Scenarios for Local PR Support in Global PR Campaigns

For omni-channel merchants and consumer goods brands, developing and executing a global communications strategy is daily business.   In today’s digital world, a centralised approach is commonly used for reasons of scalability and simplicity.  And in many cases, it works perfectly well.

 

But when is it sensible to integrate and build on local PR know-how to give an extra push to particular international markets?

In order to answer this question, we have to know what local PR support exactly does beyond simply copying and pasting a domestic campaign.

In our view, there are three key elements that we find in successful local campaigns:

1. Adapting the PR strategy to the realities of the local market
2. Identifying and executing on unique opportunities unavailable in the home market and
3. Managing local networks and effectively communicating with the target audience.

To make the above points, we would like you to consider the German market. This market is one of the larger non-English speaking markets, and in a wider context relatively similar in terms of culture to its European neighbors. Therefore, it should be easy to just execute the global PR strategy.

Yet, the German media landscape is uniquely different from other European markets. With a myriad of magazine titles available and structural distinctiveness in the daily newspaper market, local PR can add considerable value by navigating domestic PR teams through the maze. Making adaptations to the strategy where necessary is key. Seasoned local professionals can guide you even when it comes to important details such as international magazine brands that have a different reach and serve deviating target audiences.

By the same token, digital development is unevenly spread over the world and leaves ample room for either under- or overspending.  In Germany, the social media influencer market is currently lagging in volume and reach e.g. the British or American markets. On the other hand, there are excellent timely opportunities with e.g. local celebrities or awards that have tremendous potential unknown in the home country. This is why the opportunity requires careful planning, creativity and considerable skill to take advantage of momentum at the right time.

When speaking about local networks and effective communications, we are entering the realm of culture, customs, and contacts.

Target audiences across the Western developed world are largely similar. This can easily be supported by statistics as well as our daily experience. However, it’s the little things that make the difference and customer needs may vary.  This leads to trends being interpreted and timed differently in Germany compared with other countries.

Also nuances in culture and language between countries remain, leaving plenty of room for optimisation. While communicating in English with local media representatives has become commonplace, statements formulated in English often leave significant scope for interpretation and may fail to get the desired reaction.

Last but not least, there is local variability in the roles of journalists, influencers, and publishers as it relates to some aspects of their daily work.  Therefore, it is crucial to be well connected and know about processes in order to consistently be on the key individuals’ minds.

For brands looking to emphasize particular countries over others, we strongly believe that local PR support can give you a real edge – at least until machines have completely taken over our lives. Stay tuned for more content on the differences of PR elements between countries.