Time for a campaign
We'll take carnival as an example. This celebration is popular in Germany. There is potential on the German translations Karneval, Fasching, Fasnacht and Fastnacht:
| Searches Feb '19 | Searches / Ads reach | |
|---|---|---|
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 119.880 | 0,60% |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | 23.200 | 0,49% |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | 2.820 | 0,15% |
| Bayern | 63.900 | 0,36% |
| Austria | 305.290 | 3,75% |
| Switzerland | 308.100 | 4,68% |
But if you look a little deeper, it gets more complicated. Because different translations are preferred in different federal states (Bundesländer). Below is the number of searches per translation in percentages.
| Karneval | Fasching | Fasnacht | Fastnight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 92% | 6% | 1% | 2% |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | 43% | 28% | 6% | 23% |
| Bayern | 15% | 77% | 3% | 5% |
| Austria | 1% | 99% | 0% | 0% |
| Switzerland | 1% | 1% | 98% | 1% |
- Bold: the highest % of searches by state/country (horizontal)
- Underlined: the highest % of searches per translation (vertical)
Even more difference in keywords
If you want to run a profitable campaign, you must take into account localization and not miss out on search volume.Andn then you can't avoid taking into account the differences in translation per statanden country. Carnival is no exception, just look at the following examples:
Search term: sandwich
| Brötchen | Rundstuck | Schrippe | Semmel | Weckerl | Weggli | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 6600 | 40 | 590 | 1000 | 20 | 20 |
| Hamburg | 880 | 70 | 140 | 170 | 10 | 10 |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | 390 | 10 | 50 | 50 | 10 | 10 |
| Berlin | 1300 | 30 | 720 | 390 | 10 | 10 |
| Bavaria | 2400 | 30 | 480 | 1900 | 70 | 20 |
| Austria | 1900 | 10 | 390 | 2400 | 590 | 20 |
| Switzerland | 880 | 10 | 110 | 390 | 10 | 880 |
- Bold: the highest number of searches per state/country (horizontal)
- Underlined: the highest number of searches per translation (vertical)
Search term: bag
| Sack | Beutel | Tüte | Stanitzl | Stackerl | Säckel | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 1300 | 1000 | 1000 | 40 | 30 | 40 |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | 90 | 90 | 70 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Brandenburg | 140 | 170 | 110 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Baden-Württemberg | 720 | 590 | 590 | 30 | 20 | 90 |
| Bavaria | 880 | 720 | 590 | 90 | 30 | 70 |
| Austria | 480 | 590 | 390 | 1000 | 590 | 70 |
| Switzerland | 480 | 390 | 260 | 20 | 10 | 10 |
- Bold: the highest number of searches per state/country (horizontal)
- Underlined: the highest number of searches per translation (vertical)
But why is the translation Säckel used most often in Baden-Württemberg, but hardly at all in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern? That's a difference between northern and southern Germany. Why Sack is most often searched for in Nordrhein-Westfalen but Beutel in Brandenburg is a difference between Eastandn West Germany.
Why so much difference in keywords?
To answer this question we go back several centuries. For Germany has a rich history. The composition of the country has changed enormously over the years. Something you don't think about as a Dutchman, as we have had a lot less to do with this.
It began before 1648: Switzerland
Before Swiss independence was accepted by European states, Swiss cities were an important part of German culture. Thus, standard German(Hochdeutsch) is the official written language in most of the country. The spoken language is Swiss German(Schwyzerdütsch) dialects. There is also an overlap in traditions between Switzerland and southern Germany. For example, in southern German Baden-Württembergandn northern Swiss Basel, carnival is celebrated with the Schwäbisch-alemannische Fastnacht.
Between 1648 and 1871: northernandn southern Germany
The differences between northern and southern Germany originated in the 19th century. Prussia was seen as the most important state in the north, Austria , Bavaria, Badenandn Württemberg were most important in the south.In 1866 the German War broke out, fought between Empire Austrianden Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia wand en, with allies, founded the North German Confederation. Austanda en the southern German states were excluded.
The North and South only found each other again in the battle against France in 1870. After this victory, the German Empire was born. Meanwhile, the differences between Northandn South Germany have faded. You encounter them mainly in language (Oberdeutsch versus Mittelanden NiederDeutsch).
Between 1648 and 1871: northernandn southern Germany
Between 1648 and 1871, Austria had a great deal of influence on German culture. Although this changed after the German War, the relationship between the two countries remained important. During WWI, Germanyandn then Austria-Hungary were allies. In 1938, Austria joined Germananden Ostmark became a province of the Third Reich. Austria as we know it today came about in 1945.
The language in Austria is almost the same as German, but with Austrian dialects. Austria's influence is seen mostly in the southern German states. The culture of the southern German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg is more akin to that of Austria.
Between 1949 and 1990: Westandn East Germany
Federal Republic of Germany consisted of West Germany(BRD) and East Germany(GDR), separated by the Berlin Wall starting in 1961. Democracy prevailed in the BRD. The GDR was communist because of the liberation of the East by the Soviet Union in 1945.
The fall of the Wall in 1989 brought an end to the division. The districts that made up the GDR were dissolved and added to Germany as 5 "neue bundesländer." In 1990, the country was unified into the Germany of today. Yet you can still see the effects of separate life in the economy, politicsandn religion.
For example, there was freedom of religion in the GDR, but the church was watched by the Stasi. Being a church member was not conducive to your career. That is why the majority of the population in the "neue bundesländer" is still atheist today. The rest of the country is mostly Catholic or Protestant. This explains the lower number of searches on the word Gottesdienst (religion) in East Germany, as you can see below.
| Search brief Feb '18 - Mar '19 | Search Ads range | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| North Rhine-Westphalia | West | 2900 | 0,015% |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | West | 720 | 0,015% |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | East | 140 | 0,008% |
| Brandenburg | East | 210 | 0,007% |
| Baden-Württemberg | West | 2400 | 0,020% |
| Bayern | West | 2900 | 0,016% |
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Do you want to run campaigns in Germany on the right German keywords? Our native German SEA marketers can easily help you with this! Together, we'll get to work targeting the right keywords.
