Brands look at ways to crack the language code in Indian hinterland

Marketers are helping brands craft multi-lingual narratives, but technology and budgets prove to be stumbling blocks

A potential 205 million internet non-users could go digital only if it were accessible in a language of their choice, according to a recent report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) & Kantar IMRB. The huge untapped digital footprint is no surprise to brands that have struggled to crack their way into the Indian hinterland, the past few years. 

Even though the need to go multi-lingual is lost on none, a clutch of issues ranging from technological barriers to budget constraints and the sheer diversity of languages have held brands back. How are marketers finding their way around the hurdles?

On the tech front, confining a language within geographical boundaries has been a problem. Geo-fencing is tricky because consumers migrate from their linguistic holds but do not give up their language. Another problem is the Natural Language Processing framework that needs customisation for the various vernacular scripts that exist in the country. One way out is the use of voice searches in local languages, a tactic that brands have adopted wholeheartedly.  

“Companies localise their platforms for a number of reasons. Increased engagement, increased reach, trust building with users, more revenue, more social impact, and more,” said Arvind Pani, co-founder and CEO, Reverie Language Technologies that works on language based branding and communication.

Reverie helped Vijaya Bank to localise its messages in 11 languages. It also supports the language end of government initiatives such as e-Nam, the national agriculture marketplace and the government’s e-marketplace for tenders and procurement. 

The need to break through language barriers is felt universally but technology mavens such as Google have been quicker to adapt.  Google that recently expanded the Safety Centre (a help and care centre) to India has made it available in nine Indian languages. “Making technology for everyone also means protecting everyone who uses it,” said the global giant in a press statement. Amazon Prime also recently launched a Hindi interface for its Indian users, on desktop and mobile applications. In July, Bharat Matrimony, an online matrimony service, launched a vernacular version of the mobile app in eight languages to “capitalise on the growing language users online and expand its reach”. 

“We are talking to mothers on a daily basis and these conversations need to be in the language they are comfortable with,” said Channan Sawhney, head of Digital Marketing Consumer India-Johnson & Johnson. Communicating in the vernacular also 

Other brands are taking baby steps into the linguistic minefield. Some are advertising in many more languages than just Hindi and English while others are employing regional influencers to take their messages forward. According to Ambi Parameswaran, brand strategist and founder Brand-Building.com, marketers are aware of the importance of Indian languages in advertising. “Many brands have resorted to creating ads in Hindi as opposed to English and translating them to various languages. This was necessitated by the cost of production of ads. You could not really spend money for various versions,” he said.  However, the growth of regional language channels has forced a further rethink on the way in which brands want to advertise locally and that could see further churn in the consumer-brand landscape. 

Cost is the biggest roadblock to increasing language interventions. Pani said that companies still want immediate return on investment when it should (ideally) be viewed as strategic initiative to improve customer engagement and experience.

Language local
 
Amazon Prime: Hindi interface for desktop and mobile app
 
Bharat Matrimony: Mobile app in eight languages
 
Vijaya Bank: Localised messages to customers in 11 different languages
 
Google: Customer help and care available in nine Indian languages