Three quarters of the world’s population doesn’t speak any English. This represents a tremendous opportunity for organizations looking to expand their global footprint.

Some are already achieving this – for example, Apple derives over 20% of its revenue from China and Japan, and a significant additional share of income from other non-English-speaking countries.

As your organization looks to expand globally, what is the most effective way to successfully integrate into international markets? What are the best practices and pitfalls to avoid?

We’ll explore these questions and others, and uncover the key to winning in new markets.

The Need for Localization

To sharpen the question, let's start by taking a look at some common use cases, which effectively demonstrate the power that localization can offer. For many facing such challenges daily, these examples will really resonate.

A fast-growing B2B SaaS company

Jen is a partner enablement manager for a well-known SaaS company providing a comprehensive CRM solution. Jen’s company has recently prioritized the French market, after seeing major growth potential there.

As Jen builds out the company’s penetration strategy with the sales team, she realizes that the company’s videos – from explaining, to onboarding, to adding ongoing value – are all in English.

While most of their French customers can understand the videos, it’s certainly not an ideal solution. The option of adding subtitles has been investigated, but the feedback received was that this made French users feel like second-class citizens.

A media and professional education company

Take Paul, Head of Content at DevOpsU, a professional education organization looking to expand in India. Company leadership sees massive opportunity outside of the main cities, for a predominantly Hindi-speaking audience.

Previously, DevOpsU has created hundreds of videos to help aspiring students score well on standardized tests. But these have all been in English, and when expanding into the Indian market with just these videos, completion rates of both videos and courses have been down significantly – despite the addition of subtitles. Users complain that it’s difficult to follow the technical information along with the subtitles, and they find them distracting.

What’s The Answer To The Localization Conundrum?

For both of these cases, re-shooting existing videos isn’t an option right now, both from a time and a budget standpoint; while captions or subtitles offer only a partial solution. Dubbing has been floated as an answer, but traditional dubbing is costly, time-consuming, and just feels unnatural and “weird” according to users.

There is, however, an elegant solution that can provide maximum value at a fraction of the cost and time that re-shooting videos for local markets would need.

But hold that thought, we’ll return to it shortly.

The Key To Effective Market Entry

How can your organization successfully conquer international markets? Here are two examples of well-known companies, one getting this right and one getting it very wrong. They provide insight into a key strategy for effective market entry and sustainable international success.

Successful Entry: McDonald's in India

McDonald's achieved remarkable success in India by tailoring its menu and operations to align with local cultural and dietary preferences.

Recognizing the predominantly vegetarian population and the religious sensitivities around beef and pork, McDonald's introduced vegetarian-friendly options like the McAloo Tikki burger and Paneer wraps, which quickly became popular.

The company also adjusted its marketing strategies to highlight affordability and positioned itself as a family-friendly dining option, appealing to a broader audience.

These thoughtful localization efforts allowed McDonald's to establish itself as a leading fast-food brand in India.

Unsuccessful Entry: Walmart in Germany

Walmart's foray into the German market serves as a cautionary tale of inadequate localization.

Despite Germany’s highly competitive retail landscape, dominated by discounters like Aldi and Lidl, Walmart retained many of its American business practices that alienated German customers.

For example, the use of greeters at store entrances felt intrusive and unnecessary to local shoppers. Or when the company required sales clerks to smile at customers, and some male shoppers interpreted this as flirting; not to mention the mandated morning Walmart chant for team members which ran completely contrary to cultural norms.

After years of financial losses and cultural missteps, Walmart ultimately exited Germany in 2006.

Think Global, Act Local

The key lesson from these experiences is “Think global, act local,” a phrase attributed to Scottish town planner Patrick Geddes, whose vision was ahead of its time.

As we saw in the McDonald’s and Walmart examples, companies that show they are committed to local trends, customs, and of course language, are the ones that succeed.

This is the power that Panjaya gives to expanding organizations. Panjaya is the only AI dubbing solution that synchronizes the voice, lips, and body movement, delivering results that look and feel as natural as the original in almost any language.

See it in action with TED:

This opens up phenomenal opportunities for growth in international markets. Specifically, it empowers organizations to:

Unlock revenue opportunities in these diverse new markets
Show a seriousness and commitment to the local customer or partner base
Offer scalable AI dubbing with minimal manual intervention
Reduce time and cost barriers in video localization
Deliver professional, localized content that enhances user acquisition and engagement

Conclusion: Let Your Localized Video Drive Your Expansion

Video thrives as a medium because it combines images and sound together to create an authentic connection with audiences. Preserving that authenticity is essential, especially when expanding into new markets.

Panjaya represents the next evolution in localization. By leveraging state-of-the-art AI technology, we empower organizations of all sizes to better connect with their global customer base and exceed key performance benchmarks.

To experience the magic of Panjaya for yourself, try it free.

Think Global, Act Local: The Key To Successful International Expansion