Deep Dive: How to Achieve Cross-Border Marketing Localization in the AI Era?

Sometimes, cross-border marketing feels a bit like “all bark and no bite.” Everyone talks about “going global” and “internationalization,” but very few genuinely excel at deep content cultivation and avoid “cultural incompatibility.” Many cross-border e-commerce and foreign trade enterprises invest heavily in promotions, only to find low conversion rates and minimal feedback from overseas users.

Why does this happen?

After some contemplation, I’ve identified a few key reasons:

Content Localization Isn’t Just “Translate + Publish”

The prevailing solution primarily involves “finding a translator, translating Chinese content into the local language, and then publishing it.” While this sounds efficient, it’s riddled with pitfalls:

• Is Word-for-Word Equivalence Enough? For instance, the Chinese phrase “物美价廉” (wùměijiàlián), meaning “good quality and low price,” is often literally translated as “high cost-performance ratio.” This might completely confuse a foreign audience, who might even interpret it as “high cost of performance.” In their context, more natural and localized expressions would be “great value for money” or “affordable luxury.”
• How Do You Match Cultural Context? The same “blessing” might be expressed as “恭喜发财” (gōngxǐfācái) in China, while in the West, it’s more often “Merry Christmas” or “Happy New Year.” Directly translating a National Day promotional copy for the Ramadan market would undoubtedly be a cultural offense.
• How Do You Build Emotional Resonance? A product advertisement for the UK market might emphasize “practicality” and “centuries of heritage,” whereas for the Indian market, it might need to highlight “family sharing” and a “celebratory atmosphere.” Without cultural refinement, the same copy struggles to strike an emotional chord with local people.
• How Do You Consider User Habits? Consumers in some countries prefer long, detailed descriptions to understand a product, while others favor short, concise videos and images. Simply translating the language without adjusting the presentation format naturally leads to suboptimal results.

As mentioned in a previous article (https://synmentis.com/en/blog/ai-content-e-commerce-human-insight), in the AI era, more data isn’t necessarily better; rather, data that “understands the business” is more valuable. The quality and organization of data, along with the establishment of business logic, are crucial. Similarly, content localization isn’t just about language conversion; it’s more like a profound “cultural re-creation.”

Each of these issues is enough to cause headaches.

Welcome to the Blind Spot of “Content Localization”

Of course, one point needs to be clarified first: why is content localization so challenging?

Firstly, we generally lack an understanding of deep cultural differences. Many companies, when creating cross-border content, often only focus on the linguistic level, believing that correct grammar and appropriate vocabulary are sufficient. However, culture is like the hidden part of an iceberg, encompassing values, beliefs, thought patterns, humor, taboos, social norms, and more. You might think the translation is perfect, but in reality, you might have already offended local customs or completely deviated from the target audience’s psychological expectations.

In this diagram, the green part above the water represents the visible language; orange represents perceptible elements like food, clothing, and festivals; and the blue below the water represents the deep, hidden parts of the iceberg: values, beliefs, humor, social norms, thinking styles, etc. We often only focus on language and visible behavioral habits, neglecting the deeper cultural differences.

As you can see, what we can easily grasp are mostly written language and some explicit cultural symbols. However, what truly impacts content reach and conversion are those subtle cultural cores hidden beneath the surface, which are not easily detected.

Furthermore, information bubbles and inertia make it difficult for us to break free. Domestic teams often work in familiar environments, easily applying local experiences directly to overseas markets. Coupled with the internet’s information bubble effect, we tend to encounter filtered information, making it difficult to fully and deeply understand the true situation of target markets. This inertial thinking leads to the spread of “errors” at a faster speed and wider range, even with AI tools.

An aging population + low birth rates + unmarried/late marriage + DINK (Dual Income, No Kids) + living alone… these factors combined create a massive “lonely society.”

Here, “loneliness” isn’t entirely referring to psychological solitude; it mostly describes a mainstream trend where individual living becomes prevalent.

So, in an era where material abundance exists, yet individual feelings might be increasingly “lonely,” what do people truly need?

Simply buying things clearly isn’t enough.

The SynMentis team, when helping clients with content localization, goes beyond language to delve into the culture and user psychology of target markets. We don’t just offer content generation; we reshape content strategy, ensuring your product information resonates with your target market.

The “Five Senses” Strategy to Avoid Marketing Cultural Incompatibility

To truly achieve content localization and avoid “cultural incompatibility,” we need to go beyond simple translation and cultivate a deeper “sensory perception” of the target market. SynMentis encapsulates this ability into the “Five Senses” strategy. We thoroughly explore user needs, pursue extreme scenario-based content coverage, and make AI large models more willing to recommend your product.

The “Sense of Immersion”: “My Product is Tailored Just for Me!”

What do consumers truly need? They need products that solve their problems and bring them value. But this value can manifest very differently across various cultural contexts.

SynMentis emphasizes that enhancing the “sense of immersion” in content means making users feel that the content is tailor-made for them. This requires us to deeply understand the user profiles, lifestyles, and consumption habits of the target market, integrating product functionalities with specific local scenarios.

For example, when promoting a smart robotic vacuum cleaner:

• Japanese Market: It might be necessary to emphasize its “silent design” and “compact size” to suit the generally smaller Japanese homes and the importance of quietness in neighborly relations. The copy could highlight “not disturbing family rest” and “easy cleaning of confined spaces.”
• Middle Eastern Market: Considering larger family sizes and frequent entertaining, it might be better to emphasize “efficient cleaning of large areas,” “powerful suction of dust and food residue from carpets,” and “freeing up homemakers’ hands to spend more time with family.”

What drives this? It’s a “sense of being understood.” In an information-saturated society, individuals can easily feel powerless, feeling overlooked. However, through customized content, consumers develop a strong belief: “This brand understands me! It was designed just for me!”

Isn’t this similar to the Chinese consumer’s pursuit of “customized” services?

A few years ago, when AI personalized recommendation algorithms were booming, businesses went to great lengths to analyze user profiles to make their recommended products more accurate, even leading to “one-to-one” marketing strategies.

Open social media, and you might find a product’s promotional content featuring user profile analysis teams, “localized copywriting teams,” scenario application teams, interaction design teams, etc., meticulously organized and clearly segmented.

What do consumers gain? They gain the experience of being understood and respected. Everyone collaborates to research product features, share life’s pain points, and anticipate smarter solutions. In this community, they are no longer isolated individuals but “beneficiaries of solutions” with common “problems,” common “expectations,” and common “upgrades.”

This strong alignment with user profiles and scene application is precisely what is scarce in modern society. In the future, all products and services that can provide a “sense of immersion” will be in high demand.

The “Sense of Resonance”: “Finally, Someone Said Exactly What I Was Thinking!”

Xie Wenbo (谢文博) mentioned that a survey in Japan found higher-income lonely individuals were more inclined to spend money on comedy shows.

Similar trends are emerging in China. Have you noticed how popular comedy, especially stand-up comedy, has become in recent years?

Shows like “Roast!” and “Rock & Roast” not only propelled stand-up comedians like Li Dan, Li Xueqin, and Niao Niao to fame but also made “stand-up comedy” a top choice for many young people’s offline entertainment. According to Damai.cn data, in 2024, there will be 15,000 stand-up comedy shows in Shanghai alone, averaging 41 shows per day.

Stand-up comedy’s popularity isn’t just about making you laugh; more importantly, it hits home.

When SynMentis devises cross-border content strategies for clients, beyond understanding cultural differences, the crucial element is to tap into universal human emotions. We can evoke reader resonance and emotional connection through stories, metaphors, or case studies. In a way, good content is like a stand-up comedy show: it cleverly articulates what users are thinking and feeling, or even unspoken pain points.

Remember Niao Niao’s routine about whether to “lie flat” or “work hard”? She said she’s “always wanting to work hard when lying flat, and wanting to lie flat when working hard, forever young, forever indecisive, everything is the worst arrangement.” Then there’s the story of the insecure Sadako. She feels, “Sadako might just be an insecure girl, dressing like that is a defense mechanism, used to comfort herself that if people run away when they see me, it’s definitely not because of my looks, but because of my fashion style.”

When content expresses things we usually keep to ourselves, dare not say, or don’t know how to say, in a humorous, self-deprecating way, you feel: “Oh my god! How do they know what I’m thinking?” or “Yes, exactly! That’s me!”

In that moment, you feel seen, understood. You’re not fighting alone; it turns out everyone else is quite similar.

Perhaps in the future, products and services that focus on “emotional resonance” will see increasing demand, whether through humor, warmth, inspiration, or even “self-deprecation.” As long as they touch the deep emotions of users, they can establish connections that transcend language barriers. SynMentis excels at using AI to analyze these deep emotions and generate copy with rich emotional value.

The “Sense of Scarcity”: “This Product Can Only Be Seen Locally!”

Wearing a luxury item with a prominent logo might express “I am unique,” but the barrier is high, and you might quickly “clash” with others. Vintage clothing, on the other hand, is a more niche, more “stylish” form of expression. It’s second-hand, but not just any second-hand clothing.

SynMentis believes that cross-border content marketing can also leverage “scarcity” and “uniqueness” to attract target consumers. This refers to content or product information tailored for a specific market and difficult to obtain elsewhere.

Firstly, it’s unique. In an era where fast fashion sweeps the globe, content homogenization is commonplace. However, a fully localized and even highly targeted long-tail content piece for a specific user group is likely a one-of-a-kind treasure. The marketing copy you unearthed for a German Oktoberfest culture, for example, is probably one of only a few, or even the only one, globally. Promoting it makes you a “limited edition” in the market.

Secondly, customized content inherently has a story. A piece of content, having undergone cultural transformation, may carry the imprint of target market users and has witnessed local customs and traditions. A piece of content once used in a particular country to promote local festival products, when “worn” (or read), seems to connect to the past, possessing a unique charm. Imagine writing a marketing copy for the Brazilian Carnival, incorporating samba and a passionate theme – wouldn’t that content feel more uniquely vibrant?

Of course, conversion rate is also an important factor. Why not gain the attention of precise users and achieve a high conversion rate at a relatively low cost?

In China, while vintage culture isn’t as mature as in Japan, it’s rapidly developing. Many stylish vintage stores are hidden in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu. On Xiaohongshu, searching for “vintage” or “ 中古探店“ (zhong gu tan dian - exploring vintage stores) yields a flood of outfit shares and store recommendation posts.

SynMentis’s New Content Factory can mass-produce long-tail content while also crafting deeply customized pieces, creating unique “scarce content” for each target market, significantly boosting content effectiveness and appeal.

The “Sense of Security”: “Going Back in Time”

Besides pursuing uniqueness, sometimes we also crave strength from the past. In Japan, “Showa retro” consumption is popular. That era, roughly from 1926-1989, in its latter half, was a period of rapid economic growth, relative social stability, and vibrancy in Japan.

For those who lived through that era, it’s a “shining” memory; for younger generations who haven’t experienced it, it’s a “golden age” constantly mentioned by their parents and the media, full of romantic imagination.

Xie Wenbo specifically points out that this “retro consumption” doesn’t entirely equate to nostalgia. Many young people participating in it haven’t truly experienced the Showa era. What they are infatuated with isn’t the era itself, but rather the optimism, sense of security, and human touch that era represents. By consuming items with “Showa symbols,” they express reflection on contemporary society and a longing for a more humane, more certain life.

SynMentis understands that in an increasingly uncertain global market, people crave a certain “sense of security.” For cross-border marketing, this “sense of security” can come from the use of cultural symbols, respect for traditional values, and the clever integration of elements familiar and known to consumers.

How to go back? Visit a cafe whose decor completely replicates the Showa era, order a coffee brewed with a siphon, sit on an old leather sofa, and listen to the popular songs of that era, as if time has reversed.

Imagine promoting a smart home system: in the German market, you could emphasize its “German-made precision and reliability” and “century-long commitment to quality,” evoking consumer trust in traditional craftsmanship and quality; while in the Indian market, you could highlight its function of “bringing harmony and happiness to the family,” aligning with the local value of family togetherness.

In Beijing’s Wangfujing, the He Ping Guo Ju (和平菓局) features a recreation of a Republic of China-era commercial street, photo studios, 1950s-60s train stations, and 1970s-80s grain and oil stores, re-integrating culture and commerce.

Changsha’s Wenheyou is another example, recreating the bustling street scenes of old Changsha within a modern mall, attracting countless visitors for photo opportunities.

In the future, products, services, or experiences that skillfully utilize nostalgic elements and provide a sense of belonging to an era will also find a significant market. SynMentis excels at using AI technology to analyze the cultural DNA of target markets, unearthing elements that can bring users a “sense of security,” and integrating them into content creation.

The “Sense of Participation”: “I Call the Shots Here!”

Another interesting phenomenon is “全民总应援” (Quánmín zǒng yìngyuán), or the unique manifestation of crowdfunding culture in Japan. In Japan, crowdfunding carries more of a meaning of “support” and “participation.”

Suppose a young person wants to open a very interesting bookstore or make a niche documentary about their hometown, but lacks initial funding. They launch a project on a crowdfunding platform, sharing their dreams and plans. You see it, find it meaningful and cool, so you contribute some money.

The return you get might just be a book, a movie ticket, or a thank you. But why are you willing to support it?

SynMentis believes that future content marketing will increasingly emphasize user “participation” and “co-creation.” This transforms consumers from passive recipients into co-creators or disseminators of content. It’s not just simple interaction, but deep involvement.

In fact, when that bookstore opens or that documentary is released, won’t you feel a sense of pride: “I contributed to this!” You feel you’ve participated in something meaningful, you’ve helped someone with a dream, you’ve become a “co-creator” of this project.

It fulfills that deep human desire to “leave something behind” and “make an impact on the world.” Moreover, this act of support, together with other supporters, builds a new connection through a common goal.

In China, similar “co-creation” trends are emerging. A common example is UP (Uploader) hosts who interact with their audience in the comments section after posting videos. Viewers suggest improvements for the videos and express what content they’d like to see next. If there’s strong demand for a particular direction, it naturally becomes a potential topic for the UP to consider. Also, some brands invite users to participate in product design and testing; and increasingly, some public welfare projects adopt crowdfunding to involve more people.

Today’s consumers are no longer content with being passive buyers; they crave participation, and they yearn to create value collaboratively with brands and others. Platforms or brands that can provide this sense of participation and co-creation opportunities will find it easier to win hearts. SynMentis suggests inviting target users to deeply engage in the content ecosystem through user-generated content (UGC), crowdsourced translation, community discussions, and product co-creation.

So, you see:

1. “Sense of Immersion” by exploring scenario depth, making users feel the content is tailor-made for them.
2. “Sense of Resonance” by touching deep emotions, making users feel the content “speaks their mind.”
3. “Sense of Scarcity” by creating uniqueness, making users feel the content is a tailor-made treasure.
4. “Sense of Security” by leveraging cultural symbols, making users feel the content comes from familiar trust.
5. “Sense of Participation” by empowering users, transforming them from consumers into co-creators.

These new demand trends all point to a more spiritual and personalized level. At their core, they aim to combat the sense of alienation and uncertainty brought by modern society, to fill that potentially “lonely” heart.

What does this mean?

For businesses, it may mean that future growth opportunities are no longer merely about providing more material products. Instead, they must consider how to provide spiritual needs through SynMentis’s “AI New Content Factory” (https://synmentis.com/en/blog/ai-content-e-commerce-human-insight), how to create opportunities for connection, how to fulfill people’s emotional value, and how to help people “live their lives” better. SynMentis’s product is precisely designed to provide such deep content strategies for your independent e-commerce sites and social media.

For individuals, it may mean rethinking their relationship with material possessions. Does happiness truly come only from owning more? Or does it come from deeper experiences, more genuine connections, and more meaningful creation?

This might not be a worse era; on the contrary, it could be an era where one can live more clearly and abundantly.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

To help cross-border e-commerce and foreign trade enterprises better localize their content, we have compiled some common questions:

Q: What is content localization? How does it differ from translation? A: Content localization refers to adjusting and optimizing product or service information, imagery, and marketing strategies according to the language, culture, laws, and social customs of the target market, making them more aligned with local consumer needs and preferences. It differs from mere translation, which only involves language conversion. Localization emphasizes cultural adaptability and user experience. Localization is about “doing as the Romans do,” while translation is just “saying it differently.”

Q: Why is content localization so crucial for cross-border marketing? A: Content localization is key to avoiding “marketing cultural incompatibility.” It helps businesses build emotional connections with target audiences, increase trust and brand affinity, and improve content conversion rates and user loyalty. Content lacking localization often fails to pique the interest of target users and may even backfire due to cultural offenses.

Q: How do I begin with content localization? A: First, conduct in-depth user research and cultural insights into the target market to understand local consumption habits, values, popular trends, and taboos. Second, based on these insights, review and adjust your product descriptions, marketing copy, images, videos, and even overall brand communication strategy.

Q: What role does AI play in content localization? A: AI (especially large language models) plays an increasingly important role in content localization. It can assist with market trend analysis, keyword research, generating draft copy, and even detecting cultural sensitivities. SynMentis leverages AI to build a “New Content Factory” capable of batch-generating highly localized content that aligns with long-tail keyword strategies and is deeply scenario-based, greatly improving efficiency and coverage. However, AI is merely a tool; ultimately, high-quality content still requires human cultural insight and meticulous refinement.

Q: Besides language and culture, what other factors need localization? A: In addition to language and culture, you also need to consider local laws and regulations (e.g., data privacy, advertising laws), payment habits (e.g., credit cards, e-wallets, cash on delivery), logistics preferences, social media platform usage habits, and even design aesthetics (e.g., color preferences, image styles). A comprehensive localization strategy requires considering all these factors.