How do viral marketing moments create the need for immediate translation?

Viral marketing has been around for decades. It creates social content that strikes a chord with consumers and leverages the power of sharing, influencers and user-generated content. Do it well and you place your brand within the popular consciousness and gain significant increases in awareness and sales. 

Making content ‘go viral’, according to research, is all about leveraging positive emotions like curiosity, surprise, or admiration, posting at the right time and telling an authentic story. For brands this can come from creating viral content from scratch or jumping on the back of existing trends. 

But social is global. According to Statistica Six out of ten people across the world currently use social media and this is only set to grow as worldwide internet coverage and smartphone adoption improve at pace. For global brands that’s a potential audience of over 5bn and it’s a given that a large proportion consume viral content. 

Research carried out by Kantar for CSA Research shows that 76% of global consumers prefer to buy products with information in their native language – and that extends to social media brand activity too. To talk to these customers you need to rapidly translate and localize your viral marketing campaigns. If you don’t you risk missed opportunities, poor engagement and brand misinterpretation. In this guide, we explain why and how you can use localization to supercharge your viral efforts.

Viral trends can spread incredibly quickly. While some might take months to peak, trends on platforms like TikTok can reach their apex in as little as two weeks. The speed and global scope of virality depend on various factors including content quality, post timing, cultural relevance and more, but the way social platform algorithms work plays a huge part too. 

TikTok, X, Instagram, practically every social media platform, amplifies content that users engage with. This includes video view duration, reactions, comments and shares. If social content experiences a high rate of engagement, the algorithm serves it to more users. If its engagement rate is sustained, the audience increases globally and exponentially, the content goes viral. 

For global brands with viral-ready content, this presents a conundrum, how do you ensure your social activity can keep up with the speed of amplification across your region-specific social channels? Rapid translation and localization is the answer. With expert assistance delivered on the fly, you can produce multiple, localized iterations of content at the first signs of virality. This lets you publish posts tailored for multiple languages and audiences before the viral wave has crested to get in front of the greatest possible number of social media users.

AI translation tools have revolutionized the way we can engage with global audiences. When a post, meme, or campaign gains traction, speed is essential if you want to ride the wave. 

By instantly adapting content and associated dubs, captions, brand comments and responses across multiple languages, brands can maintain relevance in different regions while capitalizing on global trends. 

However, while automation provides efficiency, human oversight remains crucial for accuracy. Even the best AI can sometimes struggle with idioms, cultural nuances and context-specific meanings, leading to misinterpretations that can damage brands. 

To avoid this, a hybrid approach is key – leverage AI for speed then use native-speaking editors to refine key messaging. By balancing the AI with the human, brands can expand their global reach, foster stronger connections with international audiences and ensure their messages resonate accurately across diverse markets. 

Viral success depends on strong translation and localization. Localization strategies and tools are critical to ensure content is adapted for international audiences. At its worst, poorly translated content can be an embarrassing and expensive misstep for brand. At its best, brands can overcome less agile competitors and foster closer and more meaningful relationships with millions of prospective customers the world over.