cultural research, and prioritising diverse representation. These efforts not only prevent cultural blunders but also enhance the relevancy and impact of campaigns. As Jenny succinctly summarises, a thoughtful approach to cultural sensitivity makes the path to success easier for all stakeholders involve.
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