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Marketing a Business in Luxembourg

Starting a business in Luxembourg is more than just costs and procedures. It's more cultural acclimatisation than calculatory acumen. It's making sure your product or service fits the inclinations and idiosyncrasies of a nation; finding a way to culturalise your business in order to reap the same results your business has achieved domestically. This is accomplished through one simple step: effective marketing.

Marketing your business on indigenous soil is an art-form in itself; attempting to do it in Luxembourg is nigh-on miraculous. Countries may be becoming more heterogeneous, but the foundations of a culture rarely budge for anything: their sensitivities, traditions, humour, discourses, protocols are essentially unchanging and stubbornly unaccommodating. Therefore, the identity of your product or service needs to seamlessly fashion itself upon a nation, not the other way around, shoehorned in, hoping for the best.

Advertising and Sales promotions in Luxembourg

Due to the variety of languages that are used in Luxembourg you may wish to consult an advertising agent who can advise on possible routes to advertising. There are several routes you may wish to take:

• Newspapers - all domestic newspapers in Luxembourg are written mainly in German, with some French content.

• Trade Press - there are few trade journals, but in nearly all branches the trade press from elsewhere is followed.

• Radio and Television - CLT-UFA runs a television channel aimed at a Luxembourg audience. The news is dubbed into French. Channels can also be received in English, German, French, Spanish, Portugese and Dutch via cable and satellite. Luxembourg is well served for radio stations, but they are mainly music -based.

Correspondence should be French or German.

Cultural Sensitivity

Cultural sensitivity and understanding of protocol is paramount to effective marketing. The intricacies of a nation its beliefs, even its superstitions can make or break your business. Know the market; immerse yourself in it. Never assume your marketing strategy will be transplantable to a foreign country. There is only a slim chance language will translate well. Anglophonic countries may be susceptible, but if your product or service plays on a quintessentially British characteristic or joke the chances are, it will not be well received.

As for other countries, don't bank on using the same strap-lines or gimmicks. Unless they are perfectly transitional, your product or service could suffer especially if it relies on humour.

Unless you are certain your product or service can sell itself on indigenous merits, it is probably wise to revise its selling-points for a foreign market. As always, however, only your own fastidious research can conclude this.

Meetings and greetings are reserved and formal until a relationship is established. Normally greet someone with a firm but brief handshake. Wait to be invited to use someones first name, before then use their title and surname. Although friendly and informal with close friends and family, Luxembourgers are often reserved and formal when dealing with outsiders. They are private people and do not put their possessions or emotions on display. Even this they are friends with someone from work, this camaraderie will not be brought into the office. Most importantly do not discuss personal matters, even with close friends, so do not ask personal questions as they will see this as an invasion of their privacy.

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