IABC Members gathered on Thursday, August 28, 2014, for a program about marketing to an international audience. The presentation was made by Dana Otillio, senior manager of marketing for the Americas for the Society of Petroleum Engineers, a nonprofit organization with more than 124,000 members in 135 countries. Jive sponsored the event.

1. Marketing and
Communicating to an
International Audience
Presented by Dana Otillio
Thursday, 28 August

2. Presentation Overview
• Background on OTC
• How OTC communicates with and markets to
international audiences
• Cultural considerations
• What’s planned for OTC 2015

3. Your Take‐Aways
• New ideas on how to market your event or
products internationally
• Questions to ask yourself and team when
embarking on new projects
• International communications do’s and don’t’s

4. Questions for Audience
How many of you have heard
about OTC?
Of that, how many have
attended OTC?

5. OTC Portfolio of Events
Founded 1969
Houston, Texas, USA
Set attendance record
in 2014: 108,300 attendees

6. OTC Portfolio of Events
Founded 2011
Houston & Copenhagen

7. OTC Portfolio of Events
Founded 2011
Rio de Janeiro

8. OTC Portfolio of Events
Founded 2014
Kuala Lumpur

9. OTC Portfolio of Events
A new, exciting event
planned after OTC 2015
• Scheduled for Friday after OTC
• Showcase speakers outside oil & gas industry
• Focus on three categories: business, technology
and people

10. OTC Organizations
Sponsoring Organizations
Regional Sponsoring
Organization
Endorsing
Organizations

11. OTC’s History
Years of Extreme Growth: 1973–1982
Became more global in content; technologies advance

12. The World Comes to OTC
• 130+ countries
• Top countries:
China 2,371
Nigeria 2,273
UK 2,145
Mexico 1,811
Canada 1,522
Norway 1,284
Brazil 1,160
79%
21%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Attendee Geographic
Breakdown
Total US
attendance
Total
international
attendance

13. Marketing Objectives
• Attract the most influential individuals and
companies
• Position OTC as the premier offshore event in
the world for technical information
• Increase participation in OTC events and services
• Promote activities related to energy education
• Maintain consistent branding across OTC events

14. OTC Marketing/PR Highlights
• Website
• Direct mail
• OTC‐TV
• Mobile app
• Advertising
• Pre‐show and on‐site
e‐newsletters
• Social media
• Media relations
• On‐Site materials
• On‐site and post‐show
attendee surveys

15. OTC Marketing/PR Highlights
• Website – Track through Google Analytics
VISITS BY BROWSER
Browser Sessions
Internet Explorer 163,037
Chrome 112,402
Safari 64,323
Firefox 36,796
Android Browser 7,708
BlackBerry 1,650
Data from 1March‐31 May 2014
TOP VISITS BY COUNTRY
Country Sessions
United States 265,436 (68.01%)
United Kingdom 15,197 (3.89%)
Nigeria 11,938 (3.06%)
Canada 8,211 (2.10%)
Mexico 8,136 (2.08%)
China 7,351 (1.88%)
Brazil 5,839 (1.50%)

16. OTC Marketing/PR Highlights
• Direct Mail
– 80,000 distributed in North America
– 40,000 distributed internationally
– Savings on data cleansing = quantity reduction

17. OTC Marketing/PR Highlights
• Advertising
– Trade publications with circulation in
top regions
– Sponsoring organizations’
magazines
– Houston airports
advertising

18. OTC Marketing/PR Highlights
• Mobile App
– Total users: 12,997
– 8,773 downloads inside U.S.
– 4,224 downloads outside U.S.
–Home page visits: 116,614

19. OTC Marketing/PR Highlights
• E‐Newsletters
– Average # of recipients:
45,000
– Average unique
open rate: 31%
– Average unique
click‐through rate: 8%

20. OTC Marketing/PR Highlights
• Media Relations
– 500+ journalists in attendance
– 36% international journalists
– Identify exhibitors and speakers/authors
available for interviews
– Operate press rooms
– Supervise video crews

21. Marketing/PR Highlights
• Social Media
– Facebook:
41,369 likes
– Twitter:
12,600 followers
– LinkedIn:
4,670 members
– YouTube: 208 subscribers

22. Cross‐Cultural Competency
• Know thy audience!
• Receive cultural awareness training
• Free articles: www.culturosity.com
• For members of Meeting Professionals
International: CultureActive Tool
• Don’t assume about English‐speaking cultures
• Hire local agencies or consultants in key markets

23. Why Cultural Awareness Matters
When Pepsico advertised Pepsi in
Taiwan with the ad "Come Alive
With Pepsi" they had no idea that
it would be translated into
Chinese as "Pepsi brings your
ancestors back from the dead."
Image source: www.bufferingbrain.com/tag/pepsi/

24. Why Cultural Awareness Matters
U.S. and British negotiators found themselves at
a standstill when an American company
proposed that they "table" particular key points.
In the U.S. “tabling a motion" means to not
discuss it, while the same phrase in Great Britain
means to "bring it to the table for discussion."

25. To Translate or Not to Translate…
• Determine what’s feasible (cost and time)
• For events, consider attendee experience
pre‐event and on‐site
• Is content technical, general or both?
• Try out multiple translation companies
• Consider Google Translate on
your website

26. Understand International Laws
• EU and Canada spam laws tougher than
U.S. CAN‐SPAM and more to come!
– Privacy and Electronic Communications
Regulations 2003  Opt‐in, not just opt‐out
– Canada Anti‐Spam Law (CASL)  $10 million max
penalty for companies
• Move to opt‐in and be targeted in your
communications

27. Protect Your Brand and Products
• Limit (or redirect) use of photography and
videography at events/tradeshows
• Register logo and/or name in other key
countries (e.g. EU)
• If customers/suppliers allowed to use logo,
provide detailed guidelines and
internationally friendly file formats

28. Customize Mediums for
International Audience
Consider:
• Email clients (e.g. Gmail) and formatting
• Internet speed and mobile device use
• Social media platforms ‐ geotargeting
• Time matters for email and social media
• Direct mail deliverability (size/weight)

29. Keep Direct Mail in the Mix
• US, Canada and EU countries have reliable
postal service
• Allocate 3‐4 weeks for international mailing
• Save money with data cleansing
• Hire mail house with international experience
• Suppress returned mail from lists

30. Customize Messages for
International Audience
Which Product Benefits Do They Care About?
Consider:
• Targeted direct mail campaigns
• Email personalization and A/B testing
• International web pages/track behavior flow
• Use “real” people in materials and social media

31. Avoid “Americanisms” in English
• Avoid idioms and colloquialisms
– English example: Piece of cake
– French example: Pédaler dans la choucroute
(to pedal in the sauerkraut) = to spin your
wheels/go nowhere
• Use ISO standards for currency (e.g. USD)
• Internationalize dates and times

32. Humor is Very Subjective
• Ensure campaign is not offensive (visuals
and messages, especially if translated)
• Test campaign in focus groups or informally
through international staff
• General Rule: Avoid humor where women,
cultures, religions, races or other protected
groups are the aim of the joke

33. Metrics: Track Everything!
• Create campaign URLs to track medium and
project effectiveness
• Track campaign response and create different
views within Google Analytics
• Consider marketing automation software
• Develop benchmarks to compare against
future performance

34. Build Loyalty with Your
International Audience
• Allow time for them to get to know you and
your company
• American timelines usually don’t work
• Provide special offers or discounts
• Networking opportunities with global
community; help them connect

35. Unique Experiences for
OTC International Audiences
• US Department of Commerce International
Buyer Program
– 1,500+ delegates attend
– Marketing materials translated
– Also partner with DOC on
OTC Industry Breakfasts

36. Unique Experiences for
OTC International Audiences
• International Pavilions
– 20 countries represented
– Provides opportunity for
small/new international
companies to exhibit
– Provides countries with unique,
unified presence at OTC

37. Unique Experiences for
OTC International Audiences
• Networking Events  common topical or
geographical interests
• International Lounge
• The Next Wave Workshop
• Create new events where
they are! (e.g. OTC Asia)

38. What’s Planned for OTC 2015
• OTC Concert (back by popular demand!)
• New d5 event after OTC (Friday)
• New OTC website and CMS
2015.otcnet.org
• Enhanced design/navigation for
online registration site

39. Thanks for Your Time!
Questions?