You have to start communication activities in Hungary but you are a bit lost how to do that? Do not worry, your help is closer than you think. Just read our post to get an overview about what to say and how to say it effectivety in this country.
Due to the measures taken by the right-wing populist Orbán cabinet, Hungary’s image in the international press has been mixed in recent years. With Hungary holding the EU presidency in the second half of 2024, this Central European country of around 10 million people is attracting increased attention.
Budapest, Hungary – Aerial panoramic skyline view of Buda Castle Royal Palace with Szechenyi Chain Bridge, Hungarian Parliament and Matthias Church at sunrise with clear blue sky
Hungary has been a popular investment destination in recent decades, ranking in the middle of the European list for foreign direct investment. Vehicle manufacturing, software and IT services and electronics are typical success sectors. Foreign investors mainly come from South Korea, Germany, the United States, Austria and China.
In our 10-point guide, we give advice on how international companies entering the Hungarian market should communicate: what are the trends in the country, what to look out for and what to avoid when planning and implementing communications.
For companies entering the Hungarian market, a Hungarian-language corporate website (or at least a Hungarian-language subpage on the global site) is a very important channel. It gives the company credibility to Hungarian consumers and journalists and plays a big role in making locals feel that the company has a real presence in Hungary and serious plans to do business here.
And speaking of the Hungarian language, Hungarian consumers are particularly sensitive to the precise use of the language. This may have both cultural and historical roots. The Hungarian language is not easy for other native speakers to learn, and not many do, which is why Hungarians are little used to broken Hungarian; in many cases it is seen as strange, even frivolous.
The Próbakő team recently conducted research for an international client in the e-commerce field, which revealed that Hungarian consumers are most confused by the incorrect use of language on a website. Of course, language use is also crucial for other communication tools.
Another language-related tip: have a spokesperson who can speak Hungarian. If you don’t have one, it’s very difficult to organise a TV or radio interview in the first place, as you need some kind of simultaneous interpretation or similar solution. However, in our experience, other interview opportunities are also significantly reduced, because Hungarian journalists do not really like (or know how to) interview in a foreign language.
According to Próbakő’s experience and a recent survey of Hungarian journalists, the overwhelming majority of journalists and editors are very happy to receive some kind of illustration and typically use it.
There are many different types of illustrations, but not all of them are equally good and useful for media content producers, with traditional images, infographics and videos being the most useful. Of course, the more corporate branding you put on visuals, the less usable they become. It is therefore worthwhile to add illustrations to your communications that convey your corporate message cleverly, but are only subtly branded.
The Hungarian market has some media usage characteristics that foreign companies entering the market should take into account.
The international trend applies here too: in almost every industry, it makes sense to use influencers in your communication. In recent years, online influencers have also appeared in B2B areas, so it is also possible to think about such solutions for products or services offered to companies.
However, it is advisable to seek the help of local consultants in selecting the right influencer, as the market is very diverse and it is particularly difficult to find the right partner based on figures alone, without a thorough knowledge of the market. One of our international clients launched an influencer campaign last year, coordinated by a German consultancy team – several of the influencers they selected were eventually replaced at our suggestion because, although their numbers were good, the content they produced did not meet the client’s expectations.
Another cultural specificity is how in the Hungarian market, personal relationships between business partners are particularly important. A company entering the market should therefore establish and continuously expand its personal contacts as soon as possible. This can be greatly helped by various professional, industry or company networking events – it is worth attending these. Again, of course, with the support of a local adviser, as there is a wide range of events and not all are equally valuable.
Hungarian consumers and potential business customers are primarily interested in the Hungarian market. A company entering the market must have a relevant message for them. What does this mean in practice? If you are communicating about your company’s international research, you should have data on the Hungarian market. Talk about products/services that are available on the Hungarian market. The company’s charity programmes should have a Hungarian dimension. This list could go on and on.
An international company should also bear in mind that it is probably not yet as well known in the Hungarian market as it is at home, so it is worth spending some energy on education at first.
It is not a Hungarian peculiarity, but it is more and more common here that newsrooms are becoming smaller and smaller and journalists are increasingly understaffed. This means that they have less and less time to attend press events, and they increasingly need PR people to help them with their work rather than creating new tasks for them.
Related to this is the fact that the material produced is usually sent for checking, but it is more likely that only factual errors can be corrected, some journalists take care of their time off and if, for example, something is said during an interview, it is published.
As can be seen from the above points, given the socio-cultural and economic specificities of Hungary, it is advisable for a company entering the Hungarian market to seek the help of local consultants for everything from simple routine tasks to the creation of a local communication strategy. Local market knowledge, contacts and the ability to use the Hungarian language at a native level are necessary for rapid success.
