Cultural (In)Competence in Advertising
Brands Are Guilty of Unprecedented Cultural Failures in Marketing
There is no global marketplace anymore. There’s only a marketplace. We have real-time access to products and brands. In this time of unprecedented technological advances, with access to almost everything in the palm of our hand, the line between good and bad marketing is razor-thin, and brands are the tightrope walkers.
“Schweppes Toilet Water”
“Eat your fingers off. Eat KFC.”
“Coors — suffer from diarrhea.”
“Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave.”
These are real campaign slogans. Signed and shipped. Across borders and “ponds.” And that’s where the problems arise. Problems that should be addressed through cultural competence.
Cultural competence is a fascinating field. Localization in translation and interpretation is so important when adding context that cultural and localized traits, behaviors, idioms and jargon become necessary for successful communication.
Here’s the definition of cultural competence, according to Wikipedia:
“Cultural competence refers to an ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds, particularly in the context of human resources, non-profit organizations, and government agencies whose employees work with persons from different cultural/ethnic backgrounds.”
Clear as mud, right? But, wait. Mud is not clear? Sigh. OK. Let’s move on.
Cultural competence is what keeps Google Translate and other similar apps always one step behind the results of their human counterparts (at least until the robot overlords take over). Cultural competence adds the context needed for successful communication between two parties that are different. Google Translate (regardless of how awesome a tool it really is) can’t do contextual translation. It can’t factor in cultural traits, behavior, jargon, history, mannerisms, inflection, body language and all other aspects of human interaction.
Cultural competence adds the context needed for successful communication between two parties that are different.
The old adage of “all publicity is good publicity” is no longer a true statement. With the microscopic intolerance that is being wielded by the social media masses, one misstep, one instance of cultural incompetence can have a significant negative impact on a brand.
Cultural competence adds the context needed for successful communication between two parties that are different.
What happens when brands ignore the importance of due diligence and being culturally competent?
I’ll tell you what happens. Right now. Buckle up. This will get ugly.
Do Nut (pun!) Mistake the Importance of Abbreviations
To Krispy Kreme in the U.K., the Krispy Kreme Klub was the obvious choice when naming its Wednesday sales event. So the KKK Wednesday was launched. All was well in the U.K., but then we (Americans) found out. Needless to say, there was a change of name. You see, as most of you know, KKK is the abbreviation for the white-supremacist hate group Ku Klux Klan. Verdict: guilty by association and abbreviation.
Proof Your Hashtags
Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady, was a trailblazer and a force majeure of conservative policy who passed away in 2013.
Cher, musical icon, is very much alive.
When the hashtag #nowthatcherisdead started trending in the U.K., it was (mostly) an homage to the Iron Lady. When the hashtag spread across the nonexistent geographical boundaries of today’s social media landscape, U.S. Twitter users began lamenting their woes and sadness at the passing of Cher, a musical icon. Wait for it … OK. So you took an extra look at the hashtag. Context is indeed important to global communication, but so is copy editing and punctuation. Verdict: guilty by bad punctuation.
Honda Escapes Infinite Ridicule by Changing Car Name
Automakers are notorious for creating interesting names for their products. The Honda Fit is evidently a great little car with a lot going on under the hood. All is well there. But when Honda wanted to introduce the Fit to the Swedish market, people were flummoxed, taken aback, curious and flabbergasted — and much, much hilarity did ensue. You see, “Fit” in Swedish is a vulgar reference to … uh, a lady’s “nether region.”
There is no global marketplace anymore. There’s only a marketplace.
Needless to say, Honda decided against going to market in Sweden using that name. Instead, the Honda Jazz was the moniker that Honda began using globally (with the exception of the U.S. and Japanese markets). Verdict: guilty by potty mouth.
Clothing Boutique Has No Idea How to Tweet
Doing a little research isn’t just good business practice. It should be required for anyone who is in charge of a brand’s digital communications. There are many instances of the people behind the social accounts making decisions that are, at best, questionable.
The line between good and bad marketing is razor-thin, and brands are the tightrope walkers.
In the wake of a horrific mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, the hashtag #Aurora became a trending topic on Twitter.
CelebBoutique, an online clothing retailer based in the U.K., saw the trending hashtag and tweeted out a message that all the buzz must be about its Kim Kardashian–inspired Aurora dress. Whoops. CelebBoutique didn’t do its research. Its marketers didn’t look beyond their noses before trying to hashjack the moment and capitalize. It backfired. Verdict: guilty by laziness.
Kenneth Cole: Twitter Troll or Just an Abrasive Marketer?
Kenneth Cole’s Twitter account has come under fire a number of times. Unjustifiable and insensitive content has been tweeted, and we aren’t sure if it’s an accident or an elaborate “science/business” experiment. Verdict: guilty by hubris.
Guilty by Default
Fanta was created during the Nazi’s reign in Germany, which is not something that should be part of any type of nostalgic marketing collateral (brought to us by one of our favorite late-night hosts, John Oliver).
The Chevy Nova wasn’t a hit in Mexico, since no va means “no go.” Uh-oh!
Gerber baby products didn’t do well in France, since Gerber translates loosely into the French word for vomit. Blargh!
UPS had to adapt its well-recognized brown trucks and uniforms in two European countries. In Spain, the brown UPS truck looked just like the country’s hearses. And in Germany, since the end of World War II, brown uniforms have not been … in style.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention (my mother country’s) IKEA and its Fartfull workbench (English-speaking teens everywhere are ROFL-ing while reading this).
On the flip side, Old Milwaukee partnered with funnyman Will Ferrell on a handful of beer ads that were aired only in Sweden. Not only are they culturally appropriate, but they’re also quite hilarious.
What’s the Competent Solution?
There’s no silver bullet to ensure that your product, service or brand is omniproof*. Mistakes happen. We’re human. But there are things that should be done to safeguard against major mistakes and public-relations disasters. Fortunately for you, I’ve devised a short list of things to think about before venturing into unknown waters with your brand or product.
- Always use local talent (with native-language proficiency) to guide your copy.
- Use two different sources: one for copywriting and one for copy editing.
- Make sure that you contract a localization specialist from the target-market area.
- Make sure that you check all the usual suspects before deploying any global tag lines or campaign copy (copyrights, IP, trademarks, hashtag history, etc.).
- Have a clearly defined social media publishing process and use a response plan.
- Use Google for research, not for (Google) Translate-ing.
There is no global marketplace anymore. There’s only a marketplace. We have nearly unlimited access to information. We have real-time access to products and brands. Immediate access to all we could ever need or want. At least for most of us.
The line between good and bad marketing is razor-thin, and brands are the tightrope walkers.
We live in a time of unprecedented technological advances. Yesterday’s Walkman became an iPod that is now an iPhone. Yesterday’s floppy disk became a zip that became a CD that became USB storage that is now cloud storage.
Everything is accessible through our mobile devices.
For brands, that’s both good and bad.
*Omniproof isn’t a real word … yet.
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