Many companies here in the US look try to launch products in Brazil, but frequently, their intended launch campaign does not align with the Brazilian calendar. Why does this occur?
An example of one of the biggest misalignments is with Valentine's Day, which is celebrated in different months in each country. Brazilian Carnival, responsible for generating about US$2 billion in revenue, is held annually over the four days before Ash Wednesday. Depending on the year, this can range between February 4th and March 10th.
Valentine's Day in the US is a different holiday, always celebrated on February 14, which sometimes coincides with Carnival. In both countries, Valentine’s Day is a time for sweethearts and is closely related to the St. Anthony's Day celebrations of the Catholic Church. The religious holiday is more related to romantic love than the celebration of Valentine’s as we know it here in the United States.
If you want a Valentine’s Day launch in Brazil, you’ll have to wait until June 12 each year.
It is important for us to get to know other cultures, especially if Marketing is involved, for reasons such as this. It also pushes us to be more creative, to do benchmarking and thereby improve our decision making.
Can your company use some help in better localizing your marketing and sales activities to the Brazilian market? Calendar synchronization is only the start. A great Marketing Plan includes many other factors involved with the launch, such as proper advertising specific to the market, social media campaigns and targets the right market segments and geographies within the country.
Are there other topics about globalizing your product that you’d like to know more about?
Comments