The Worldly Marketer Podcast

Simon Kemp is the Founder & CEO at Kepios, a digital marketing consultancy that helps brands make sense of the future. He's also the Chief Analyst at DataReportal, an online library of up-to-date reports that explore people's digital behaviours around the world. These free reports, which he produces in collaboration with Hootsuite and We Are Social, provide current, country-by-country information on everything from Internet penetration rates to online activities such as social-media usage and e-commerce.

Originally from Scotland, Simon been based in Singapore since 2007, and he has become a perennial guest on this podcast. I've featured him on six previous episodes, most recently on episode #153.

On this episode, Simon joins me to talk about his very latest report: the April 2020 Global Statshot, a quarterly update to the Global Digital Reports that he published in January 2020. Among other things, this update includes recent data from GlobalWebIndex on changes in people's online behaviours since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Make sure to catch Simon's analysis of some emerging trends in global Internet usage, and what they may mean for marketers going forward.

Links:

• DataReportal website
• DataReportal on LinkedIn
• DataReportal on Facebook
• DataReportal on Twitter
• Digital 2020: April Global Statshot Report
• Digital 2020: Global Digital Overview
• Digital 2020: Global Digital Yearbook
• GlobalWebIndex website
• Hootsuite website
• WeAreSocial website
• Kepios website
• Kepios on LinkedIn
• Kepios on Twitter
• Simon on LinkedIn
• Simon on Twitter

Ashley Dudarenok is a China marketing expert based in Hong Kong. She is the founder of Alarice, a China-focused social media agency, and ChoZan, a China insights and training company. Originally from Vladivostok, Ashley attended school in England, New Zealand and Russia, before moving to China in 2006. After only one year of studying the Mandarin language at Chongqing University, she went on to pursue a business degree there. In 2010, she relocated to Hong Kong, embarked on a career in marketing, and became a serial entrepreneur.

Today, Ashley runs three successful companies, and has travelled the world as a keynote speaker, sharing her expertise on modern Chinese consumers, Chinese social media marketing, and China's new retail and technology. Her clients include global brands such as Coca Cola, Disneyland, BMW, IWC, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Deutsche Bundesbank, TEDx, and many more.

In addition to her work as a business owner and speaker, Ashley runs a popular YouTube vlog, where she discussed the Chinese market, consumers and social media, and she hosts a podcast where she interviews top thought leaders from across Asia about entrepreneurship, marketing, women in business, China, tech, and more. Ashley is the author of three international Amazon bestsellers about China. She is also a regular contributor to the South China Morning Post, the Next Web, and China Daily, and she is often featured in other media such as Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and WIRED.

Links:

• Alarice website
• Alarice on LinkedIn
• ChoZan website
• ChoZan on LinkedIn
• FIRE by Ashley website (mentorship program)
• FIRE by Ashley on LinkedIn
• Ashley Talks blog
• Ashley's books on Amazon
• Ashley on the China Speakers Bureau website
• Ashley on LinkedIn
• Ashley on YouTube
• Ashley on Facebook
• Ashley on Instagram
• Ashley on Twitter

Frida Owinga is an entrepreneur, business coach and mentor based in Nairobi, Kenya. She is the Founder of PassionProfit, a company that helps emerging entrepreneurs build profitable businesses through professional coaching and mentorship. Her goal is to help her clients generate revenues of $1 million or more, and thereby contribute to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals of reducing poverty, creating decent work and economic growth, and promoting gender equality.

Frida has 25 years of business experience in a variety of sectors, such as banking, retail, hospitality, beauty, international trade, and not-for-profit organizations. She has worked across different geographies, including the U.S., the U.K., Japan, South Africa, and East Africa. Over the course of her career, she has discovered that entrepreneurship can be fun when you have the right information and the right support to be more resourceful.

Besides her work at PassionProfit, Frida also serves as the Executive Vice President and President-Elect of the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT). Founded in 1989, OWIT is a non-profit organization whose mission is to foster united trade around the globe and to promote the advancement of women in business. In her role, Frida helps women across the globe to establish OWIT chapters in their cities by providing them with support to set up a Board, programming and membership-recruitment strategies.

Links:

• PassionProfit website
• PassionProfit on LinkedIn
• PassionProfit Brands on Facebook
• PassionProfit on Twitter
• SME Founders Association website
• OWIT website
• OWIT on LinkedIn
• OWIT on Facebook
• OWIT on Twitter
• Kenyan National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) website
• Kenya Private Sector Alliance website
• KenInvest website
• GroYourBiz website
• Frida on LinkedIn
• Frida on Facebook

Note: this interview was recorded in February 2020, before the spread of COVID-19 caused Nairobi to go into lockdown. Please join me in wishing Frida and her fellow citizens all the strength and resilience they need to get through the current pandemic and to emerge stronger on the other side.

- Kathrin Bussmann

Susanna Fiorini is a translation, localization and global communications expert, who has a special knowledge of the Italian market. As an independent consultant, she works with a wide variety of organizations and industries, helping them to develop their international brand image through tailored localization and global communication strategies.

Born and raised in Rome, Susanna relocated to Paris in 2008 to pursue her studies in French language and literature, and she has been based there ever since. In 2011, while completing a Masters' degree in translation at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, she launched her own consultancy, offering a range of language services, from translation and localization to transcreation, copywriting, and more. She also designs special training programs on translation and localization best practices for university students, developers, communication and marketing teams, as well as product teams.

Susanna has worked for renowned brands, institutions and start-ups in a variety of fields, including software and IT, finance and economics, arts and culture, fashion, beauty and luxury, sports, and the public sector. In addition to her consulting work, she recently became an Associate Professor at her alma mater, the École Supérieure d'Interprètes et de Traducteurs (ESIT) of the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle.

Links:

• Susanna's website
• Susanna on LinkedIn
• Susanna on Twitter

Note:

This interview was recorded before the COVID-19 crisis escalated to become the full-blown pandemic that we now see unfolding globally. While all countries are grappling with the rapid spread of this virus, its fallout has been particularly catastrophic in Italy. My thoughts and best wishes go out to everyone who is affected by the current crisis. In the context of this podcast episode, I want to offer my particular sympathies to the Italian people, who are experiencing a national tragedy of historic proportions.

Sto pensando a tutti voi e vi auguro buona salute.

- Kathrin Bussmann

Shane Jacobs is a Business Advisor at Global Upside, a U.S.-based firm that helps companies set up and grow their international operations in an efficient, compliant way. Founded in 1999 in Silicon Valley, Global Upside now empowers clients in over 150 countries – from established multinationals to high-growth companies – by providing world-class HR, Payroll, Accounting, Tax, Talent Acquisition and other services. Its proprietary HR technology is the only cloud-based time and benefits management software that is compliance-ready for more than 40 countries right out of the box.

With a degree in International Business and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, Shane has been passionate about international business ever since he had the opportunity to live and work in France over 25 years ago. In 2019, with over a decade of professional experience under his belt, he took on his role at Global Upside.

Now based in Mesa, Arizona, Shane supports businesses as they embark on their international expansion, he assists them in hiring foreign employees through Global Upside's Professional Employer Organization (PEO), and he provides tools and resources for them to stay in compliance in each new country they enter. He believes that taking a business global, entering foreign markets, and accessing foreign talent all have a tremendous upside. But he also knows that navigating the complexities of global expansion can leave a company vulnerable if not done properly. Catch his valuable insights!

Links:

• Global Upside website
• Global PEO Services website
• Mihi HR software
• Gava Talent Solutions website
• Global Upside Corporation website
• Global Upside on LinkedIn
• Thunderbird School of Global Management
• Shane on LinkedIn

This episode was sponsored by memoQ.

Cynthia Dearin is the Head of Dearin & Associates, an international business consulting firm that helps clients to access opportunities in fast-growing foreign markets. Based in Sydney, Australia, the firm works with micro-to-medium sized companies to speed up and de-risk their international expansion process and help them get their products and services to the world. Cynthia is also the Founder of the International Business Accelerator, a 12-month program that she launched in 2017.

With a background in International Studies, Law, Middle East Politics, and Arabic, Cynthia has over a decade of experience as an international business strategist. She speaks three different languages and has lived in France, the U.K., the U.S., North Africa, and the Middle East, as well as in her native Australia.

In addition to her work at Dearin & Associates, Cynthia is an experienced keynote speaker, a podcaster, and the author of the best-selling book "Camels, Sheikhs and Billionaires: Your Guide to Business Culture in the Middle East & North Africa". She's currently working on her next book, "Business Beyond Borders: How to Take Your Company Global".

• Dearin & Associates website
• Dearin & Associates blog
• Dearin & Associates on LinkedIn
• International Business Accelerator webpage
• Australian Trade and Investment Commission website
• U.S. Commercial Service website
• Canadian Trade Commissioner Service website
• Cynthia's book: "Camels, Sheikhs and Billionaires"
• Cynthia's podcast: "Business Beyond Borders"
• Cynthia's personal website
• Cynthia on LinkedIn
• Cynthia on Twitter

This episode was sponsored by memoQ.

Lauren Hallanan is the Head of Marketing at Chatly, a New York based company that helps global brands connect with consumers via WeChat, China's most important social media app. Having spent more than eight years living, studying and working in China, she is fluent in Mandarin and she has become a recognized expert on Chinese social media marketing, influencer marketing, live streaming, and social commerce.

Born and raised in the U.S, Lauren first travelled to China in 2009 to study the Mandarin language. She eventually had the opportunity to work in the Chinese entertainment, PR, live-streaming, and influencer marketing industries – even becoming an online influencer herself. In 2018, she co-authored a bestselling book called Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers, and KOLs. She also runs what is possibly the only website completely dedicated to analyzing the Chinese live-streaming industry: China Live.

In her role at Chatly, Lauren now helps brands and investors understand and interpret Chinese social media marketing and consumer trends. She is a regular contributor to online publications including Forbes and Jing Daily, she writes a newsletter called China Marketing Insights, and she is the host of the China Marketing Podcast.

Links:

• Chatly website
• Chatly on Facebook
• Chatly on LinkedIn
• Chatly on Twitter
• Lauren's website about live-streaming in China: China Live
• Lauren's China Marketing Podcast
• Lauren's personal website
• Lauren on LinkedIn
• Lauren on Twitter

This episode was sponsored by memoQ and the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA)

Arnold Ma is the Founder and CEO at Qumin, an award-winning Chinese digital creative agency based in London and Shanghai. Launched in 2012, Qumin helps its clients build their global brands in China and beyond by delivering creative marketing campaigns based on Chinese audience behaviours. As China and Asia move faster into the digital future than their Western counterparts, my guest believes that the East is becoming the place for those who want to make their mark, and for brands who want to lead where others will follow.

With a background in engineering and network security, Arnold has been working in the digital marketing field for over 15 years. His big purpose in life, as he'll tell you over a steamed bun in Camden Town, is to "Open the world to China". His belief is that only Digital can make that happen quickly, that the time is now, and that Digital is most powerful when it's used to connect people, cultures, and brands. Besides his role work at Qumin, he is a speaker, a writer, a podcast host and a technophile.

In this episode, Arnold shares some incredibly valuable insights for Western brands that are looking to enter China or have already made their market entry there. In particular, he gives his perspective around marketing in the time of coronavirus concerns, he talks about some current consumer trends that are being reinforced as a result, and he discusses the importance of Douyin, a.k.a. TikTok, in the Chinese social media landscape.

Links:

• Qumin website
• Qumin on LinkedIn
• Qumin on Vimeo
• Qumin on YouTube
• Qumin on Twitter
• "China, WTF?!?" on Apple Podcasts
• "China, WTF?!" on YouTube
• Arnold on LinkedIn

This episode is sponsored by memoQ and the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).

Chris Englund is the Vice President of International Operations at ActiveCampaign, a software company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 2003, ActiveCampaign helps businesses to connect and engage with their customers through email marketing, marketing automation, and CRM tools.

Born and raised in the U.S., Chris speaks five different languages, and holds a degree in Latin American Studies and an MBA in Marketing. He began his international career in 2006, and has spent time living and working in Korea as well as in France. Before joining ActiveCampaign, he spent nine years working at HubSpot, most recently as the company's International Go To Market Lead. In that role, he enabled HubSpot to build a more global-friendly product, with the objective of providing equal value and functionality irrespective of a user's location or language of marketing, sales and service content.

In September 2019, Chris took on his current role at ActiveCampaign, where he now oversees the company's international operations. So far, those operations encompass more than 525 employees worldwide and offices on three different continents, serving over 90,000 small businesses in over 160 countries around the globe.

Links:

• ActiveCampaign website
• ActiveCampaign on LinkedIn
• ActiveCamapign on YouTube
• ActiveCampaign on Facebook
• ActiveCampaign on Twitter
• Chris on LinkedIn

This episode was sponsored by the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).

Basil Ennab is the Manager of Market Intelligence at MaRS Discovery District, which is located in Toronto, Canada. Touted as North America's largest urban innovation hub, MaRS supports over 1,200 startups in the Health, Cleantech, Fintech, and Enterprise sectors. From advisory services to connections to talent, capital, customers and more, MaRS offers a range of high-value services that help high-growth companies succeed. It also provides access to a curated ecosystem of entrepreneurs, and investors, as well as partners in the corporate, academic and government sectors. Today, MaRS is reshaping other cities around the world, and has been at the forefront of a wave of change that extends from Melbourne to Amsterdam, from San Francisco to London from Medellín to Los Angeles, and from Paris to New York.

In his current role at MaRS, Basil focuses on Market Development, helping later-stage startups to scale and expand globally. He is also the team lead for Open Banking, where he collaborates with stakeholders to drive system-level change that enables improved access to customers and markets.

Prior to joining MaRS, Basil spent more than five years in the finance industry, working in equity research and advisory roles covering Large Cap North American financial equities. He speaks three different languages, and holds a degree in Commerce as well as an MBA. He is entrepreneur at heart, with a passion for investing and tech. In his free time, he writes a blog about impact investing called "When Thoughts Collide".

Links:

• MaRS Discovery District website
• MaRS Startup Toolkit
• MaRS on LinkedIn
• MaRS on YouTube
• MaRS on Facebook
• MaRS on Instagram
• MaRS on Twitter
• EDC Blog article: "4 tools to help size up your global competition"
• Basil's blog: When Thoughts Collide
• Basil on LinkedIn

This episode was sponsored by the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).