Role:
Led cultural insight research to inform locally resonant content and growth strategies.
Conducted qualitative analysis of UK-specific meme culture to identify humor, values, and references resonating with the target audience (local moms).
Insights were applied to create culturally tailored social content and campaigns, which significantly increased community engagement and organic shares on SNS platforms.
#Market entry strategy
What I learned
During Karrot’s early UK market expansion, I actively contributed beyond design—leading user research and content strategy. With unclear initial target groups, I conducted interviews and community observations, eventually focusing on local parenting communities with strong needs. By analyzing cultural codes and memes within these groups, we designed emotionally resonant content that went beyond simple UI localization. This resulted in organic engagement and improved brand awareness. Through this experience, I learned that in early markets, emotional trust and cultural relevance often outweigh product features—and that qualitative insights can directly shape strategic decisions.
Impact
While I didn’t have access to exact conversion metrics, I observed clear outcomes: increased shares and comments on our content, and positive feedback from the marketing team noting this direction’s resonance. The memes and keywords we tested were later used in future campaigns, proving the value of research-driven cultural strategy.
UK-specific Insights
Meme culture is deeply embedded in UK online communities—especially among parents—often using dry, self-deprecating humor that boosts relatability.
Sustainable living and “waste-free” values shaped secondhand trade motivations; content aligned with this ethos resonated more.
Unlike Korea’s trust-through-temperature metaphor, UK users preferred badges or scores to represent trust—highlighting cultural nuances in UX signals.
Local events like Bank Holidays, Pancake Day, and Easter strongly influenced user rhythm and sentiment, offering clear opportunities for campaign alignment beyond generic seasonal content.