International Initiatives: Things to think about when advertising overseas
Language
The Future’s Bright, The Future’s …Protestant Loyalist
Orange – a telecoms company – launched a successful campaign in the UK
Slogan –
“The future’s bright…the future’s Orange”
The same campaign had a very different result in the Republic of Ireland
“Orange” often refers to the Protestant organization, the Orange Order
Seen as hostile and sectarian by Irish Catholics
Problem: language and culture
Are you lactating?
We all know the “Got Milk?” campaign
It began in 1993 and is still running strong
1998: the “got milk?” slogan was licensed to MilkPEP (National Milk Processor Board) for celebrity print ads
the US Dairy Association hit a few snags in translating the slogan to Spanish
The Spanish version allegedly meant “Are you lactating?”
Overall the campaign didn’t work for Latinos
Being deprived of milk is not humorous
It can be a serious concern for family oriented Latino communities
Bite the wax tadpole
When Coca-Cola launched in China, many small business owners put out signs that phonetically said “Coca-Cola,” but translated to “Bite the wax tadpole” or “wax-flattened mare”
Coca-Cola actually marketed itself as “Kekoukele” which translates to “Happiness Power”
Other Chinese brands:
Tide: Taizi = “gets rid of dirt”
By using different characters with the same sounds, this could have been “Too purple”
Cadillac: “Ka di la ke” = it has no meaning
Callout: Chevy Nova
Many people believe that the Chevy Nova didn’t sell well in Spanish-speaking countries because “No va” means “No go”
Myth – Didn’t really happen
1) Just like English speakers, Spanish speakers acknowledge the word “nova” to be a celestial event
2) When speaking to a mechanic, a person is more likely to say, “no funciona” (it isn’t functioning) or “no camina” (it isn’t running) than “no va” (no go)
The car actually did sell well in Latin America
It surpassed expectations in Venezuela
Culture
“Appropriate” or “Inappropriate” varies widely between nations or regions within nations
Marketers should extensively research the local culture before they start a campaign
2004: China banned a Nike TV commercial
Depicted LeBron James fighting cartoon animated dragons and kung fu masters
The Chinese said it insulted their national dignity
Religion also plays a big role in international marketing
China – 2007: (the year of the pig) Advertisements containing pigs were banned
To maintain peace with the country’s Muslim population (about 2%)
Ban included any animated pig or pictures of sausages containing pork
France – 2005: the Catholic Church went to court against clothing designers
Designed by Marithe and Francois Girbaud
Clothing ad based on da Vinci’s Christ’s Last Supper
The court sided with the Catholic Church – the ad was banned
In August 2013, Dunkin Donuts Thailand launched a campaign for the Charcoal Donut
The ad for the chocolate donut featured a woman with “blackface” makeup and bright pink lipstick eating the donut
Human Rights Watch (Headquartered in NYC) called the ad “bizarre and racist”
Said it would cause “howls of outrage” if it ran in the US
In Thailand, it is common for ads to use racial stereotypes
Some have dismissed the controversy as “paranoid American thinking”
Color
The symbolism of colors varies around the world
Using the wrong color for an ad can convey the wrong message
[[Most important colors to show differences in: white, black, green, yellow]]
[[“ASEAN” is, collectively, Southeast Asia]]
In the end, it’s all about research. No amount of financial backing will ever match the value of knowing your audience.
Sources:
http://www.utalkmarketing.com/Pages/Article.aspx?ArticleID=18456
http://milkinggotmilk.com/campaign-history/
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Lost-in-the-translation-Milk-board-does-without-2884230.php
http://www.marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-international-marketing-culture.html
http://www.sp.uconn.edu/~alw03009/study3.pdf
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/12/world/asia/picking-brand-names-in-china-is-a-business-itself.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/30/dunkin-donuts-racist-thai-advert-blackface
http://www.duetsblog.com/2012/07/articles/branding/that-story-about-the-chevy-nova-its-a-no-go/
