I’m sure it’s happened to you. You’re watching television, a video on social media or something streaming, and almost without realising it, you know. Suddenly you say, ‘This advert wasn’t made here.’
It’s not because it’s poorly dubbed, which it often isn’t. It’s something else. The rhythm doesn’t fit, the humour isn’t as funny, the looks and gestures are strange, and even the music seems out of context. Everything together seems right, but nothing feels familiar.
And if that happens, something in that advertising is wrong. Because it stops going unnoticed. It stands out. It feels forced. And when an advert stands out too much, the connection is broken. The brand no longer seems like someone who understands you, but someone who has come to sell you something without bothering to get to know you. Basically, they don’t care.
So, the question is inevitable: did you really think this was going to work here?
Adapting isn’t a whim
For years, the idea has been repeated that the market is global and that communication can be practically the same everywhere. That what works in one country will work in another with minor adjustments.
The reality is rather more stubborn. Markets have become globalised, yes, but people have not. We still have different references, different ways of speaking, laughing and mistrusting. Ignoring this is not creative courage, but strategic laziness.
Adapting isn’t about changing a few words or adding a local accent. It’s about understanding where you are and who you’re talking to. That’s not optional: it’s fundamental. For example, if you want to sell a product in England, your audience will likely be very different from your Czech, Turkish or Spanish audience. In the end, it all boils down to one word: culture.
When you don’t connect, it shows.
An ad can be flawless, yet still say nothing. Not because the product is bad, but because the message does not fit with the culture or customs of the people it is aimed at. When that doesn’t fit, the audience notices.
The result is usually the same. Distance. Coldness. A feeling of ‘just another advert’. Laziness. And with that, you not only lose attention, you lose something else that is more difficult to recover: trust.
Advertising is not just about showcasing products. It is about building relationships, closeness and trust. So starting this relationship by showing that you have not even bothered to understand the other person is never a good idea.
Why many brands still fail to adapt their adverts
The answer is almost always the same: speed. Centralising campaigns saves time and money. The problem is that you also save on empathy. In the medium term, that proves costly.
Other times it is pure overconfidence. Brands that believe their name makes up for everything. That it doesn’t matter how they speak, because they are already well known. However, notoriety is no substitute for closeness.
Then there is distance. Decisions made far from the local market, without truly listening to the teams that know the public. Thus, adaptation becomes a formality, not a priority.
All this is often justified by a rather dangerous idea: confusing consistency with uniformity. Having a global brand does not mean saying the same thing everywhere, but saying the same thing in different ways.
Knowing your audience is respect
Saying that you need to know your consumer sounds great in a presentation. The problem is when it stops there. Truly knowing your audience means accepting that not everything works everywhere.
Not adapting an advertisement sends a very clear message, even if it is not conscious. It does not matter how you are, how you speak or how you live. This message is what it is. Conclusion: fatigue. And that is perceived. The brand seems distant, uninterested, even lacking in originality. Consumers may not rationalise it, but they feel it. When they sense it, they disconnect.
Global identity, local voice
Brands that do it well usually have a clear understanding of this. They maintain a strong identity, but change the way they express it. The substance remains the same, but the form does not.
When that adaptation works, the advert no longer seems imported. It doesn’t intrude, but fits in. It doesn’t sound forced, but natural. That’s when it starts to build something more than just a memory. As David Ogilvy argued, the more you know about the consumer, the more effective advertising is.
Being is not the same as belonging.
A brand can be present in many countries without really belonging to any of them. Adaptation is what makes the difference between occupying space and occupying a place in the consumer’s mind.
Not adapting is not a neutral decision. It sends a message, and it almost never works in your favour. Because the ultimate question is not whether a brand can afford to adapt its advertising. The question is whether it can afford not to.
