Turning global campaigns into market-ready advertising
Aditiser turned iHerb’s global campaigns into market-ready advertising in each country. In-market specialists researched local demand, adapted the message, checked it against local advertising rules and ran the campaigns.
13+ years
Working together
180+
Countries and territories
Japan
Focus market in this study
Challenge
Translation alone could not make campaigns work in each market
Directly translated keywords and category terms did not match how customers searched. Paid search needed terminology built on local search behaviour and product intent, not on the wording used in the original market.
An advertisement could be linguistically correct and still miss. Tone, structure and health terminology all had to be adapted, and in some countries wording had to be reviewed against local advertising rules for health and wellness products before it could run at all.
Ownership was the third problem. Handoffs between global marketers, translators, local agents, creative teams and platform specialists slowed decisions, and each handoff was another point where the commercial intent or the local context could be lost.
Solution
Research, adaptation and delivery run as one process
Aditiser managed research, adaptation, review, stakeholder coordination, implementation and continued optimisation through one accountable delivery model. Work in each market was written and reviewed by native speakers, and one campaign lead stayed responsible from the brief through to live delivery.
Where context could be lost
The risk of losing context increased as campaign decisions moved through separate specialist teams before reaching live execution.
Paid search localisation
Keyword research, search-intent review, terminology refinement, negative keywords and local campaign structure built for how customers search in that country.
Transcreation and copy adaptation
Tone, promotional language, health terminology and message structure were adapted so the advertisement read naturally and credibly in the local market.
Local review and coordination
Language checks, market feedback, advertising review, issue escalation and coordination with local agents kept the commercial objective visible through approval.
Campaign implementation
Approved work was implemented across Google Ads, Meta Ads and marketplace campaigns, then checked live and refined using search terms and platform feedback.
Market example
What changed when a campaign moved into Japan
Japan has its own search behaviour, health terminology and advertising rules. Product claims and pharmaceutical wording needed careful handling, and a direct translation of a global advertisement often did not survive local review. The aim was to keep the marketing intent while making sure the wording could run.
The claim used elsewhere
The global advertisement promoted vitamin C as immune support, a claim used in markets such as the US and the EU. In Japan an ordinary supplement cannot claim to support immunity or prevent illness, so the advertisement would be rejected.
The version that ran
We kept vitamin C front and centre and removed the immune claim. The advertisement describes it as part of a daily health routine and speaks to everyday wellbeing, which is allowed.
Search and demand
Customers search by symptom or benefit rather than product name, some terms are allowed in search but not in advertisement copy, and media coverage can drive sudden spikes. We target that demand only where it is compliant.
Trademark and optimisation
Local agents ask for keywords to be blocked, so we check each request against the trademark position in Japanese and block only where it is justified. Once live, we review search terms and add negative keywords.
“The ingredient stayed the same, but the claim had to change. That is the difference between an advertisement carried straight from another market and one that can actually run in Japan.”
Results
What the localisation work gave iHerb’s team
Commercial performance figures are not disclosed. The outcomes below describe how the work changed the way campaigns reach each market.
Campaigns built for the market
Advertising was written and reviewed by native speakers in each market covered, rather than translated from a single source version.
Fewer surprises at review
Wording was checked against local advertising requirements before launch, so fewer advertisements were rejected or pulled after going live.
One owner across stakeholders
A single campaign lead coordinated global marketers, translators, local agents and platform specialists, so the commercial objective survived approval.
Spend on real buying intent
Live search terms fed back into keyword and negative keyword decisions, keeping budget on the queries that matched what customers wanted to buy.
Planning a campaign for a market you do not run yet?
Tell us which countries you are entering, what you sell and who reviews local wording today. We will outline how the same research, adaptation and delivery process would apply.