"Cross-cultural" communication: Brands going global need to have a "two-way approach" with consumers

In the wave of brand globalization, more and more enterprises have realized that culture is not just about language translation and visual localization, but about whether a brand can truly integrate into consumers' lifestyles and resonate with them spiritually. To achieve this, "cross-cultural communication" alone is far from enough. Brands need to move towards "transcultural communication" to achieve in-depth co-creation and resonance with consumers.

01 "Transcultural" vs "Cross-cultural": It's not about fitting in, but about cultural co-creation 

In the past, when brands carried out global communication, they generally chose "Cross-cultural Communication", which emphasizes the differences and adaptation between cultures. Brands adjust their language, aesthetics, and style to suit different markets, with the focus on avoiding "cultural conflicts".

Of course, this is still important today. However, in the new communication context where social media connects the world and consumers' "digital native" characteristics are becoming increasingly obvious, "Transcultural Communication" will unleash greater potential for brand globalization.

Compared with "cross-cultural", the "transcultural" strategy further emphasizes the integration, flow, and co-creation of cultures. Instead of trying to "translate" cultures and fit in awkwardly, brands actively co-create new cultural expressions with consumers, break cultural boundaries, and create new content that both parties can identify with.

02 The core of transcultural communication: The "mutual pursuit" between brands and consumers 

Under the "transcultural" logic, brands are not just cultural exporters, but cultural co-creators. This means:

Brands need to listen to consumers' real needs and cultural expression methods;

Encourage users to participate in brand content creation. Instead of "speaking for users", brands should "speak with users";

Shift from "adapting to culture" to "creating culture" to achieve local resonance of brand culture.

For example, the "Crazy Thursday Literature" initiated by consumers in China was originally just a meme and imitation among netizens. Later, KFC launched the "V me 50" meal and participated in online topic interactions. The brand and consumers jointly transformed the unplanned user behavior into a continuous brand communication event. This is a successful example of "transcultural" co-creation.

*The success of "Crazy Thursday" in China is also a classic example of a foreign brand's successful "transcultural" marketing in China

03 How can brands achieve "transcultural communication" overseas?

So, how can Chinese brands going global implement the concept of "transcultural communication" overseas? Especially in overseas markets with significant cultural context differences and diverse user media behaviors, how can brands avoid falling into the cross-cultural trap of "talking to themselves" and truly achieve two-way co-creation with local consumers? The following two cases provide highly valuable practical paths.

Pop Mart: Making IP culture a global social "hot topic"

Relying on its unique original IP design, Pop Mart introduced the blind box culture to overseas markets and quickly caught the attention on social platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Consumers are no longer just buyers, but also content creators - they actively share unboxing videos, shoot stop-motion animations, and carry out secondary creative reprocessing. The brand doesn't need to deliberately "explain the culture", but allows consumers to "re-express" the brand in their own way.

This series of behaviors has strengthened users' sense of participation and belonging, and also enabled Pop Mart to quickly open up the international market without large-scale advertising investment. In some overseas stores, there were even queues of people rushing to buy products.

Mixue Bingcheng: Cultural reproduction behind the "catchy song"

The theme song "You love me, I love you, Mixue Bingcheng is so sweet" first became a huge hit in China, and then was taken to the world by Chinese students studying abroad and overseas Chinese communities, forming a self-spreading chain. Foreign netizens have covered, adapted, and even shot funny short videos, actively participating in content co-creation. This "grassroots participation-style" cultural practice has not only quickly increased the brand's international recognition but also helped Mixue Bingcheng achieve a cultural soft landing at a low cost.

This is not a case of a brand "teaching" users how to accept, but allowing users to participate in constructing the brand meaning themselves.

Conclusion

The key to "transcultural communication" is not how a brand "pleases" a culture, but how it grows together with the culture. Brands need to transform from communicators who "talk and let others listen" to participants who "co-create with others".

In today's era when culture is becoming more fragmented and expression is more autonomous, the brands that can truly win the hearts of global consumers are not those that are best at speaking the local language, but those that are most willing to listen to what users have to say and are willing to speak with them.

Transcultural communication is not a skill, but an attitude.

This article is from the WeChat official account "OneSight", author: OneSight.