🌏 Jollibee, National Identity, and Differentiation

His fortune is worth $3.2 billion. He founded a fast food chain that today boasts 1,500 restaurants worldwide. His name is Tony Tan Caktiong, but if you don't know him, perhaps you know his company, Jollibee, a quick service restaurant phenomenon.

Tony started this business in the Philippines in 1978. Three years later, McDonald's came in, and he had to decide whether to compete or join them. He decided to compete. Today, his business has a thriving presence in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, East Asia (Hong Kong and Macau), North America, and Europe (Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom).

I'll admit it. I only first heard of Jollibee this past July, while visiting Scotland. As we walked around touring Glasgow with my family, my then 9-year-old daughter said, "OMG! Jollibee!" and ran excitedly toward the door. She shouted to her younger sister, "Come on! Let's see if they have the peach-mango pie!" My two girls literally jumped up and down when it was confirmed by the teller that yes, they had it available.

My daughters also wanted to try the Chickenjoy meal with Jolly Spaghetti, Yumburger, Palabok Fiesta, Adobo Rice, and Pineapple Quencher. Because they were hungry jet lagged, and thrilled by this highlight of, er, Scotland, we said... ummm, okay, sure? This felt surreal. I had no idea what this place was, nor did my husband. We googled it, slightly stunned, while our kids tried the chain's signature dishes and fawned over how amazing it was that they finally got to experience this in real life.

How could kids from America become so excited about the Jollibee brand, before ever setting food inside of one? You guessed it. Social media. My older daughter is a major fan of Filipino food channels on YouTube Kids (yes, this is a thing). While I knew she loved those channels (trending for her, along with K-Pop, C-Pop, and J-Pop), I was surprised that she knew about Jollibee before I did.

I thought I knew a thing or two about Filipino food culture. Not only had my husband and I often witnessed these YouTube Kids foodie influencers our daughters enjoyed watching. We had visited the Philippines ourselves and enjoyed the local cuisine tremendously. We had even talked to our kids about some of the dishes we tried there - like the famous purple yam ice cream for example. But fast food? I did not associate that with the Philippines. Let alone... when in Scotland!

After researching the company further, I was amazed at how many times Jollibee opened up locations only to close them down. They opened and closed in Taiwan. And Malaysia. And Indonesia. And one would think these are "easy" markets in close proximity to their home country, but nope. Southeast Asia is a complex region of the world to operate in, with a tremendous population and a huge diversity of cultures, economies, tastes, and competitors in each of these countries.

One interesting lesson from Jollibee's international expansion story? Timing is everything. If at first you don't succeed in a new market, consider re-entry later on.

Eventually, Jollibee went back to Malaysia and opened up seven locations there. They also opened and closed a location in Dubai, but then re-entered the market in 2015 and now have 16 franchises operating there today. I love their story, because it shows the importance of trying different strategies with international expansion, and also shows how timing can make or break you in a new local market. Sometimes, you get it right. Sometimes you don't. While mistakes can be costly, it doesn't mean you have to go sour on an entire market. Absorb the lessons, apply them in the future, and keep going global.

Armed with more information about this "new" brand emerging into our lives and called Jollibee, my kids and I left Scotland with one more interesting local<global experience under our belts. And that's when I learned that they are not actually new at all, but started back in the 1970s, and have been expanding ever since.

Is Jollibee popular where you are? As of today, they're moving into North America more and more, with 72 locations in the United States and 29 in Canada. Keep an eye out, because persistence, patience, and willingness to adapt to local needs really matter, when you're building a global brand. And they seem to have all of those elements.

My last lesson from Jollibee? It's only natural that your own children should educate you on international expansion. This is especially true if you're a so-called "expert" on going global. ;-)

What It Takes to Be "One of Us"

I'm often asked about whether a company should use a language-led strategy or a country-led strategy for going to market in new geographies. The answer? It depends, but usually you need a mix of both to succeed. I always advise mapping your countries to a primary language, so that when you make content decisions, you can think about it from a language lens as well as country.

How you define your own target market is important, because it ultimately relates to understanding how your customers view themselves. Well, some interesting data from Pew Research shows that where you're born is not actually viewed by most people as critical to how we identify in terms of nationality. It varies by country quite a bit.

What is far more important than birthplace for understanding national identity?

Language.

For any of us doing global work, when we're considering our customers, it's interesting to know that language is actually the cornerstone of national identity.

To me, what this means, is that if you want to be customer-centric, language should be a cornerstone of your go-to-market strategy, and the way you think about, well, basically, everything when expanding internationally.

More and more companies are taking a language-first approach when thinking about how to create content for globally diverse audiences. Obviously, the best path is to use both language and country whenever possible (an important tenet of localization).

Comparison vs. Differentiation

I'm writing about this topic at the request of one of my readers, a former colleague I've mentored over the years. He asked me to write a book on this topic, so my advice could help others like him who are in the same boat. I don't have time to write another book just yet, so here is the summary version.

If comparison is the theft of joy, let differentiation bring your joy back.

Here's what I mean.

In the age of social media, it can be hard to remember that what we see, both here on LinkedIn, and on other channels, is mostly just a highlights reel. The quality of someone's career, or life, might seem better than yours from someone's feed, especially if you're only seeing the very best bits.

One thing that is talked about even less than the quality of life people are comparing against is quantity. This also affects an audience. Even if we call it something else (followers, connections, friends), it's really still just an audience of people who are consuming one's content.

Just like any marketing message that gets repeated enough to the same audience, the sheer number of exposures to a message makes it more likely to sink in with that audience. Some people are far more prolific creators than others. It's not only what you see online that affects you, but how often you see it.

As I've mentored many folks who are slightly younger than me over the years (cough cough), I've noticed that those who have grown up in the era of social media seem to have an even harder time avoiding a free-fall into the comparison trap. They don't seem to realize this is ultimately all about marketing.

Here are a few themes I've picked up on:

• They feel pressured to benchmark themselves against what they consider to be "the norm" for their age and stage, in life and career
• Because they are so influenced by what they see from others, and perpetually comparing against a non-stop stream of unrealistic benchmarks, they never feel like they're doing enough to keep up
• This is not only true for what they see on LinkedIn, but on Instagram, TikTok, and other channels, which can make them feel inferior in life not only in one area, but as a whole.
• With all of the "year end accomplishments" posts we're seeing now at the end of the year, Imposter Syndrome tends to flare its ugly head even more than usual.
• With so many tech workers who have been laid off, including those who lost their jobs leading up to the holidays, and for many younger people especially, for the first-ever time in their lives to be unemployed, an even larger number of younger people will be asking themselves if they are doing enough or more sadly, if they even are enough (you are!)

Shift Your Mindset Toward Differentiation

Here are some tips that I hope will help anyone fighting what I consider to be a comparison trap, beyond just the people I've been mentoring in this area:

• Humans like to follow trends and fit in with peer groups, but being authentic and knowing what truly makes you happy is vital in work and life.
• When you shop for a product, don't you usually notice one that stands out and has something special or different, rather than the same one everyone has? Consider yourself in a similar light.
• With the rise of personal branding, differentiation is becoming more important online for people too - from how you optimize your LinkedIn profile to what content you share in various places online.
• Don't ask "How can I be like that person?" Ask, "What about me is unique, memorable, and special?" This applies to business brands just as it does to personal brands.
• Be a trend observer, not a trend follower. Only embrace the trends that actually are aligned with you as a person and your core values. (Or, if you're a marketer, think of these as your brand attributes. Disregard all things that feel "off-brand" for yourself!)
• Write down what makes you special and different and memorable. Make a list of those things. You don't need resolutions to dream about a better year ahead. You already have the differentiation you need. Look for ways to lean into who you already are, even further.
• If you can't think of what makes you different, memorable, or special, ask some friends and loved ones.
• Lean into those sources of joy in the new year. Let your differentiation be your anchor. When you start comparing yourself to others, reflect with pride on how you're different.

Focus less on planning what's ahead, and instead focus on being curious about what's ahead. Know that it's going to be special and rare, for you and only you, because you're not merely following someone else's path. You're carving out your own. No matter how exciting someone else's path might seem to you, it's unique to them as yours is to you.

Lastly, if you must compare yourself to anyone, compare yourself to the person you were yesterday.

Think about the likelihood that what's ahead for you will be different from others' paths, and that this is a good thing.

It's really as simple as shifting your mindset.

I hope this bit of advice to remember your own differentiation, in your career and life, helps you as we all unwind from another busy year.

Also, give yourself a break from social media now and then! I know I often do.

Grace Notes

Did you catch the latest MarTech Podcast with Ben Shapiro? I was a recent guest on the show. If not, you can listen here.

Let’s Collaborate

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That’s all for now, friends!

Until next time,