Global Communication Strategies

The world is getting smaller. Or is it? Your firm is already doing business internationally, or just now starting and you’ve been asked to help develop a marketing and promotional strategy. Now it doesn’t seem so small.

You will undoubtedly turn to whatever sources are readily available for research and consultation before developing your plan. We can’t give you an all-encompassing solution in a brief article, but we can review some important points about language and culture to always consider when developing an international marketing strategy.

Language Issues
We know that language is an important element of culture. It should be realized that regional differences may be subtle. For example, one word may mean one thing in one Latin American country, but something off-color in another. When translated literally, figures of speech or idioms that we use may have entirely different meanings.

Even computer terms we take for granted may have not yet “diffused” to other parts of the world. In countries where English is heavily studied in schools, the emphasis is often on grammar and traditional language rather than on current technology.

In English and Northern European languages there is an emphasis on organization and conciseness. Here, a point is made by building up to it through background. An introduction will often foreshadow what is to be said. In Romance languages such as Spanish, French and Portuguese, this style is often considered “boring” and inelegant. Detours are expected and are considered a sign of class, not of poor organization. In Asian languages, there is often a great deal of circularity. Because of concerns about potential loss of face, opinions may not be expressed directly. Instead, speakers may hint at ideas or indicate what others have said, waiting for feedback from the other speaker before committing to a point of view.

Even if you develop an ad campaign with this structure and approach in mind, don’t have someone translate it literally. Because of the differences in values, assumptions and language structure, it is not possible to meaningfully translate “word for word.” Because of this potential for misunderstanding, it is dangerous to rely on a translation from one language to another made by one person. Use multiple translators and compare the text.

Cultural Differences
Subtle cultural differences may make an ad that tested well in one country unsuitable in another. Symbolism differs between cultures, and humor, which is based on the contrast to people’s experiences, tends not to travel well. Values also tend to differ among cultures – in the U.S. and Australia, excelling above the group is often desirable, while in Japan, “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.”  In the U.S., the early bird gets the worm, while in China “The first bird in the flock gets shot down.”  Within the Muslim tradition, the dog is considered a “dirty” animal, so portraying it as “man’s best friend” in an advertisement is counterproductive.

U.S. advertising tends to emphasize directly why someone would benefit from buying the product. This, however, is considered too pushy for Japanese consumers, where it is felt to be arrogant of the seller to presume to know what the consumer would like.

Comparative advertising is banned in most countries and would probably be counterproductive, regarded as an insulting instance of confrontation and bragging. And, although humor is a relatively universal phenomenon, what is considered funny differs greatly among countries.

Europeans tend to allow for considerably more explicit advertising, often with sexual overtones, than Americans. And Europeans, particularly the French, demand more sophistication than Americans, who may react more favorably to emotional appeals. American ads that contained a great deal of “fluff” were found to be very ineffective in Eastern European countries because they resembled communist propaganda too much. The Eastern European consumers instead want cold, hard facts.

Packaging intended as a reflection of the quality of the “real” product is far more important in Asia than in the U.S., where there is a tendency to focus on the contents which “really count.”

The message in all of this is clear. If you want to succeed in your marketing campaign, don’t violate the cultural standards of another country. Avoid the tendency to use the norms of our own culture as a standard to valuate others. Keep this tenet in the forefront of your planning when you consult with an agency – preferably one with an active presence in your target market and proven experience with your type of product.

Lars Perner, Assistant Professor of Clinical Marketing, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California