This week we had our first-ever dual interview with two members of the Deliveroo team: Adam Spawton-Rice, global content marketing manager, and Anne-Sophie Delafosse, localization manager. Deliveroo, which was founded in the UK, is on a mission to transform the way people around the world order food. Adam and Anne-Sophie joined Carlota Pico to talk about all things localization, pivoting during the pandemic and successfully catering to audiences across the globe (pun very much intended).

You can watch the full conversation in the video above or on YouTube, listen to the podcast on Apple and Spotify, and read our recap below.

Key takeaways

  • During lockdown, Deliveroo fast-tracked their menu manager tool to enable restaurants to change their menus in a matter of minutes. When restaurants could safely open again, they launched a new feature called “Table Service” that allows customers to order via the Deliveroo app while in dining establishments, in order to help maintain social distancing.
  • Localization involves two key factors: language and nuance. You have to find the correct tone of voice and tap into subtle cultural differences for each market. It also involves choosing appropriate images, colors and designs, which can vary greatly.
  • Localization can get tricky when it comes to the technical aspects. For instance, character restrictions may be difficult to navigate when programming apps. A word in one language might be much longer in another, requiring the team to work with designers and engineers to find a way of saying things that fits the character limit.
  • What separates good content from great content is the willingness to go the extra mile with good copy and photos. Free content might be fine in certain situations, but paying a professional for high-quality work can make all the difference.
  • People often think that if you speak a language then you can write marketing materials in it, but you need someone who truly understands where the audience is coming from in order to effectively reach them through copy.

Images tell a story, and they can tell a different story in different markets—you need to make them resonate with your users.

– Anne-Sophie Delafosse

Whether you’re doing B2B or B2C, marketing is all about reaching the right person, and talking to that person in a way that makes them feel comfortable.

– Adam Spawton-Rice

Rapid-fire recs

A valuable resource, event or group?

Sign up for the newsletter Exploding Topics, which covers a wide range of rapidly growing topics. It gives you brand new and trending terms through organic search, and products as well. I use it to feed my thinking. – Adam

A content tool that you would recommend? 

For UI localization, we use a software called Phrase for our app and website content. It’s a web-based translation management system that automates workflows. – Anne-Sophie 

Connect with Adam, Anne-Sophie and Carlota on LinkedIn.

This post was edited by Mary Kresge, a freelance content creator based in Madrid.

For more insights into localization, check out:

Content Marketing Localization

Social Media Localization

Build trust through localization – Jordanna Ber, head of localization at Rover

To see the full transcript, click on page number 2 below. 

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