some humorous cross

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Some Humorous Cross-Cultural Advertising Gaffes!

When a passenger of foot heave in sight,tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously

at first, but if he still obstacles yourpassage tootle him with vigor."

-From a brochure at a Tokyo car rental firm

Many of you may have heard of these infamous errors made by multinational

corporations when translating brands or slogans abroad. Language, of course, is only

one of many cultural barriers you may have to bridge with your partner organization.

We hope this list will entertain you while giving important insight on the potential

pitfalls of cross culture communication and serving as a reminder of the importance of

a good sense of humor! American and Canadian groups may need to explain to their

international partners some of the finer meanings of certain words used below.

When Kentucky Fried Chicken entered the Chinese market, to their horror they

discovered that their slogan "finger lickin' good" came out as "eat your fingers off"

Chinese translation also proved difficult for Coke, which took two tries to get it

right. They first tried Ke-kou-ke-la because when pronounced it sounded roughly like

Coca-Cola. It wasn't until after thousands of signs had been printed that they

discovered that the phrase means "bite the wax tadpole" or "female horse stuffed with

wax", depending on the dialect. Second time around things worked out much better.

After researching 40,000 Chinese characters, Coke came up with "ko-kou-ko-le"

which translates roughly to the much more appropriate "happiness in the mouth".

Things weren't much easier for Coke's arch-rival Pepsi. When they entered the

Chinese market a few years ago, the translation of their slogan "Pepsi Brings you

Back to Life" was a little more literal than they intended. In Chinese, the slogan

meant, "Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back from the Grave".

But it's not just in Asian markets that soft drinks makers have problems. In Italy, a

campaign for "Schweppes Tonic Water" translated the name into the much less thirstquenching "Schweppes Toilet Water".

The American slogan for Salem cigarettes, "Salem Feeling Free," got translated

in the Japanese market into "When smoking Salem, you feel so refreshed that your

mind seems to be free and empty."


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General Motors had a perplexing problem when they introduced the Chevy Nova in

South America. Despite their best efforts, they weren't selling many cars. They finally

realized that in Spanish, "nova" means "it won't go". Sales improved dramatically

after the car was renamed the "Caribe."

Things weren't any better for Ford when they introduced the Pinto in Brazil. After

watching sales go nowhere, the company learned that "Pinto" is Brazilian slang for

"tiny male genitals." Ford pried the nameplates off all of the cars and substituted them

with "Corcel," which means horse.

Sometimes it's one word of a slogan that changes the whole meaning. When Parker

Pen marketed a ballpoint pen in Mexico, its ads were supposed to say "It won't leak in

your pocket and embarrass you." However, the company mistakenly thought the

Spanish word "embarazar" meant embarrass. Instead the ads said "It won't leak in

your pocket and make you pregnant."

Foreign companies have similar problems when they enter English speaking

markets. Japan's second-largest tourist agency was mystified when it expanded to

English-speaking countries and began receiving requests for unusual sex tours. Upon

finding out why, the owners of the Kinki Nippon Tourist Company changed its name.

The company didn't change the name of all its divisions though. Visitors to Japan still

have the opportunity to take a ride on the Kinki Nippon Railway.

When Braniff translated a slogan touting its upholstery, "Fly in Leather," it came

out in Spanish as "Fly Naked."

Coors put its slogan, "Turn It Loose," into Spanish, where it was read as "Suffer

From Diarrhea."

The Dairy Association's huge success with the campaign "Got Milk?" prompted

them to expand advertising to Mexico. It was soon brought to their attention the

Spanish translation read "Are you lactating?"

Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in an American

campaign: "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux"

Clairol introduced the "Mist Stick," a curling iron, into Germany only to find out

that "mist" is slang for manure.


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An American T-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish market which

promoted the Pope's visit Instead of "I Saw the Pope" (el Papa), the shirts read "I Saw

the Potato" (la papa)

And some more differences in cross-cultural communication styles to consider

From http://www.us-expatriate-handbook.com/chpt3.htm:

"Consider the story of an American executive who was designated to deliver a formal

presentation at a Japanese conference. During her presentation, the woman became

acutely aware of a man in the audience who proceeded to make strange faces at her.

Following the conclusion of her presentation, the woman voiced her disapproval to

the Japanese hosts. And while an apology was immediately provided, it was

discovered that the man in the audience had not intended to offend the American

speaker. He simply became so fixated on her facial gestures that he inadvertently

began imitating her. Should this story be considered an isolated incident of a simplemisunderstanding or is this a prime example of everyday miscommunication between

cultures? Many experts would support the second conclusion.

"Most of the problems caused by cross-cultural clashes are usually the result of the

failure by some or all parties involved to recognize and account for differences in

culturally-based communication styles. They assume that all peoples communicate

using the same set of modes and rules (many of which, like body language styles, are

unconsciously held). For example, numerous professionals from the US make the

mistake of assuming that all people want to be spoken to informally, just as they

assume that simple body gestures strike the same chord in any

culture, or the notion that an openly frank style of negotiating is most appreciated.

"We should first realize that there is no such thing as a universal form of

communication. Take the simple gesture of a smile. It is not unusual for Americans to

exchange smiles with complete strangers. We smile at people on the street, at the

airport, in restaurants, shopping malls and so on. We consider it a friendly gesture.

However, in other cultures a smile can take on a completely different meaning. A

smile can be considered insulting or it can signal embarrassment. Many Americans

fail to realize that common gestures such as shrugging one's shoulders or scratching

one's forehead can be completely misinterpreted by someone from another country.

"Each culture has its own rules of communication. A French executive would

probably be offended if a new acquaintance were to address him by his first name.

Giving the "thumbs up" signal in Australia is impolite. And a display of frankness so

common to Americans perpetuates the Japanese impression that the American people

exhibit a lack of discipline. Even though such cultural collisions often elicit negative
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feedback, they rarely provoke extreme hostility. Instead, committing a cultural taboo

is usually regarded as improper, discourteous, or disrespectful. The individual who

has the misfortune of committing the taboo is "rewarded" with expressions of anger or

flat-out silence, which in turn can be misinterpreted. Such mishaps in communication

almost always serve to diminish one's credibility.

"Usually, cross-cultural gaffes stem from misjudging situations that involve mingling

and communicating with others. These include: the dress code for appointments, the

manner in which we introduce ourselves and greet others, expressing thanks to the

hosts as well as proper etiquette for the presentation of gifts. While the majority of

Americans consider such events to be very routine, the fact remains that the

interpretation of these social commitments varies from country to country. If we fail

to educate ourselves in advance as to what is and what isn't acceptable, then we prime

ourselves for unintentional embarrassment, possibly at the worst given moment.

"Miscalculating the pertinence of cross-cultural communications can be counter-productive at best, or abysmal at worst. Cultural differences with regard to eye

contact, when it is acceptable to smile, and name protocol for addressing foreign

counterparts are all qualities that dramatically impact all angles of negotiation and

interpersonal communication. For example, the word "no" is a response that the

Japanese tend to avoid altogether. As strange as it may seem, if they are not optimistic

about a given proposal, rather than tell you in so many words, they may choose to

make a counter inquiry, they may avoid eye contact with you, or they may simply

choose to walk away. Their answer is for all practical purposes spelled out in their

behavior. Obviously, this can be very frustrating to American negotiators who are

used to a straight forward "yes" or "no." Understanding and accepting cultural

differences is critical if one expects to be successful in an overseas assignment."


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Cross Cultural Advertising

Culture is a like dropping an Alka-seltzer into a glass - you don't see it, but somehow it does

somethingHans Magnus Enzensberger

Culture affects everything we do. This applies to all areas of human life from personal relationships toconducting business abroad. When interacting within our native cultures, culture acts as a framework ofunderstanding. However, when interacting with different cultures this framework no longer applies due tocross cultural differences.

Cross cultural communication aims to help minimise the negative impact of cross cultural differencesthrough building common frameworks for people of different cultures to interact within. In business, crosscultural solutions are applied in areas such as HR, team building, foreign trade, negotiations and websitedesign.

Cross cultural communication solutions are also critical to effective cross cultural advertising. Services andproducts are usually designed and marketed at a domestic audience. When a product is then marketed at an

international audience the same domestic advertising campaign abroad will in most cases be ineffective.

The essence of successful advertising is convincing people that a product is meant for them. By purchasingit, they will receive some benefit, whether it be lifestyle, status, convenience or financial. However, when anadvertising campaign is taken abroad different values and perceptions as to what enhances status or gives

convenience exist. These differences make the original advertising campaign defunct.

It is therefore critical to any cross cultural advertising campaign that an understanding of a particular culture

is acquired. By way of highlighting areas of cross cultural differences in advertising a few examples shall beexamined.

Language in Cross Cultural Advertising

It may seem somewhat obvious to state that language is key to effective cross cultural advertising.

However, the fact that companies persistently fail to check linguistic implications of company or productnames and slogans demonstrates that such issues are not being properly addressed.

The advertising world is littered with examples of linguistic cross cultural blunders. Of the more comical wasFord's introduction of the 'Pinto' in Brazil. After seeing sales fail, they soon realised that this was due to thefact that Brazilians did not want to be seen driving a car meaning 'tiny male genitals'.

Language must also be analysed for its cultural suitability. For example, the slogan employed by the

computer games manufacturer, EA Sports, "Challenge Everything" raises grumbles of disapproval inreligious or hierarchical societies where harmonious relationships are maintained through the values of

respect and non-confrontation.

It is imperative therefore that language be examined carefully in any cross cultural advertising campaign

Communication Style in Cross Cultural Advertising

Understanding the way in which other cultures communicate allows the advertising campaign to speak tothe potential customer in a way they understand and appreciate. For example, communication styles can beexplicit or implicit. An explicit communicator (e.g. USA) assumes the listener is unaware of background

information or related issues to the topic of discussion and therefore provides it themselves. Implicitcommunicators (e.g. Japan) assume the listener is well informed on the subject and minimises information


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relayed on the premise that the listener will understand from implication. An explicit communicator wouldfind an implicit communication style vague, whereas an implicit communicator would find an explicit

communication style exaggerated.

Colours, Numbers and Images in Cross Cultural Advertising

Even the simplest and most taken for granted aspects of advertising need to be inspected under a crosscultural microscope. Colours, numbers, symbols and images do not all translate well across cultures.

In some cultures there are lucky colours, such as red in China and unlucky colours, such as black in Japan.Some colours have certain significance; green is considered a special colour in Islam and some colours havetribal associations in parts of Africa.

Many hotels in the USA or UK do not have a room 13 or a 13th floor. Similarly, Nippon Airways in Japan do

not have the seat numbers 4 or 9. If there are numbers with negative connotations abroad, presenting orpackaging products in those numbers when advertising should be avoided.

Images are also culturally sensitive. Whereas it is common to see pictures of women in bikinis on advertisingposters on the streets of London, such images would cause outrage in the Middle East.

Cultural Values in Cross Cultural Advertising

When advertising abroad, the cultural values underpinning the society must be analysed carefully. Is there areligion that is practised by the majority of the people? Is the society collectivist or individualist? Is it family

orientated? Is it hierarchical? Is there a dominant political or economic ideology? All of these will impact anadvertising campaign if left unexamined.

For example, advertising that focuses on individual success, independence and stressing the word "I" wouldbe received negatively in countries where teamwork is considered a positive quality. Rebelliousness or lack

of respect for authority should always be avoided in family orientated or hierarchical societies.

By way of conclusion, we can see that the principles of advertising run through to cross cultural advertising

too. That is - know your market, what is attractive to them and what their aspirations are. Cross culturaladvertising is simply about using common sense and analysing how the different elements of an advertisingcampaign are impacted by culture and modifying them to best speak to the target audience.

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Pepsi advertisements in the U.S., Korea, and Japan

Pepsi advertisements for each country are different because people from different countries have

different tastes for advertisements.

This is an old Pepsi ad in the U.S. In the picture, the first straw splits in half, trying to

avoid going in to the Coca-Cola can. The second straw is just naturally stuck in to the Pepsi

can. What the ad is trying to say is that Pepsi tastes so much better than Coca-Cola that

even the straw tries to avoid going in to the Coca-Cola can.
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This also is an old Pepsi commercial in 1995. In the commercial, a young boy just slurps

and slurps, finally overdoes it, and gets sucked into the Pepsi bottle from his straw, leaving

him trapped inside. The commercial is indicating that it tastes so good that the boy tried to

drink even the last drop of the Pepsi, that made him trapped inside.

This is an ad from Japan. In the picture, a woman with thick eyeline and dark eyeshadowlooks at the audience mysteriously. Next to the woman, there's a phrase saying "This is just

as good as expected!" I think the ad is trying to persuade the audience by making the

phrase and the good taste of the Pepsi seem obvious.
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This is Korea's Pepsi ad. The two singers in the picture are jumping up high with Pepsi. The

phrase in English says "Refresh Your World" and the phrase in Korean says "Wake up your

own world" by drinking Pepsi.

People in the U.S. make commercials and advertisements funny because Americans LOVE

funny commercials. Not just Pepsi, but other commercials and advertisements in the U.S.

are really funny because funny advertisements are effective enough to capture American

audience's attention. Appealing models can do the trick too, but Americans think that sense

of humor is the most common way to attract audience.

Unlike the U.S., Japanese people LOVE appealing models. I think Japanese people aremore sexually active than Americans, so they use women in commercials and

advertisements. In the ad up there, a woman is wearing a heavy make up with sleeveless

clothes showing her soft chest and shoulders. Japanese people know their target market,

so they use appealing models as their technique of advertisement.
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Korea uses appealing models as their advertisement technique just like Japan,

but advertising it in a different way. Korean people love singers and actors because they're

what makes Korean people happy. Koreans listen to singers' music and watch dramas most

of their lifetime, so those singers and actors are appealing to all children, teenagers, andadults. Koreans advertise with singers and actors who Korean people really love. Koreans

will naturally watch TV commercials and advertisements when their favorite singers or

actors are on TV, with the product.

Advertisement differences between two countries

Are you interested in the advertisement? Advertisements are very common now and there

are many kinds of advertisements. The ad style depends on the audience who care about it.

There are ads for children, teenagers and adults. The ads differ from country to country and

culture to culture. In fact, advertisement style has some differences between the US andSaudi Arabia in many ways, such as ads for psychological illness medications,

professionalism and frankness of ads and ads sent by mail.

First, when I saw the advertisements in the US, I noticed many ads are about medicines,

especially for psychological illnesses. In addition, those types of ads make people feel they

are sick and they need it. For example, in one of the ads about bad mood for people who

become sad or angry quickly the content of the ads showed somebody who went to his/her

work in the morning and the coffee was spilled on his/her clothes and he/she doesnt

become angry, just takes one tablet of this medicine and after one week he/she will feel

better. However, in Saudi Arabia it is very different. There are no ads for any type ofmedication for psychological illness and upset mood, because there are not many

companies to compete for this kind of medicine. In addition, in Saudi Arabia, it is not

allowed to go to a pharmacy and get this kind of medicine without a prescription. For

example, the sleeping pills Saudi citizens cannot buy it easily without prescription.

Secondly, the advertisements in the US are more professional and more frank in ads than in

Saudi Arabia. Some companies use frank comparison ads to compare their product with

other brands to show their products as the best, and that is legal in the US. For example,

According to Suzuki website Suzuki company's ads says"More affordable and more interior

room than Corolla and Civic" . However, in Saudi Arabia, companies use hints in the ads toshow their special advantages and features that other companies do not have. For

example, there are two cell phone companies in Saudi Arabia that compete to attract more

customers by showing their special advantages.

Finally, there are many advertisements that come by mail in the US for restaurants, clothes

stores and universities, and sometimes it is annoying. For example, in US the fast food


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restaurants like Burger King and many famous stores like Macys and the insurance

companies send their special offer ads by mail to many people to sell their products.

However, Saudi Arabia Saudi citizens do not have this type of ads. Moreover, Saudi citizens

use the mail just to send letters from city to city or from country to country, because the mail

services are expensive, so many Saudis do not have mailboxes at their homes.

In conclusion, the ads depend on the culture and what people do believe. In addition, some

kinds of ads do not fit all countries like Saudi Arabia and the US, and there are differences

in ads such as psychological illness medications, professionalism and frankness in ads and

ads sent by mail. I think the companies should care about their ads content if they want to

make ads in other countries.

he Differences Between Countries Can Cost

You1 Comment Written on October 30th, 2009 byGiovanna

Categories:Geo Targeting,Landing Pages

Do you run your PPC ads in different countries? If so, do you change your ad copy

and landing page copy when targeting those different markets?

For many years, global brands have altered their marketing campaigns to target

different countries.

An advertisement for a food product running in Australia may be markedly different

from an advertisement for the same food product in the USA.

Why?

Whilst we share a common language, cultural values and norms differ markedly

from country to country, and even region to region.

For example, what is considered soft sell in the US is often considered hard sell in

the UK due to differing acceptance of overt commercial activity in those two

cultures.

There are many differences:

Viewed from commercial America, British advertising looks like something bent out

of shape by a culture so consumed with embarrassment it cant look a salesman in

the eye when hes making a pitch, particularly if that pitch is laden shoulder high

with emotion love of country, family or God. From a mainstream US perspective

our quirky elliptical leave-them-guessing advertising approach is kind of charming,

but kind of unworkable too in America, with its fragmented audiences and
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ethnicities, its raging sensitivities and, above all, its huge risks. American

advertising is risk averse because theres so much at stake with those huge clients

and their mega-spends. It means everything is researched to death so all backs are

covered.

If youre running a PPC campaign in different geographic markets, then yourerunning a global campaign. So, you need to think about approaching such a

campaign as a global brand would do, andtailor your messageaccordingly.

Your competition who may understand those local markets intimately, as they live

and work in them will be designing their pitch based on local norms, so too should

you, if you want to convert.

Here are a few ideas on how to target different cultures effectively:

1. Watch What Others Do

Take a look at how your product or service is advertised in other media in your

target country. What language do they use? What imagery do they use? How are

they making the pitch? Is it subtle? Hard sell? Humorous?

Now evaluate the ad copy and landing pages of your PPC competitors. What

similarities do they share to each other? To ads in other media? How do they differ

from how you would advertise in your own local market?

2. Spelling

A PPC ad written using US spelling displayed in another country screams notrelevant to this market, especially when surrounded by ads that use local spellings.

Use s instead of z, and watch those vowels! Color becomes colour, center

becomes centre and check becomes cheque.

Heres a good reference guideto common differences.

3. No, They Dont Think Because Its American, Its

Great

Every culture thinks what they do is great, and what foreigners do is suspect.

Just as you dont assume that something from Germany is great, Germans arent

going to assume that something from America must be great. Some may even be

hostile to the US it just comes with the territory of being the new Roman Empire

Its not that you have to cave to others demands, but it does pay to be aware of

them. If youre trying to convince someone to buy something, then you need to talk
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the customers language, on their terms, no matter if they live in New York or,

well,York.

4. There Are Regional Differences

Just to complicate matters, there are significant differences between language indifferent regions in many countries, and particularly in the UK.

Just like there are differences between New Yorkers and Angelenos, there are

differences between those in the north of England, and those in the South.

The South tend to think of themselves as intellectually and culturally superior to

Northerners, and Northerners tend to think of Southerners as soft, fake and, well,

elitist. These are generalisations, of course, but be aware that they exist, as these

differences may alter your pitch.

5. TestAs always, test.

Change the language of your landing pages and ads depending on the accepted

norms of local markets. Align your language and style with the most successful PPC

ads targeting those markets.

Run with the winners and cut the losers.

Final Thoughts

The world is get smaller. The internet, and tech in general, is being driven fromAmerica. Naturally, it comes bundled with US cultural values.

This is leading to the Americanization of other countries and making boundaries,

both physical and cultural, less of a block than they have been previously.

A pitch that works in America can translate into other cultures without change, but

that wont happen as a matter of course.

Think local.

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One Response to The Differences Between Countries Can

Cost You

Think theres subtle, but important, differences in running PPC ads targeting US, UK

and other English speaking audiences?
http://www.visityork.org/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North-South_divide_(England)http://ppcblog.com/email-blog-postshttp://www.visityork.org/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North-South_divide_(England)http://ppcblog.com/email-blog-posts


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You should try running campaigns for all the major EU countries and languages! The

market are so totally different that Ive given up trying to copy one markets

structure and setup to another. What works in Germany doesnt necessarily

translate to the French market.

It is often enough to give me headaches to see a campaign that has worked well ina couple of EU countries totally fail in a 3rd country.

some humorous cross

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