Cross-cultural growth marketing
Grow your brand across Europe and East Asia
International digital marketing and growth, cross-cultural insights, and an expert network for companies expanding across Europe and East Asia.
50+ clients · 30+ industries · 15+ markets
Free 30-minute market insights, no sales pitch.
Patric Sawada·Founder, 2015·Amsterdam, NL
Trusted by teams expanding across Europe and East Asia
We have run growth marketing and market-entry work for companies in a wide range of industries, in both directions of the corridor.
Across Europe and East Asia, from founders to enterprise teams.
Retail, automotive, energy, life sciences, logistics, and more.
Every engagement is led by Patric Sawada, backed by a vetted expert network.
“Patric [Sawada] enables us to exceed the goals of our LinkedIn Ad campaigns. […] extensive knowledge of tooling and data-driven work.”
“A nice guy who integrated smoothly in the team, being pro-active and delivering much more than expected. Patric [Sawada] is data-driven […], not doing stuff for nothing, and a strong advisor. […] we made a lot of improvements during this 4 months.”
“Patric [Sawada]'s creative way of thinking is really inspiring and […] results with Linkedin (one of the hardest marketing channels to use out there) are absolutely staggering!”
How we work
Three steps, one goal: growth that holds up in a new market.
Connect
We map the market and bring in the right local experts, so you start with people who already know how it works on the ground.
Adapt
We adapt your product, message, and channels to how people actually decide and buy in each market, not a translated version of your home campaign.
Grow
We run and optimise the campaigns, then keep tuning until the numbers move. We execute, we don't just advise.
What we do
Full-service cross-cultural growth marketing, from your first market-entry plan to live campaigns in each market.
International Digital Marketing
Full-service international marketing execution, SEO, paid media, social, and performance campaigns across Europe and East Asia.
Read MoreCross-Cultural Insights
Cultural adaptation, localisation, and training that help your team and campaigns connect authentically in unfamiliar markets.
Read MoreGrowth Marketing
Market entry strategy, growth experimentation, and fractional leadership to turn international expansion into measurable results.
Read MoreTraining & Coaching
Growth, marketing, and cross-cultural training plus executive coaching and market entry webinars for teams working across Europe and East Asia.
Browse Programmes
Ways to work with us
Pick the shape that fits where you are. Not sure? Book a call and we will tell you straight.
Sprint
On request
scoped per engagement
A scoped engagement to solve one growth problem.
Discuss this engagement →Workshop
On request
per 3-hour session
Cross-cultural training for teams working across the corridor.
Discuss this engagement →Fractional CMO
On request
per month, one day a week
Senior marketing leadership, embedded part-time.
Discuss this engagement →Advisor
On request
per month, light retainer
A light retainer for steady, senior input.
Discuss this engagement →Cross-Cultural Insights
Latest thinking on EU ↔ East Asia growth marketing, cross-cultural strategy, and international expansion.
The Familiarity Trap: Why Japan Looks Like Home and Costs European Companies Most
Japan looks familiar, same airports, same coffee chains, same slide decks, so European companies assume it works like home. That assumption is the most expensive mistake in market entry. Here is why the familiar surface misleads, and what to do instead.
Read More
Why Japanese Business Contracts Are Short: The Relationship Behind the Document
European companies often read a short Japanese contract as naive or risky and try to thicken it with clauses. That misreads the culture. Here is what a Japanese contract is actually for, and how to structure agreements and the close without breaking the relationship.
Read More
Silent Churn: Why Japanese Customers Leave Without Telling You
In Japan the signature is the start, not the finish. Unhappy customers rarely complain, they switch quietly. Here is how silent churn works, why it is a cultural pattern, and how to defend against it and turn customers into your entry key for the next deal.
Read MoreQuestions we get a lot
Our Story
Our name is inspired by the legendary Silk Road, a symbol of connectivity, cultural exchange and commerce.
Silkdrive aims to channel the spirit of the original Silk Road, transforming it into a digital force that drives sustainable growth, across Europe and East-Asia.
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