Towers of ‘Babble’: a Tale of International Marketing Mishaps

December 10th, 2009

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In today’s day and age, where advances in technology seem to be growing at an exponential rate and the force of globalization is at no foreseeable slow-down—we have collectively been introduced to a new socio-cultural and economic paradigm in which our interaction with other cultures and languages has become a part of our daily lives.

With this in mind, there are some major implications when it comes to the business world—particularly marketing on an international level— that require proper planning, adjusting, and overall awareness.

Given the many facets of international business that require excruciating attention to detail like copyrights, trade laws, taxes, etc., we tend to forget the most obvious of components that exist when trying to introduce a product or service to a foreign market: language and culture. These elements are the very basis for establishing a relationship with the people we will be doing business with, and are often completely (and quite surprisingly) neglected.

There have been numerous cases where big-name corporations spend countless resources and millions of dollars on campaigns that get completely lost in translation by not tending to cultural sensitivities.

For instance, Proctor & Gamble took the same exact ad used in Europe for Camay soap and introduced it to Japan. The commercial depicts a woman bathing; a few seconds in, the woman’s husband walks in and gives her a touch of approval. This campaign was very successful in Europe, but when it was introduced to Japan it was seen as inappropriate behavior, an invasion of privacy, and poor taste. The effects were seen in the product’s revenues and the mistake was then corrected…but that first impression was already etched in the potential market.

The same can be said about companies not taking in to consideration language discrepancies and differences:

In 2003, Buick’s car: the “LaCrosse,” had to be renamed in Canada after the company discovered that its original name was slang for ‘masturbation’ in French-speaking Quebec. Again, this proved to be embarrassing and expensive. Not only did their brand loyalty suffer, but it also put the whole marketing campaign in jeopardy.

And then there are times where companies simply don’t take the time to properly translate product names or slogans:

-American Airlines had the slogan “fly in leather” when trying to push their new leather seats. When they took the campaign to Latin America, the Spanish translation read “fly in the nude.” (If you didn’t like the middle seat then, you certainly wouldn’t like it now).

-Pepsi’s “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation” campaign allegedly translated to “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave” in Taiwan. (This doesn’t exactly inspire quenching, bubbly fun…).

- Parker Pen marketed its product in Mexico with the intended slogan to be “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you.” Instead, it read: “It won’t leak in your pocket and make you pregnant.” (Enough said…).

…And the list goes on…

It is difficult enough to introduce a new service or product across borders because of the natural pushback of a society to preserve its cultural values and overall sovereignty; and by not tending to these differences, we are further shooting ourselves in the foot. Sometimes, there is only so much we can do; we can’t predict all slang meanings across every language and dialect… that’s the effect of us being scattered about and enjoying our own unique cultural practices—but we can however, plan and prepare for what may come from the campaign’s reception.

Whether it’s a small town in the US fighting against the establishment of a Wal-Mart or a non-Western nation not wanting MTV playing for their kids, there is much a company faces when its trying to expand and reach a bigger market. And neglecting the very root of the culture you will be trying to sell to, will certainly get you nothing but an awkward headline and a hefty PR/damage control bill—not to mention the black eye and the bruised ribs on your brand loyalty…Besides, not all of us like to be barged in upon our bathing time.

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Tagged with: marketing

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