1. Portugal >
2. Starting a Business >
3. Marketing a Business

Marketing a Business in Portugal

The international transition of a business 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 overseas 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 Portugal

Television and radio, newspapers, magazines and specialised publication are the principal types of advertising available. Companies marketing in Portugal should consult their Portuguese representative before embarking on advertising campaign, or contact one of the fifty advertising agencies in Portugal, which can be contacted through the Instituto Civil da Autodisciplina da Publicidade.

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.

Portuguese society and culture has a social structure based on the family. Individuals derive social networks and assistance from the family and loyalty to the family comes before other social relationships, even business. Nepotism is considered a good thing, since it implies that employing people one knows and trusts is of primary importance.

Even if they do not appear so, Portuguese are a traditional and conservative people, which retains a sense of formality. They always display an extreme politeness when they deal with each other.

Hierarchy is at the base of the business etiquette in Portugal, as the culture there respects hierarchy. Society and business are highly stratified and vertically structured. Rank is important and people respect authority. In business, power and authority generally reside with one person who makes decisions with little concern about consensus building with their subordinates.

Especially in the cities people are also fashion conscious and believe that clothes indicate social standing and success. They take great pride in wearing good fabrics and clothes of the best standard they can afford.

Last but not the least, never confuse Portugal and Spain. The only thing they have in common is the location in the Iberic peninsula. Addressing a Portuguese in Spanish may be offensive. Your business correspondence should be in Portuguese, but it may also be conducted in English or French. Never use Spanish. English is by far the second language used in the field of commerce, and also in the every day life.

Click here to Ask an Expert about Marketing a Business in Portugal