From Coffee in a Tea Market to “Dinosaur” Software: The World’s Most Misunderstood Global Campaigns - Show #151

Wendy Pease sits down with global marketing strategist Jen Faucon, whose career spans major agencies and multinational brands. She now works at the intersection of global business, public policy, and sustainable development. Jen’s core message is simple (and surprisingly tactical): great global marketing isn’t about giant budgets. It’s about smart strategy, cultural precision, and building systems that let local markets tell you when your “great idea” will backfire. You’ll learn: How Nestlé successfully introduced coffee in a tea-drinking country by shifting consumer behavior to a new moment of the day and using a simple Try → Share → Buy framework instead of expensive mass media. Why translation is a strategic and cultural risk decision, not a tactical task, including how colloquialisms, imagery, and language choices can either build trust or get a brand banned from advertising in a market. How global brands like Microsoft adapt one core idea across dozens of markets by keeping the strategy consistent while allowing local teams to change copy, visuals, humor, and layout to fit cultural norms.