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 of Silkdrive cross-cultural growth marketing agency

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.

50+
Clients

Across Europe and East Asia, from founders to enterprise teams.

30+
Industries

Retail, automotive, energy, life sciences, logistics, and more.

Since 2015
Founder-led

Every engagement is led by Patric Sawada, backed by a vetted expert network.

Patric enables us to exceed the goals of our LinkedIn Ad campaigns. […] extensive knowledge of tooling and data-driven work.
Christian Crauwels
Christian Crauwels
Marketing Coördinator
A nice guy who integrated smoothly in the team, being pro-active and delivering much more than expected. Patric is data-driven […], not doing stuff for nothing, and a strong advisor. […] we made a lot of improvements during this 4 months.
Petra Vunderink
Petra Vunderink
Head of Marketing Communications, Exact
Patric'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!
Simran Singh
Simran Singh
Head of Growth, Recruitee

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.

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Cross-Cultural Insights

Cultural adaptation, localisation, and training that help your team and campaigns connect authentically in unfamiliar markets.

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Growth Marketing

Market entry strategy, growth experimentation, and fractional leadership to turn international expansion into measurable results.

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Training & Coaching

Growth, marketing, and cross-cultural training plus executive coaching and market entry webinars for teams working across Europe and East Asia.

Browse Programmes
Takashi Kawatani, lead trainer for Silkdrive's Japan training programmes
Takashi Kawatani
35+ years · 20,000+ alumni · Diversity Management Institute (Tokyo)
Patric Sawada, founder of Silkdrive and growth and cross-cultural marketing trainer
Patric Sawada
11+ years · Founder · Growth & cross-cultural marketing trainer (Amsterdam)

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.

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Workshop

On request

per 3-hour session

Cross-cultural training for teams working across the corridor.

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Fractional CMO

On request

per month, one day a week

Senior marketing leadership, embedded part-time.

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Advisor

On request

per month, light retainer

A light retainer for steady, senior input.

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Cross-Cultural Insights

Latest thinking on EU ↔ East Asia growth marketing, cross-cultural strategy, and international expansion.

The Culture Map vs Hofstede vs Trompenaars: Which Cross-Cultural Framework to Use When
June 23, 202616 min read

The Culture Map vs Hofstede vs Trompenaars: Which Cross-Cultural Framework to Use When

Erin Meyer's Culture Map, Hofstede's dimensions, and Trompenaars' dimensions compared for European operators. What each is good for, where each misleads, and a decision tree for picking the right one per situation.

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DEI in Japan: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for European Companies Operating There
June 23, 202619 min read

DEI in Japan: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for European Companies Operating There

What diversity, equity and inclusion actually look like inside a Japanese workplace, why European DEI frameworks rarely transfer wholesale, and a practical method for building inclusive practice in a Japanese subsidiary that holds up against local reality.

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Doing Business in Japan from France: A Corridor Guide for French Companies
June 23, 202618 min read

Doing Business in Japan from France: A Corridor Guide for French Companies

A France-to-Japan corridor guide: where French relationship-led, hierarchical, debate-driven business culture meets Japanese expectations, why luxury, cosmetics, and F&B are a genuine FR-JP strength, and how to assess entry readiness.

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FAQ

Questions 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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