One argument for getting marketing localization right is the crises that can erupt when brands get it disastrously wrong.

Just ask Dolce & Gabbana. In 2018, the Italian fashion house produced a video campaign featuring a Chinese model struggling to eat Italian fare including pizza and cannoli with chopsticks. Following accusations that the ads were racist, major Chinese retailers removed the brand’s products from their websites, the brand canceled a Shanghai fashion show, and its eponymous owners issued a video apology.

Or ask Ikea, which in 2012 airbrushed women out of photos in a Saudi Arabia catalog, presumably to appease government censors, and which also ended up apologizing.

Whether it’s adapting messaging from one country to another, or one city to another, marketing localization is where brands connect with consumers by demonstrating their cultural literacy. And it’s about much more than hiring a translator.

Keep reading here.—AAN

Consumer prices surged in March, driven by higher gas and fuel oil prices. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.9% in March, the highest monthly jump in nearly four years, and 3.3% YoY, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last week.

Before the start of the Iran war, inflation showed signs of cooling last month, up 0.3% month over month in February and 2.4% YoY.

Core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, rose 0.2% in March.

The University of Michigan also released preliminary results of its Survey of Consumers on Friday, finding consumer sentiment sank 10.7% to 47.6, its lowest point ever, in April. This continues a notable decline that began at the onset of the war.

Keep reading here.—EC

The deadline for income taxes is this Wednesday, and retailers and brands are offering a little relief to shoppers. Some Papa John’s locations are giving free slices to post offices. The Container Store is running a “tax time sale,” and a number of restaurant chains are throwing in some free extras.

Some consumers plan to return the favor once they get their refunds. An annual survey from the National Retail Federation found that 12% plan to spend that money on a major purchase, while 10% plan to “splurge,” which is slightly down from last year.

Here’s what else is going on in retail this week:

In conferences: The eighth annual Consumer Products and Retail Symposium is coming to Los Angeles on Thursday. The event brings together CEOs and CFOs in the consumer products and retail sector to network and discuss developments in the industry. Marshal Cohen, chief retail advisor for Circana, is delivering the keynote speech.

Keep reading here.—AV