Context collapse:
The hidden risk in AI-powered marketing

How you speak to a friend at a festival is not how you’d present in a boardroom – and the difference comes down to context. Most of us grasp this instinctively in our personal lives. But context plays out at a cultural level too – and if you’re trying to reach international audiences, understanding cultural context is essential.

One of the best frameworks to make sense of this is the concept of high and low context cultures, first developed by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in the 1970s. Despite its age, the framework remains relevant – perhaps even more so today, given the pace of digital change, the rise of AI-generated content, and increasingly globalised audiences.

So what does this mean for global marketing in 2025? Let’s explore how context influences everything from campaign tone to content design – and how to avoid sounding tone-deaf in markets that don’t communicate like yours.

What are high context and low context cultures?

Edward T. Hall proposed that cultures vary in how much they rely on context to convey meaning. At one end of the spectrum are low context cultures, where communication is direct and explicit. At the other end are high context cultures, where meaning is embedded in the situation, relationships, and non-verbal cues.

Low context cultures tend to:

• Value clarity and explicitness
• Prioritise written and spoken word
• Favour detailed documentation and clear rules
• See communication as a straightforward exchange of ideas
• Prefer direct, to-the-point advertising and messaging

Think: the US, Germany, Switzerland, Scandinavia

High context cultures tend to:

• Communicate indirectly or implicitly
• Rely heavily on tone, gesture, facial expression, and shared understanding
• Place greater emphasis on trust and relationships
• Expect messages to be interpreted within a wider social or situational context
• Prefer symbolism, metaphor, and storytelling over straight exposition

Think: Japan, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, China

Crucially, most countries aren’t fixed at one end of the scale – they exist along a sliding spectrum, and the relative difference between cultures often matters more than any absolute ranking. Plus, internal variation – regional, generational, and demographic – means context is anything but static.

Why this matters more than ever in 2025

In theory, AI should help bridge communication gaps. But in practice, AI-generated content can flatten nuance – particularly cultural nuance – because it tends to default to low context, literal language unless otherwise guided.

That’s fine for factual answers. But for marketing, especially in high context markets where trust, symbolism and subtlety matter, it can lead to blandness or even cultural misfires.

Meanwhile, search itself is changing. Google’s shift towards AI Overviews, AI Mode, and the rise of generative platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity means that search results increasingly synthesise answers across sources, sometimes removing the original cultural or linguistic framing. In this landscape, how you communicate – not just what you say – affects whether your brand cuts through.

Add in global shifts – rising multilingualism, increased international migration, younger digital-native audiences – and context becomes even more fluid. Today’s international marketers need sharper tools and deeper insight than ever before.

Real-world implications for marketing

So what does this mean in practice? Here’s how understanding the context spectrum can shape more effective international campaigns:

For low context audiences:

• Prioritise clarity, simplicity and structure
• Use direct calls to action and descriptive headlines
• Provide clear product benefits and evidence-based claims
• Design clean, easy-to-navigate websites
• Avoid ambiguity: it’s seen as evasive, not intriguing

For high context audiences:

• Use imagery, metaphor and storytelling to convey meaning
• Accept a degree of ambiguity, especially if visually or emotionally engaging
• Build trust by showing shared values or relationships
• Invest in brand tone and symbolism
• Allow space for the audience to interpret, not just receive

Visual design matters too:

• Low context: clean layouts, precise product shots, minimal text
• High context: richer visuals, symbolic or relational imagery, layered design

And it’s not just content, it’s the delivery too. A direct approach might come across as brusque or patronising in a high context culture. Likewise, subtlety might be lost or seem evasive in a low context one.

Tips for cross-cultural collaboration

Whether you’re briefing a local team, reviewing ad creative, or joining an international pitch meeting, here’s how to bridge context gaps:

If you’re from a low context culture working with a high context culture:

• Don’t take words at face value – look for what’s not being said
• Read body language and tone carefully
• Be patient; decision-making may hinge on relationships, not just facts
• Avoid too much bluntness; rapport often matters more than efficiency

If you’re from a high context culture working with a low context culture:

• Say what you mean – don’t expect your audience to ‘read between the lines’
• Use structured formats (e.g. bullet points, key takeaways)
• State your conclusion first; don’t save it till the end
• Follow up in writing to confirm shared understanding

AI, localisation and the risk of context collapse

One risk of using generative AI tools in international marketing is context collapse – where subtle cues, tone and meaning are flattened or misrepresented. A perfectly translated sentence may still fail if it lacks the cultural framing that gives it relevance.

That’s why local human insight remains indispensable. While AI can streamline and scale, it doesn’t replace the nuance that comes from people who live, breathe and intuitively understand their market.

Use local experts to get the context right

At Oban, we’ve seen first-hand how a misplaced phrase, image or tone can derail an otherwise solid campaign. Our network of over 450 Local In-Market Experts (LIMEs) across 80+ countries ensures that cultural and linguistic nuance is baked into everything from copy and design to paid media and UX.

Whether you’re launching into a new market or refining an existing campaign, our LIMEs help you:

• Avoid cultural missteps
• Tailor your messaging style to the audience’s expectations
• Localise with empathy, not just accuracy
• Identify subtle language nuances that can make or break engagement
• Spot emerging local trends before they go mainstream

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Need help navigating cultural nuance in your international campaigns? Get in touch to find out how we can help your brand succeed across borders.