Ten Ways to Torpedo International PR

Our Xbox PR team works quite closely with managers in our subsidiaries that do PR. We're often on the phone, sending email, sharing plans, and occasionally working on global campaigns. But like any global company, we're always learning to balance global marketing with local marketing. One of our PR managers, Cinthia, sent a synopsis of an 2002 article written by Lou Hoffman, called Ten Ways to Torpedo International PR. Here are the highlights, but the entire article is worth a read.

No. 1: Americanitis
Some U.S. executives think that having a high profile in the U.S. market guarantees a hero's welcome when they land on foreign shores. ... Instead, each and every country has its own market characteristics, culture, language, society beliefs, etc., which must be taken into account.

No. 2: Lack of Budget
There's a tendency to allocate PR budgets for overseas programs based on revenue. For example, if Asia-Pacific constitutes 10 percent of the company's revenue, then 10 percent of the PR budget should be allocated for Asia-Pacific. ... There's no single funding formula for success.

No. 3: Spreading Resources Too Thin
Related to the above, companies often find they don't have resources and/or budgets to effectively target all the markets in a given region. ... Instead of doing a good job in two of the markets, they spread their resources too thinly across the four target countries and don't move the needle anywhere. ...

No. 4: Corporate HQ Control
Often, the funding for a PR program overseas comes out of the U.S. coffers. ... But when the corporate HQ exercises strict control and approval over every overseas action, an incredible bureaucracy takes hold that handicaps the international PR effort. ...

No. 5: Inability to Localize Content
Contrary to some perceptions, localizing content goes far beyond the translation of materials. ... The more effort a company puts into shaping content to the specific characteristics of a particular market, the stronger the content becomes for the targeted audience.

No. 6: Treat Translation of Press Materials as an Administrative Task
A PR activity's efforts can go down the drain if the translation of the press materials is not handled accurately. ...

No 7: Unrealistic Expectations
An American company enjoys a high profile and substantial marketshare in the U.S., so it automatically expects the same type of profile in a foreign market. ... It takes time for a company to build a strong image in the U.S., and the same is true for international markets.

No. 8: Conducting International PR Long Distance
Some companies consider flinging their news releases into foreign countries via news release distribution services as a form of international PR. ... But the power of PR comes from the relationships with the Local influencers, government officials and media as well as understanding the nuances of the local market. This can only be achieved with local feet On the street.

No. 9: Lack of Spokespeople
Often, companies operate what amounts to a sales office in an overseas market. The top executive in such an office focuses on sales. Deploying this person as a company spokesperson can be a challenge, since he or she is rewarded based on the quarter's sales results, not building a long-term image. And leveraging executives from outside a given country often means sacrificing local market knowledge (not to mention the language issue).

No. 10: Don't Strive to be an Asset to the Local Market
"We're committed to the local market." Every company targeting a foreign market says these words, but many don't take actions to support the statement. ...