For many US brands, the path to going global now runs straight through the UK. A steady stream has been arriving from across the Atlantic, from fast-food players like Popeyes and Wingstop to the viral soda brand Poppi. Behind them sits a whole queue of brands with expansion plans, from Raising Cane’s to Chuck E Cheese.
On paper, it’s easy to see why. The UK feels familiar. We share a language, a history and plenty of cultural reference points. For US brands, it looks like a straightforward move beyond domestic borders and a credible way to signal international ambition. It’s the logical next step.
But despite all the PR hype around these launches, creating a successful business over here is hard. And, often, that sense of familiarity ends up leading brands astray.
Because the UK is not simply a smaller version of the US. For all the similarities, there are also stark differences which, while subtle, have a significant impact on how a brand is received. Ignore them, and even the strongest brands can fail to make a mark.
Where things diverge
Tone is usually the first point of friction. American consumers quite like brands being unapologetically loud, but in the UK that can feel off-putting. There’s a stronger preference for understatement and a sensitivity to anything overly promotional. So although your brand ambition should stay, you might need to dial down the volume for a UK audience.
Humour is a similar challenge. British humour tends to be drier, leans into irony and self-deprecation, and often leaves space for the audience to interpret the joke themselves. Work that feels too obvious or too eager to land doesn’t usually work as well here.
We’re also quite a sceptical bunch. Brits are far more questioning of new brands, particularly those arriving with significant hype. That doesn’t make them resistant, but it does mean credibility has to be built quickly and in ways that feel grounded.
How brands respond to these differences can be make or break, and, for Liquid Death, it was the latter. Its withdrawal from the UK after less than two years surprised everyone, given its phenomenal success in the US. There, its exaggerated branding and brash personality turned canned water into a billion-dollar brand.
But, in the UK, that tone didn’t resonate. Persuading British consumers to pay a premium for water needed a different approach, and the brand didn’t adjust enough to get it right.
What it looks like when it works
That said, this country happily rewards brands that engage with it properly. The key is to understand, respond to and embed your brand within British culture.
Like Wingstop. The fast food chain has really focused on the UK youth culture, collaborating with local creators, hosting emerging UK rap artists and partnering with British brands like JD Sports and Foot Asylum. That approach makes it feel relevant rather than imported, and it’s working. The brand smashed its revenue record last year.
In the media world, look at SNL UK. Judging by the media coverage ahead of the first episode, most of us expected it to go down like a lead balloon. Such a quintessentially American comedy show just shouldn’t work here. And, yet, it found a way.
Bringing in British celebrities like Nicola Coughlan and Graham Norton was a smart way to help it feel more attuned to our culture, while leaning into stronger language suits the UK’s love of swearing. No, it’s not a runaway success, but audiences were reportedly “pleasantly surprised” – far better than anyone expected.
Brands need global consistency, local relevance
This isn’t about throwing out your global guidelines and creating a totally new brand for the UK. Consistency across markets is still vital. It’s about taking global ideas and adapting them for a local audience.
For the ‘eBay Stories’ campaign, for instance, our core idea was developed at a global level. But the execution for each market was shaped locally.
In the US, the work drew on cultural references like baseball and lowrider culture. But, in the UK, it focused on moments like posting a parcel at your local newsagent’s or navigating neighbourly interactions in a terraced street. The humour was also distinctly British (see: the one about the lamp).
Even small differences, like using local actors with regional accents, make a world of difference. The idea remains the same, but the execution feels native.
You can’t do this from a distance
The best piece of advice I could give is simple: spend time on British soil. There’s no substitute for understanding how people live, think and shop. And, in the same vein, work with partners who understand the market, because the wrong advice could be killer.
Above all, remember that although the UK may look and sound familiar, it operates on its own terms. Get those nuances right, and the UK becomes a serious growth market. Get them wrong, and your long-term expansion plan might become a short-lived holiday.
Matthew Robinson is managing director at Joan London
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