The Worldly Marketer Podcast

Matteo Ceurvels is a Regional Analyst for Latin America & Spain at eMarketer, a leading NYC-based market research firm, which recently merged with Insider Intelligence, the market-research division of Business Insider.

Matteo has been featured several times previously on this podcast, namely on episodes #83, #106, #116, #141, and #151. Last time he was on the show, in July 2019, he talked about the Latin-American e-commerce landscape. Since then, a lot has happened in the world, not least the global spread of COVID-19. One of the observable consequences of the pandemic has been the acceleration of digital transformation and of e-commerce adoption in every region of the world, including Latin America.

In this interview, Matteo shares some of the latest data around e-commerce adoption in LATAM generally, and Mexico in particular. He talks about the most popular e-commerce platforms in the region (Mercado Libre, Amazon, Alibaba, Carrefour Brazil, Magazine Luiza, etc.), as well as some unique local payment methods (e.g. Mercado Pago). He also explains why search-based marketing (cf. SEO and Amazon SEO) and localization ought to get much greater attention than they have so far.

Finally, Matteo looks at regional consumer trends that he thinks will become increasingly important for online retailers in 2021 and beyond, e.g. clear brand positioning around sustainability, diversity and inclusion issues, as well as consumer-to-consumer and social commerce.

Links:

• eMarketer website
• eMarketer on LinkedIn
• eMarketer on Facebook
• eMarketer on Twitter
• Insider Intelligence website
• Insider Intelligence on LinkedIn
• Insider Intelligence on Instagram
• Insider Intelligence on Twitter
• Matteo on LinkedIn
• Matteo on Twitter
• Matteo's website

This episode was sponsored by Bubbl.

Gabriel Karandyšovský is the Managing Editor at Nimdzi Insights LLC, which is a market research and international consulting company that focuses on the language services industry. Launched in 2017, Nimdzi Insights brings together localization analysts, international business consultants, and a variety of other experts and researchers, who help companies make better decisions around going global.

Originally from Slovakia, Gabriel speaks seven languages and has a degree in International Business from the Sorbonne University in Paris. He has worked in the language industry for over a decade, and has worn a few different hats: from sales and marketing, to creative copywriting, to localization project management, before eventually joining Nimdzi in 2019.

As Managing Editor, Gabriel now leads Nimdzi's team of researchers and writers, and oversees the company's publications. He helps clients make data-driven decisions about their global market entry through research on target demographics, consumer buying behaviour, brand awareness, and brand perception. He is based in the city of Brno, in the Czech Republic.

In this interview, Gabriel dives into the main takeaways from one of Nimdzi Insights' most talked-about reports of 2020, "Project Underwear: A Study of Online Buyer Behaviour and How Language Affects User Choice". He discusses why the "Underwear Effect" matters to your global content strategy, what the difference is between "traditional" localization markets and "next frontier" markets, how expectations around localized content vary from market to market, and much more.

Links:

• Nimdzi Insights website
• Report: Project Underwear
• TWM 137 with Renato Beninatto
• Nimdzi on LinkedIn
• Nimdzi on Facebook
• Nimdzi on YouTube
• Nimdzi on Instagram
• Nimdzi on Twitter
• Nimdzi's playlist on Spotify
• Gabriel on LinkedIn
• Gabriel on Twitter

This episode was sponsored by Bubbl.

Finn Murphy is the Principal at Frontline Ventures, a VC firm based in Europe. Founded in 2012, with offices in Dublin and London, Frontline has positioned itself as the venture firm for globally ambitious B2B companies on both sides of the Atlantic. Its focus is on B2B SaaS companies with international growth goals, either early-stage startups with sights on the U.S., or at later-stage companies looking to expand into Europe. It has two main programs: Frontline Seed, which speeds up ideas at inception across Europe, and Frontline X, which is a growth-stage fund, for fast and frictionless US-Europe expansion.

An entrepreneur at heart, Finn developed a passion for the tech startup and VC world while still while pursuing degrees in Math and Engineering at Dublin's Trinity College. He built his first successful software business – an application to digitize ID cards for students at Trinity – and launched it in 2016. The first product was a success, and the company was spun out as an independent business. He secured funding, won a prime spot at a local accelerator, and built out the company's core engineering team. After 18 months in operation iDly was snapped up by a larger Irish FinTech company.

Finn then shifted his attention to developing the B2C growth marketing strategy at Plynk. He built out a specialized team, driving installs to a peak of 1000 per day. This company later flopped but the lessons on the way down were just as valuable as the ones from the way up.

In 2018, Finn joined the Frontline Ventures team, where he is now looking to find and help grow the best new business ideas in Europe and the U.S. In addition to his responsibilities as Principal at Frontline, he also serves as a Board Member, Board Observer and Investor at several different tech startups.

In this interview, Finn talks about why Frontline Ventures chooses to invest in globally ambitious tech founders, what his criteria are for evaluating a startup's global growth potential, and what Frontline's recently published 2020 Global Ambition Report reveals about the keys to successful international expansion for B2B software companies.

Links:

• Frontline Ventures website
• Frontline's 2020 Global Ambition Report
• Frontline Ventures on LinkedIn
• Finn on LinkedIn

This episode was sponsored by the Think Global Awards, powered by Vistatec.

Hilary Normanha was first featured on episode #121 of this podcast. Since then, she has taken on the role of Localization Program Manager at ASICS Digital, which is a leading creator of mobile running apps. Originally founded as Runkeeper in 2008, it was one of the first apps available when the app store launched that year. It now has over 50 million users across 180 countries, and is available in 12 different languages. It was acquired by ASICS in 2016 as part of the group's plan to drive global expansion and improve the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) experience.

With a background in psychology, Hilary began her career over a decade ago as a professional translator and language instructor. In 2015, she became the International Program Manager at DTM Distributors, an international supply chain company in food distribution. A couple of years later, she joined a small tech company called Eezy as Product Localization Manager, and built the company's localization program from the ground up.

In 2019, Hilary joined ASICS Digital, where she now manages the localization program for the company's fitness apps. These include Runkeeper, a running and tracking app; ASICS Studio, a workout app; and Race Roster, a recently-acquired online registration platform for race organizers. Hilary works closely with a variety of teams within ASICS to ensure a fully localized product lifecycle for all of ASICS fitness apps.

Catch Hilary's valuable insights, as she talks about why a global retail brand like ASICS got into the business of developing and supporting fitness apps, and how ASICS Digital makes those apps relevant and engaging for millions of users around the world.

Links:

• ASICS Digital website
• ASICS Digital on LinkedIn
• ASICS Digital on Instagram
• Hilary on LinkedIn

This episode was sponsored by the Think Global Awards, powered by Vistatec.

Adam Asnes is the CEO of Lingoport, a recognized leader in internationalization and localization. Through its consulting services and software, Lingoport helps software companies globalize their products so that they work well in every target language and locale.

Lingoport's suite of software supports continuous internationalization, localization, and QA in every sprint and release, allowing companies to release globalized software on time, on budget, and with repeatable quality. Lingoport's clients include well-established global leaders such as Cisco, Dell, Intuit, CA and more, as well as companies that are new to software globalization.

As the Founder of Lingoport, Adam has been with the company since its launch in 2001. In his role, he oversees the company's marketing, sales, product development, consultant recruiting, and operations. He is based at Lingoport's headquarters, in Boulder, Colorado.

You won't want to miss this deep dive into how today's software companies can successfully handle the continuous internationalization (i18n), localization and QA of their products for global distribution. Adam talks about some important i18n best practices, shares some wonderfully honest opinions, and offers some helpful advice for software startups. Tune into the conversation!

Links:

• Lingoport website
• Lingoport resource library
• Lingoport blog
• Lingoport on LinkedIn
• Lingoport on Facebook
• Lingoport on Twitter
• Adam on LinkedIn
• Adam on Twitter

This episode was sponsored by the Think Global Awards, powered by Vistatec.

Nicole Barile is the Founder of NB Intercultural, a company dedicated to intercultural communication training. With over 15 years of experience helping clients to work effectively across cultures, she helps create globally minded leaders and organizations around the world.

Before launching her own business, Nicole spent 10 years working as the Executive Director of an intercultural consulting company in New York City. In 2014, she relocated to Cleveland, Ohio, to head up the intercultural training division at Dwellworks, a global relocation services firm. In 2018, she launched NB Intercultural, where her focus is now on training expatriates who are relocating to other countries, businesspeople navigating cross-cultural situations, and organizations dealing with issues around multicultural team dynamics.

Originally from the U.S., Nicole has traveled to over 40 countries, she has lived in Mexico and Argentina, and she speaks conversational Spanish and Portuguese. She holds a BA in Global Economics and an MA in Intercultural Relations from the University of the Pacific in California. Besides running her own business, she is a Visiting Lecturer and Workshop Facilitator at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. She is also a regular presenter, speaker, and writer on the topics of global leadership, cultural competence, doing business across borders, and working on multicultural teams.

In this interview, we discuss the importance of intercultural competence for today's global business leaders, the pitfalls of virtual-only communications in these pandemic times, and the benefits of intercultural communication training for global teams. Catch Nicole's valuable insights!

Links:

• Nicole's #futureofglobalwork website
• Nicole's Blog
• Nicole's 'Culture Bytes'
• NB Intercultural on LinkedIn
• Nicole on LinkedIn
• Nicole on Instagram
• Nicole on Twitter

This episode was sponsored by the Think Global Awards, powered by Vistatec.

For this episode, guest host Neil Sheth turns the tables on Kathrin Bussmann and puts her in the interview "hot seat". Neil is the Founder of London-based digital marketing & SEO agency Bubbl, and was featured on episode #198 of this podcast.

As an international marketing strategist, Kathrin Bussmann helps digital-first companies become successful global brands. She leverages up-to-date market research, cultural intelligence and localization expertise to creates global content strategies that attract, engage and retain more international customers. Her mission is to empower today's global-minded companies to build their brand value across languages, cultures and borders.

Born in Quebec of German immigrant parents, Kathrin grew up fluently trilingual and multicultural. She holds degrees in Communications Studies and Linguistics from the University of Ottawa, and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Humboldt Universität in Berlin.

Now based in Toronto, Kathrin launched her global marketing consultancy, Verbaccino, in 2014, and has been producing her award-winning show, The Worldly Marketer Podcast, since 2016. She is a member of the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA) and of The Global Chamber, as well as being a Co-Founder of Women in Localization Eastern Canada (WLEC) chapter.

Catch this very special episode, in which Kathrin talks about why she loves to work at the intersection of global business, content marketing and localization strategy, and why she thinks of them as pillars for today's successful brands. Plus, Neil has a big announcement! Tune in and find out who is taking a new role as Head of Content Localization at Bubbl to help clients build their brands on a global scale.

Links:

• Bubbl website
• Bubbl on LinkedIn
• TWM episode w/ Neil Sheth
• Kathrin on LinkedIn
• Kathrin on Twitter

This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Sharon Cohen is the Vice President, Fairmont Brand at Accor, one of the largest hospitality companies in the world. Originally founded in 1967 and headquartered in the Greater Paris Region, Accor has grown into a holistic ecosystem of more than 30 brands, 80 partnerships, and more than 5,000 hotels in 110 countries.

Originally from Canada, Sharon has more than 20 years of experience in hospitality brand management, loyalty programs, and customer relations. She began her career as a Manager at Fairmont's national sales office in New York, back in 2000, and she's been with Fairmont ever since – with the exception of a brief hiatus while the brand was being acquired by Accor in 2016. She rejoined the company in 2017 to take on her current role, and she is now based in Paris.

As the leader of the Fairmont brand within Accor, Sharon is responsible for Fairmont's global brand strategy, product development, positioning and brand standards. She works closely with other teams in AccorHotels' Luxury Brands organization to enhance and differentiate Fairmont's competitive position in the luxury hotel segment.

In this interview, Sharon talks about how Fairmont Hotels & Resorts evolved to become the iconic global brand we know today. "Unforgettable since 1907", Fairmont has stayed true to its core positioning across decades, cultures, geographies, and mergers. Find out how this venerable hospitality brand has been able to adapt to changing consumer trends, keep its branding relevant, and respond proactively to current global challenges.

Links:

• Fairmont Hotels & Resorts website
• Fairmont on LinkedIn
• Fairmont on Facebook
• Fairmont on Instagram
• Fairmont on YouTube
• Fairmont on Twitter
• Accor website
• Accor on LinkedIn
• Accor on Twitter
• Sharon on LinkedIn

This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

James Ellis is a recognized expert in Employer Branding. He is currently the Employer Branding Manager at Roku Inc., a Silicon Valley based company that pioneered streaming to TV. Before joining Roku, he was the Director of Employer Brand at Universum, a global employer branding consulting firm headquartered in Sweden. His previous roles also include Employer Brand Consultant at BEXConsultants and Global Director of Employment Brand at Groupon.

With a degree in Political Science and an MBA, James spent the first decade of his career working as a developer and web designer. After relocating to Chicago in 2010, he took on a series of senior leadership roles focused on digital strategy, eventually specialized in Employer Branding. His achievements include reinventing the employer brand of a public Fortune 1000 company, and being the first person to prove content positively impacts applications. He has also turned a failing brand-activation department into a multi-million-dollar growth engine, started a media-buying department from scratch, and expanded content and social offerings globally.

James is the inventor of the Recruiting Content Framework, the Employer Brand Manifesto and the first comprehensive Employer Brand Architecture. In addition to his current role at Roku Inc., he is a highly respected author and keynote speaker on the topic of Employer Branding, and he hosts a podcast called The Talent Cast. His two new books are entitled The Employer Brand Handbook and Talent Chooses You: Hire Better with Employer Branding.

In this interview, James explains the basic concept of Employer Brand, how it's directly connected to brand building overall, why companies need to get clear on their Employer Value Proposition, and why that EVP needs to be part of their global branding and marketing strategy.

Links:

• James' website
• Article: "The CMO's Guide to Employer Brand"
• James' books on Amazon
• Website: "Talent Chooses You"
• Podcast: "The Talent Cast"
• James on LinkedIn
• James on Facebook
• James on YouTube
• James on Twitter

This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.

Julio Leal is the Head of Localization at Ciena, a global leader in telecommunication networking systems, services and software. Originally founded in 1992 and headquartered in Maryland, U.S.A., Ciena now has over 65 offices around the globe, and about 6500 employees in more than 35 different countries. It has been described as the "world's biggest player in optical connectivity", and its customers include the likes of AT&T, Comcast, Rogers, Bell, Telus, Verizon, Telmex, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Korea Telecom, Rakuten, Sprint Corporation, and many more.

With a degree in Translation & Interpreting from the University of Granada, Julio started out his career in 1999 on the vendor side of the language industry. After working for a number of different translation companies, he moved to the client side in 2007, when he became an in-house Production and Localization Manager at SAP. In 2010, he took on his current role at Ciena, and has been leading the company's localization efforts from his remote office in Málaga ever since.

In parallel with his work at Ciena, Julio has gone on to obtain a degree in Web Globalization Management from Saint Louis University, a degree in Global Marketing from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and, most recently, an MBA. He also contributes to industry publications and speaks at industry events. I had a chance to catch his excellent presentation on the topic of B2B video localization at the June 2020 virtual edition of the Brand2Global Conference.

In this interview, Julio talks about how Ciena went from being a U.S.-centric company to the global enterprise it is today; how localization has contributed to the Ciena's growth; how the localization team is integrated into the content production process; why video content is so important to the company's global marketing strategy; and how to decide on the best processes and tools for the job, including a Content Management System (CMS) and Translation Management System (TMS). You won't want to miss the many valuable insights contained in this milestone episode!

Links:

• Ciena website
• Ciena on LinkedIn
• Ciena on Facebook
• Ciena on YouTube
• Ciena on Instagram
• Ciena on Twitter
• Julio on LinkedIn
• Julio on Twitter

This episode was sponsored by Vistatec.