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glocalization

“a combination of the words “globalization” and “localization”, used to describe a product or service that is developed and distributed globally, but is also adjusted to accommodate the user or consumer in a local market.” Read more: Glocalization https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/glocalization.asp#ixzz5YYL7f0Ix

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Lay’s began with typical American chip flavors such as regular potato chips, sour cream & onion, barbecue, and so on. As their chips grew in popularity, they began to make more and more flavors, some less appealing than others, and they even hold a “Do Us a Flavor” contest where consumers submit and vote on flavors for a new chip. In the midst of all this, Lay’s also went global with their chips, replicating various cultural and ethnic tastes to create chips consumers from all over can enjoy. For example, chip lovers in China can try Kiwi or Blueberry Lay’s, Soy Sauce or Nori Seaweed in Thailand, and Yorkshire Pudding or Cheese & Onion in the United Kingdom. As noted on Investopedia.com’s page on glocalization, sociologist Roland Robertson coined the term, and he described it as the simultaneous presence of universalizing and particularizing methods. As opposed to globalization, where an idea or material object is hoped to make its way across the world with people conforming to it, glocalization occurs when the idea or object keeps its core values or characteristics but changes slightly in a way that will apply and appeal to people of different backgrounds. In other words, instead of the people conforming to the idea the idea conforms to the people. Lay’s Chips embodies this well as they employ a business plan that addresses a global market but adjusts itself to suit local consumer groups. Lay’s chips are the object, and rather than forcing Barbecue or Salt & Vinegar on the world, they have tailored their product to appeal to the world. I picked this example because, personally and possibly rather ignorantly, I thought other countries had their own snacks for the most part and wouldn’t really want to indulge on the junk food of the stereotypically obese Americans. When I found that Lay’s had a ton of different flavors for countries all over, I was intrigued by how they were able to make a single product from one place into many different variations that suited many places. In an increasingly connected and globalized world, many corporations and brands try to create uniform products for everyone, but Lay’s is great example of a company that adapted to the market it was trying to do business in through glocalization. In this example, glocalization has much to do with cultural and economic aspects of society, as cultural differences are the catalyst for varying flavors, and Lay’s examined the possible market and deployed various marketing and advertising techniques to succeed in it.

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Yahoo! is another company that practices glocalization in its effort to reach as many consumers as possible. Different from Lay’s, for example, though, is the fact that Yahoo! is not a physical entity but rather an internet portal. Because of this they do not practice glocalization in the exact same fashion, but a similar one. Where Lay’s has flavors, Yahoo! has languages and cultural interests. Appealing to consumers is a necessity for any company that makes its money off of their consumption, and as Mamsha Rath states in her article on how glocalization is changing the marketing world, “ Customers don’t feel the connection with the brands if the products are standardized across the globe” (ideasmakemarket.com). In order to establish this connection, Yahoo! caters to the needs of customers from across the world by offering their portal in over 25 different languages and corresponding content variations. For a company that profits off of users browsing the internet within their server, tailoring that server to the people using it is incredibly important. As a result, Yahoo! is an excellent example of glocalization as they are not just adapting a product or single idea to fit the needs of different people, they are creating a space in which people of different cultures can see and explore their interests. Through glocalization, a global search engine is actually able to tap into a global audience by recognizing the differences among those within that global audience, and adapting to fit their wants (content) and needs (language). I chose this example because I thought it was a unique contrast to the typical brand or company that tries to globalize its product, as Yahoo! provides a service and consequently practices glocalization in a different fashion. It also appealed to me as I have previously used Yahoo!’s Spanish language version to try and complete my Spanish homework, but I had never seriously considered that there isn’t just “the internet” in different languages, but rather unique non-physical spaces for people of varying backgrounds.

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McDonald’s Ramadan commercial is a strong example of glocalization by using specific cultural references to connect with a specific population. This commercial was produced by the United Arab Emirates and is broadcasted across the Middle East during the month of Ramadan. Through the use specific cultural references, McDonald’s is also able to communicate their own values, such as family and community. For instance, McDonald’s asks the viewer, “who are you waiting for” throughout the commercial, which emphasizes the importance of family, especially during Ramadan. McDonald’s communicates through this tagline and scenes of people going to meet with their families, the value that they place on family, similarly to the way that Arabic culture does.

This commercial is also a strong example of glocalization because it is produced to be broadcasted throughout Ramadan, a religious holiday celebrated by Muslim countries, such as the United Arab Emirates. Referencing Ramadan signals that this commercial is intended for a specific audience. While McDonald’s commercials produced in the United States and Europe would likely reference Christmas, this commercial references Ramadan, which is an example of a brand adapting local characteristics in order to create a stronger connection with their customers. This commercial creates a link in customers’ minds between McDonald’s and the a very important time of the year, Ramadan. Perhaps, at the end of the day, these viewers will walk into McDonalds and break their fast with a Big Mac and fries. 

This commercial further exemplifies glocalization through their casting Arab actors. Using actors that look like their customers make the commercial more realistic and relatable for these viewers. McDonald’s would struggle to develop a meaningful connection with Arabic customers if they casted only white actors. Furthermore, the use of Arabic actors communicates to viewers that eating McDonald’s is a part of their culture. Rather than viewing McDonald’s as American food, this commercial works to make McDonald’s a food of the Middle East. The use of Arabic actors also assures viewers that McDonald’s is an appropriate way to end the fast.

Using specific cultural references, McDonald’s connects with the Middle East and still communicates their company values in this Ramadan commercial.

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Taco Bell has not seen a lot of success in many of that it has attempted to spread its chain. Compared to chains like Subway and KFC, restaurants that do their research on the local cuisine before establishing locations overseas, Taco Bell does little in the way of understanding the people they try to sell to. Aside from competition from other global chains such as the aforementioned Subway and KFC, Taco Bell had to compete with local cuisine that Singaporeans would be inclined to eat already. However, as there is not a lot of information as to what might have caused Taco Bell to fail in Singapore, so let's look to a currently existing model: Taco Bell in Japan. In the video example, we see the guy order his food, but what stands out the most to me is that he does not order anything that was Japanese inspired. All he gets is a hard shell taco and a cheesy beef burrito, both of which are no different from what you might get at a Taco Bell in America. Looking at the menu for Taco Bell in Japan, I was quite disappointed to find out that there is nothing that you can get that might have some local inspiration behind it, save for the fact that the meat is likely, and hopefully, sourced from Japan. If the Taco Bell in Japan is any indication of how Taco Bell runs the rest of its foreign locations, it is no surprise that it has failed in its attempt at bringing in Singaporean customers. By making the Taco Bell experience the same across different cultures; you run the risk of pushing away two kinds of customers; American tourists that want to experience the foreign version of a chain they know and love and local Singaporeans that want fast food that can still speak to their tastes. Taco Bell's model of foreign chains reflects an un-researched approach to inserting a global product into a local environment in that there is no possibility for the foreign nor local customer to experience anything new; both are forced to experience something they either know already or don't care to get to know. Taco Bell foregoes any attempt at glocalization. There is nothing local about a cheese burrito in Japan or Singapore. In that sense, Taco Bell becomes another fast food restaurant in a sea of already successful restaurants.

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The word "glocalization" is composed of two words: "global" and "localization". In the endeavor of introducing a global product into a foreign area, it can pay off to bring together local culture and global branding. In the video of a Subway restaurant in India, we see glocalization manifest in the fact that the man ordering his meal is able to order things that you would not find in an American Subway. He orders a chicken tikka flatbread and chooses to have mint sauce as well as harissa sauce, two condiments adopted for the sake of the Indian population. These are sauces that you would not be able to find in a Subway in American or most other Western nations. The Indian population is given the experience of Subway, an originally American concept, while still being able to taste the flavors that they are already familiar with. Looking further into the video, we see the cameraman turn to show a shot of the sitting area of the restaurant. Hung up on the walls are three pictures that any Subway fan would recognize: the pictures of vegetables, bread, and sauce. Those pictures are consistently present in Subway locations in the United States; it would not surprise me if those pictures are required to be up in order to ground the brand in its roots. Additionally, the way in which his food is prepared in front of him behind a glass pane with sandwich options lined up before him, the uniform that the worker wears, and the brick style of the interior are consistent with any other Subway that you would walk into anywhere else. This balance between the Western Subway experience and the fusion of it with local Indian cuisine provides enough authenticity such that it feels like you're walking into a typical Subway, but it also pays respect to the location that it exists in. Subway makes an effort to sell "an idealized version of America... that could still bend itself to fit local customs and tastes" (https://umich.instructure.com/courses/240514/files/folder/Week%202?preview=8262783). This incorporation allows the restaurant to feel like a novel experience while still speaking to the people that it serves.

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MTV India is a clear example of glocalization because it brings local culture from a Hindi TV channel, while incorporating it into the globally known company MTV. The advertisement opens up with an Indian woman finding out she is pregnant. In many Western media forms, unplanned pregnancies are widely discussed and portrays the modern, Western way of life. Unplanned pregnancy or sex before marriage is often seen as immoral, and displaying it in a Hindi advertisement expresses wanting to bring in a Western, globalized appeal. While pregnant, the woman’s  belly makes beats and plays music, bringing happiness and dance to her friends and family. Because of the music playing, her family is confused but content instead of upset. It becomes clear that she was impregnated by a TV playing MTV Beats. Yes, it is odd but it appeals to many audiences. MTV has a tendency to make their commercials and advertisements shocking so that people talk about it, spreading the company far and wide. I picked this example because not only is this advertisement odd and interesting for a Hindi TV Channel, MTV is one of the most well-known forms of American culture. MTV beats, India’s version of MTV, is from Mumbai/Bombay. This advertisement covers cultural themes through historic Indian architecture, family values, and song and dance, like traditional Bollywood film. An advertisement like this one is an example of glocalization because it has local Bombay themes within a global commercial for a globally known TV channel. Having an advertisement from Bombay for MTV is the definition of glocalization.

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An example of glocalization is Disneyland in Hong Kong. Glocalization, or “think globally, act locally,” describes the often-occurring strategy of bringing a globally known product or company to another place and giving it its own local twist, whether that be the food, music, architecture, etc. In this advertisement, there is an English-speaking narrator who follows several people around the park discovering new things. The beginning starts with a wide-eyed child and then ends with a shot of her as well. The ad displays the creativity, imagination, and fun just like ads for Disney are in the United States, but shows local Chinese population along with rides exclusive to Hong Kong Disney. Princesses and American Disney characters appear in the one-minute ad as well, including Dumbo, Snow White, and Buzz Lightyear. I picked this ad because I thought it was a clear and concise example of glocalization. This ad covers economic dimension because Disney decided it would be an economic gain to bring the park to Hong Kong along with bringing jobs for local population and tourism. Additionally, it covers cultural dimension. In an article titled, “Glocalization Examples-Adapting Locally,” on www.mbaskool.com, it says, “Lavish investment was made by the local government that includes local food and music, services displayed not only in English but in two forms of Chinese- Cantonese and Mandarin. Therefore, the employees are expected to be fluent in three languages” (Glocalization Examples-Adapting Locally, 2008). By investing in local culture, the company should thrive globally. A television advertisement like the one described is an example of glocalization because even in the clip, the mixture between local and global influence is adequately demonstrated. Furthermore, being that it is an advertisement, it was seen all over the world and continues to bring tourism to the city today.