Taking your product to a foreign market is one of the most challenging tasks in a development strategy. Many Polish brands have decided to expand into the British market, where Polish citizens are one of the biggest minor ethnic groups, without hiring a PR or digital marketing agency. They won’t, however, always succeed. So, what can you do to actually make people from the UK fall in love with a “made in Poland” label?
Polish food, vodka or beautiful art and design pieces by recognisable artists and manufacturers can achieve massive success on the British market. Many brands with the “made-in-Poland” label try their hand, but few succeed.
It is not bad luck, as some may think, but a lack of strategy – the engine to drive the brand onto the market. After 18 years of operation on the British market, we have seen it all. A lot of enthusiasm at the beginning and a big failure at the end. The brands that don’t succeed often fall into the same pattern of events. So, what are they doing wrong along their business development path? Let’s look at the most common mistakes companies make when introducing products made in Poland to a British market!
1. They try to find the cheapest solution and don’t take into account a relevant budget to raise brand awareness and PR.
Some decide to market their brands themselves in a new, unknown territory without knowing the culture, or even the British shopping habits. While it might seem cost-effective at first, this approach can backfire. Understanding the local market, including consumer preferences and behaviours, is crucial for effective marketing.
Are British customers even interested in items like yours? Is premium high quality or economy important to them? Do Polish origin and heritage have any value for them? Is the source of an item important to them? Do you want to capitalise on market opportunities and your strengths, and how do you protect your brand from threats?
A relevant budget should not just cover advertising costs; but also market research, cultural adaptation of messaging, and engagement strategies tailored to British consumers. Brands that invest adequately in these areas are more likely to establish a strong presence and resonate with their target audience.
2. They hire the cheapest Polish marketing or PR agency because they promise the same results for a fraction of the cost.
This has happened several times. Our agency very often takes over marketing communications from small, inexperienced agencies after a few months, even years, and achieves expected results by simply applying our expertise and tailoring marketing communication to the brand’s needs, within a few months.
The value of investing in a skilled agency goes beyond immediate financial considerations; it encompasses long-term brand equity, reputation management, and sustainable growth in a competitive environment.
3. They lack profiling and segmenting of the target audience.
This happens extremely often. Many company owners seek solutions that fit all. It simply doesn’t work on the British or any market. A properly segmented audience is profiled at least by their sex, age, psychological preferences, or product consideration stage.
The older target group may be more willing to buy folk art, handmade pieces from famous artisans, Polish pottery, Polish amber, gold, crystal, glass, dishes, or hand-painted art, which can be perfect as a gift. On the other hand, the younger recipient (for whom the origin of the product may not be so important) may be interested in jewelry, home decor items, vodka, as well as sweets (especially Polish chocolate).
Keeping up with trends, listening to the audiences, and quickly applying changes are the most important strategy objectives for any brand, for any market. For instance, younger consumers may respond well to social media campaigns, while older demographics may prefer traditional advertising methods.
By continuously monitoring trends and actively listening to audience feedback, brands can adapt their strategies in real-time, ensuring they meet the evolving needs of their target market and stay ahead of the competition.
4. They don’t do any research or competition analysis.
Market analysis is not talking to your family and friends, as we have heard surprisingly very often. Have you heard that we learn more from failure than from success? So, it is relevant to test a few solutions, adjust, listen to feedback, apply changes, test again, and ask clients what they think.
You should always analyze competitors in order to be at least one step ahead of them. Many brands were so focused on the fantastic features of their own product that market research was not even considered. By doing some research and talking to their potential customers first, they would benefit from direct responses about their offers, allowing them to market their product successfully.
5. They focus on product features rather than on values and the promises their product offers.
Marketing focused on a product is at least 20 years out of date. Now, in order to market a new Polish product on the British market, you first have to fit in with a more modern approach and identify some core values. People don’t buy products; people buy promises and solutions. That’s a fact. No matter how great and unique your product is, if it is not attached to any story and appealing values, it is very likely to fail in the British market.
Brits might pay less attention to the historical narration than Poles, but they still respond to the value of nostalgia or family safety, for example. An ethnic marketing strategy always consists of cultural differences and seeks integrity within your brand. Worth knowing.
6. They don’t identify an appealing Unique Selling Proposition.
There are so many companies on the market, and your brand is probably one of hundreds, thousands, or even millions of similar product types. The British market is extremely competitive, and putting your message across is not an easy task. It demands extra creativity and expertise, as well as a confident clear consistent marketing strategy. Polish companies often fail to maintain consistent interest in their brand. They don’t use integrated marketing communication, including PR, social media, influencers, or paid solutions such as Facebook Ads or sponsored articles to keep the British audience excited about their brand.
In fact, not many Polish brands target British mainstream media at all! They keep approaching Poles for example, forgetting that apart from Poles, there are over 66 million people to attract, and their product might be equally appealing to the British, Russian, Bulgarian, Czech, Slovakian, Pakistani, Lithuanian, and Romanian citizens in the UK. But in saying that, every ethnic group needs a relevant marketing strategy to meet their needs and wants.
In All 4 Comms, we have marketed products to various ethnic groups, including British, Bulgarian, Romanian, and Lithuanian ethnic groups in the UK, and we have learned our lessons; every group has a different style of cooperation and values, some more understandable for Poles than the others.
7. They don’t have any strategy.
This is the biggest sin we have seen too many times. It is a very common mistake, especially by little Polish brands that try to expand their possibilities to new markets. They step into the British market with no strategy. Initially, they say that they wanted to test the waters before developing any long-term strategy, but they spend money, fail, and never come back. Sad story.
What if the strategy was right from the very beginning, was consistent, and executed well over a while? There is no way on Earth to establish, after a month or two, whether the brand will succeed in the British market when your product is entirely new. It takes time to raise brand awareness and trust. Polish brands fail in the British market because they expect the results too quickly. The economy “now” might work as a distribution strategy, but won’t work when exploring new markets.
8. They don’t know financial and legal proceedings.
It’s still happening. Polish manufacturers or service providers do not properly check the legal and financial environment when accessing the British market. Many fail because they haven’t counted the cost of overheads, such as running an office; they underestimate the charges of local services or peripheral costs, and almost every brand underestimates transport costs.
Currently, some are afraid of Brexit even though it has already been said that free trade would remain. Brexit might only affect some services, but it is not certain what restrictions Poles will face, if any. Brexit is not a problem, but the overall cost of establishing offices, finding a relevant sales force, or spending money on irrelevant marketing techniques might be.
9. They don’t apply a relevant budget for marketing.
You might think marketing is not the most essential thing when stepping into the British market. Sales are what count most. Many companies failed with this strategy during their first attempts to make an entry into the British market. Add product-focused narration, and the recipe for failure is well prepared. The British economy is far more developed than the Polish and has its own rights.
An effective marketing strategy based on values is what counts the most. As small talk is important on a daily basis, standing out from the crowd with your values is very important for British-style marketing communication.
Polish brands often do not consider cultural differences, as they are unaware of what they are. They usually fail in their assumptions and in not delivering relevant messages to the target market. Referring to British style is probably more appropriate than referring to the Polish or European quality; enhancing stories about traditional produce is more appealing to Brits than one more miraculous cosmetic product on the market – to mention a few cultural differences.
Summary
Overall, entering the British market by Polish brands seems to have become more common in recent years. Some survived and developed their appeal to Brits; some failed and forgot about the UK in their business expansion plans; some are still trying by using different marketing techniques that worked in Poland but are finding insignificant results on the British market. The last category is companies testing the waters by seeking sales instead of a long-term marketing strategy leading to sales.
Whatever your position is currently, do not hesitate to contact us. We provide effective ethnic marketing communication for Polish brands willing to expand their market to attract a massive 66 million population market. We also provide bespoke services for British brands entering the Polish market. Deep understanding and experience of both markets put us in a leading position worldwide in ethnic marketing communication.
Check out our testimonials to get a sense of our results.
If you are looking for an effective PR agency for your brand, do not hesitate to contact us.