Chui Chui Tan: Culturalization vs. Localization for Global Growth

What if your biggest risk in going global isn't competition or pricing—it's the cultural assumptions you didn't know you were making? Chui Chui Tan has spent 17+ years helping the world's top brands uncover exactly that, across 50+ markets.

In this episode:

• Why culturalization goes far beyond translation—and what most companies dangerously overlook when entering new markets

• How Spotify, Bumble, and Asana adapted their products and propositions based on deep cultural research in Japan and beyond

• The "four buckets" framework for separating cultural facts from assumptions—and why even senior leaders get it wrong

• Why AI tools like ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Mistral each carry their own cultural accent, and what that means for global research

Chui Chui Tan is the Founder & CEO of Beyō Global and author of Research for Global Growth. Originally from Malaysia and based in the UK for over 20 years, she holds a PhD in human-computer interaction and has led cross-cultural research across more than 50 markets. Her clients include Netflix, Spotify, Bumble, Asana, Fiverr, the Washington Post, and Marriott International. She created the term "culturalization" and a 27-dimension cultural framework to help businesses move beyond surface-level localization.

Connect with Chui Chui Tan:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuichuitan

Website: https://beyo.global

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Credits
Host: Robin Ayoub, Founder, Localization Fireside Chat

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Website: www.L10NFiresideChat.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5OoURgc29R31XPGzOWL9iX
Be a guest: https://calendly.com/robin-ayoub/localization-fireside-chat-podcast-recording
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinayoub/

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