What does it take to build a brand that resonates across cultures… not just across markets?

In this special dual-guest episode, Lacey Peace sits down with Nataly Kelly, Chief Marketing Officer at Zappi, and Katherine Melchior Ray, UC Berkeley lecturer and former executive at brands like Nike, Hyatt, and Louis Vuitton. Together, they co-authored the new book Brand Global, Adapt Local: How to Build Brand Value Across Cultures and they’re here to share the lessons learned from decades of global brand-building.

Nataly and Katherine dive deep into why cultural intelligence is the most under-leveraged skill in modern CX, why brands that ignore cultural context are building in globalization debt, and how something as simple as a melon can repair — or ruin — customer trust. They explain the importance of shared values, the risks of applying the same CX metrics globally (spoiler: NPS doesn’t mean the same thing in every country), and how AI is both accelerating and complicating cross-cultural brand connection.

From real stories about Kit Kat’s flavor strategy in Japan to awkward CX blunders in global grocery stores, this episode is packed with tangible takeaways and perspective shifts for any business looking to scale with humanity and intention.

Get your copy of Brand Global, Adapt Local: How to Build Brand Value Across Cultures now!

https://www.amazon.com/Brand-Global-Adapt-Local-Cultures/dp/139861971X

Key Moments:

00:00 Do Customer Service Expectations Differ Across Cultures?

06:03 Why Cultural Intelligence Is Crucial for Global Business

07:04 Co-Authors’ Nataly Kelly & Katherine Melchior Ray’s Meet cute

15:18 Real-Life Cultural Missteps and Surprising Service Norms

24:13 Can AI Replace Cultural Insight? Why Human Context Still Matters

34:38 What’s at Stake When You Ignore Cultural Differences

38:23 Globalization Strategy: Why Flexibility Beats Uniformity

39:09 How Cultural Agility Builds Better Customer Experiences

40:34 Style Switching & Cultural Intelligence in Leadership

42:18 Kit Kat’s Local Flavors & HubSpot’s Global CX

51:01 How Tech Adoption Varies by Country (And Why It Matters)

55:12 Daily Habits That Boost Strategic Thinking & Creativity

01:00:24 How AI Is Changing Global Marketing and Customer Experience

01:15:46 Final Leadership Lessons on Trust, Culture & Global Growth

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