5 cultural differences every brand should know

When brands expand internationally, their focus is often on language, budgets, and channels. Culture can sometimes be treated as something harder to quantify, or secondary. In practice, though, cultural differences shape how people search, how they assess credibility, how long they take to decide, and what ultimately persuades them to convert. For international SEO and paid media, this has real commercial consequences.

Across verticals like B2B, e-commerce, attractions and sightseeing, and financial services, we consistently see the same pattern: performance improves when brands adapt their strategy to local behaviours rather than assuming global consistency. Here are five cultural differences that brands need to account for.

1. How directly people expect to be spoken to

Some markets favour clear, explicit communication, often described as low-context cultures. Others place more emphasis on shared understanding, tone, and relationship-building, known as high-context cultures.

In countries such as the UK, US, Germany and the Netherlands, users typically respond well to direct messaging and clearly stated value propositions. In markets including Japan, China and South Korea, communication tends to be more implicit, with greater attention paid to formality, hierarchy and presentation.

This plays out in both SEO and paid media. Direct calls to action and feature-led copy often perform well in low-context markets. In high-context cultures, users are more likely to engage with content that provides background, reassurance and narrative before asking for commitment.

For B2B brands, for example, this can affect how quickly you introduce pricing or demos. For e-commerce and attractions, it influences how hard you push urgency. For finance, it often determines how much educational content is required before conversion.

What this means for marketers:

• Review tone, calls to action, and page structure for each market.
• Avoid assuming a globally consistent copy style will perform everywhere.
• In some regions, simplifying and speeding up journeys improves results.
• In other markets, adding context, explanation, and softer transitions increases engagement and conversion.

2. Whether decisions are individual or collective

Cultural attitudes towards decision-making vary significantly. In more individualist markets such as the UK and US, marketing tends to focus on personal benefit, efficiency, and competitive advantage. In more collectivist cultures, including much of Asia and Latin America, decisions are often shaped by wider stakeholders, family considerations, or organisational consensus. These differences align with Hofstede’s individualism–collectivism dimension, which highlights how social context influences behaviour and priorities.

This affects keyword strategy and funnel design. B2B buying cycles are long and usually involve several stakeholders. In collectivist markets, wider research and a stronger focus on consensus mean SEO content needs to speak to multiple decision-makers and cover more concerns. In e-commerce and travel, social proof and group-focused messaging often work better than individual benefits. In financial services, reassurance around long-term stability and shared outcomes can be more persuasive than short-term gains.

What this means for marketers:

• Think beyond a single buyer persona.
• Map who influences decisions in each market.
• Ensure your content and paid media support that wider audience.
• Provide broader topic coverage in SEO and more layered messaging in paid campaigns.

3. What signals credibility locally

Trust is not universal. Different markets rely on different signals to assess legitimacy. Some cultures value formal authority, certifications, and institutional backing, while others respond more to peer reviews, transparent pricing, and detailed product information.

For paid media, this affects creative strategy: in some markets, highlighting accreditations or partnerships improves click-through rates, while in others, testimonials, case studies, or comparisons work better. For SEO, it shapes page structure – for example, financial services users in one country may expect regulatory information, while in another they prioritise FAQs or customer experiences.

These differences are often rooted in deeper historical and cultural attitudes to risk, authority, and data. As Nick, a German LIME, explains: “Some Germans are genuinely fearful about where their data goes… it’s very real. Post-war Germany built layers of regulation to prevent abuse of power, and that mindset still shapes how people view GDPR, bureaucracy, and data protection today.”

What this means for marketers:

• Adapt trust signals to local expectations.
• Highlight formal authority or certifications where relevant.
• Use peer reviews, case studies, or comparisons in markets where these carry more weight.
• Consider deeper cultural or historical factors that influence confidence and risk perception. Use local experts to guide you.

4. How much certainty people need before converting

Some cultures are comfortable making quick decisions with limited information, while others prefer to reduce risk through detailed research. Markets with higher sensitivity to uncertainty – what Hofstede describes as high uncertainty avoidance – typically expect comprehensive content: clear policies, extensive FAQs, product specifications, and transparent processes. This is particularly visible in finance, B2B software, and higher-value e-commerce.

From an SEO perspective, this can translate into longer, more considered search journeys. Users ask detailed questions and visit multiple pages before converting. From a paid media perspective, landing pages need depth and structure, not just speed. In attractions and sightseeing, this shows up in demand for practical details such as accessibility, cancellations, and timings. In B2B, it drives the need for technical content and implementation guidance.

What this means for marketers:

• Match content depth to local expectations and risk tolerance.
• Invest in supporting pages, detailed landing experiences, and reassurance-led messaging in high uncertainty markets.
• Avoid forcing short funnels where users expect more information.
• Consider how this affects SEO, paid media, and funnel design across verticals.

5. How people search, and what they expect to find

Even when users share the same search engine, their behaviour varies widely by market. Query phrasing, content expectations and engagement patterns differ. Add local platforms such as Baidu or Naver, plus the growing role of AI-generated summaries, and international SEO becomes as much behavioural as technical.

Some markets prioritise brand authority. Others lean more heavily on informational content. Some users expect concise answers. Others prefer comprehensive resources. This affects everything from keyword mapping and content structure to schema, internal linking and page layout. It also reinforces the importance of clarity, especially as AI systems increasingly surface structured content directly in results.

What this means for marketers:

• Treat international SEO as a local search strategy, not just scaled translation.
• Invest in in-market keyword research and content planning.
• Ensure pages are structured clearly for both users and AI systems.

Final thoughts

Without genuine local insight, international marketing performance can be constrained by assumptions about culture. In practice, culture is complex: behaviours and expectations vary not just between countries, but within them, shaped by regions, migration, and local context. Brands that succeed internationally recognise these nuances and adapt their SEO, paid media, and content strategies accordingly. To find out how Oban can help you navigate cultural differences in a globalised world, get in touch.