Today in Global Small Business: Ad Campaigns That Are More Inclusive Have a Positive Impact

©iStock/Sakorn Sukkasemsakorn

What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• A new academic research carried out for the advertising industry suggests that “Go woke, go broke," the snappy catchphrase devised by rightwing groups as a warning to brands, has got it all wrong.  New evidence that ad campaigns that are more inclusive have a positive impact on profits, sales and brand worth.
• Bed Bath & Beyond is pursuing global sales in key international markets, starting with a licensing agreement for stores in Mexico.
• Quote of the week: “Never write an advertisement which you wouldn’t want your own family to read. You wouldn’t tell lies to your own wife. Don’t tell them to mine. Do as you would be done by. If you tell lies about a product, you will be found out…” – David Ogilvy
• The NFL is going global and that's a good thing (to some).
• Last week the Private Label Manufacturers Association met in Amsterdam, this week the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors meets in Vancouver and next week CIES, The Food Business Forum, convenes in Paris.  Global retailing is happening.
• The digital public infrastructure (DPI) of India is increasingly finding traction in other countries – truly global – and its reach is only going to increase.  

Paintings That You Struggle With

©2024 Laurel J, Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"You learn more from paintings that you really struggle with." – Dale Grimshaw 

The Field Guide to Going Global

©iStock/royyimzy

This latest edition of the Field Guide to Going Global from Baker McKenzie helps you examine foreign law issues for taking business models, products and technology international. Their guidance should be helpful whether you are working for a start-up company or a large multinational enterprise that is broaching new frontiers.

The guide addresses these questions:  Are you considering expanding into new jurisdictions? Are you aware which foreign laws and legal issues matter most? Have you prepared a detailed statement of facts, plans and questions for counsel?

What the World Thought of the U.S. Harris-Trump Debate 9/10/24

©iStock/Anamarija Mrkic

The first debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump was closely watched not only in the U.S. but around the world.

From Beijing to Budapest, here's how the debate went down, according to BBC foreign correspondents.

Is the U.S. a Good Example of Democracy?

©iStock/izanbar

The most common view – held by 72% of Americans – is that democracy in the U.S. used to be a good example, but has not been in recent years. Another 8% of Americans say U.S. democracy has never been a good example for other countries to follow.

Do you agree or disagree?  Read the analysis, which indicate that Americans are much more likely than people in other countries to say U.S. democracy used to be a good example. A median of 40% of adults across 34 other countries surveyed in 2024 take this view.

Why Language Barriers Are Still Holding Back Global Business Growth

©iStock/Tashatuvango

Going global is increasingly on a CEO’s and a CMO’s to-do list. In the UK alone, 87% of those businesses who trade internationally are planning on expanding their overseas operations this year, with a further 10% aiming to step outside the UK for the first time.

That’s a lot of cross-market communication campaigns. But, despite emerging technologies helping business bridge borders more easily than ever before, they’re still being held back by language barriers – to the tune of almost £50bn per year in the UK.

In this age of instantaneous tech, a lack of language skills is still putting global business success on mute. How can marketers avoid getting lost in translation?

Find out here.

Today in Global Small Business: Eight Essential International Business Skills

©iStock/Rawpixel

What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• Eight essential international business skills.
• Master international growth with these winning strategies.
• Quote of the week:  “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
• US tightens export controls on quantum kit and chips for China, Iran and Russia.
• Embargoed and sanctioned countries.
• Why exporting should be a part of your business strategy.

Book of Hope

©2024 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"Summer was about freedom and youth and no school and possibilities and adventure and exploration. Summer was a book of hope." – Benjamin Alire Sáenz 

Is India a Legitimate Option for Global Factory Production?

©iStock/natatravel

Roughly one of every four shipping containers passing through India is loaded or unloaded at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port on the west coast of India, on the docks jutting into the Arabian Sea just south of Mumbai. The flow of containers has roughly tripled over the past two decades, reaching the equivalent of 6.4 million 20-foot boxes last year.

Yet by the standards of the world’s largest ports — many of them in China — it remains a small operation.

Find out how India is now pursuing an aggressive campaign to catch up, readying plans for new ports while expanding existing docks. 

What Is the World's Most Multilingual Website?

©iStock/Wirestock

John Yunker – web globalization geek at Byte Level Research and also a prolific author of books, plays and short stories – always does his thorough research and has the answer to the question:  What is the world's most multilingual website? 

He says, "One might assume that tech leaders like Facebook and Google lead the internet in languages."

He goes on to say, "Yet according to recent analysis, the two most linguistically fluent websites on the internet are managed by not-for-profit organizations: The Jehovah’s Witnesses and Wikipedia."

Read on to discover the world's most multilingual website.

A Strong Dollar Is Good For the American Economy

©iStock/CalypsoArt

The United States has benefited from a profound shift in global capital flow, which has boosted the dollar.  But why is a strong dollar in America's best interests?

Not only does a strong dollar mean that there is a healthy demand for American-made goods and services, but, perhaps more important, it’s also a show of confidence in the U.S. government and financial institutions.

Learn how the shift in global capital flow has boosted the dollar, which should continue as the global economy adjusts to higher inflation and higher interest rates. 

Women Entrepreneurs Have the Fastest Growing Businesses in the United States

©iStock/Jacob Wackerhausen

From small shops to bold startups, women are trailblazing into entrepreneurship and making things happen on their own terms. But the playing field isn’t quite equal yet. Behind the breakthroughs, female founders still see more doors closed than opened regarding funding and fair chances. The percentage of women who started a business in the last year was 47%, compared to 44% for men.

Businesses owned and operated by black females in the United States between 2014 and 2019 increased by 50%. About 2.7 million enterprises in the United States are owned and managed by black women.

Learn more about the top major women entrepreneur statistics.  And see how many women entrepreneurs are turning to global expansion for growth.

Today in Global Small Business: What Will Sweeping Tariffs Across China Cost the United States? Plus, U.S.A. Labor Day

©iStock/vchal

What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• With Donald Trump and Kamala Harris neck-and-neck in polls ahead of the United States presidential election, many are wondering how a second Trump administration would approach China, imposing sweeping tariffs, for example.
• Top geopolitical risks of 2024.
• Quote of the week:  "We must dare to be great; and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage." – Theodore Roosevelt
• Fed signals September rate cut and other economy stories to read this week (8/23/24).
• Why is cross-cultural communication important?
• Ongoing global supply chain challenges.
• History of Labor Day – may it be reflective.