F*** the Diet! Unilever oops?
By Gordon Husbands | Cultural sensitivity, International marcoms, Transcreation | No comment yet
Well, I am kind of left speechless by this one. You need to watch the German TV ad first, then read my piece – hopefully it’s self-explanatory.
[Unfortunately for those of us with a sense of humour the video has been removed so you can no longer watch. Sadly I have not been able to find a version from another source. However I am sure that the campaign will live on in legend.]
Marketer beware! China turns car brand perception on its head.
By Gordon Husbands | Cultural sensitivity, International marcoms, marketing translation | No comment yet
Can the perception of global brands vary dramatically across different cultures?
You betcha! Once again, China proves that it is not a homogeneous part of the global marketplace.
Which car brand has the most cachet in China?
Well, according to a recent article in the New York Times, unless you are a retired pensioner, it is best to avoid a Mercedes-Benz in China if you want to make a statement of subtle and assured power. To add insult to injury for German car makers, despite improving sales, the BMW has acquired a reputation as the car for the arrogant and rash, rather than as a status symbol of the successful, upwardly mobile business executive of the West.
On the other hand, General Motor’s Buick brand – largely unknown outside of North America and once acknowledged by GM as ‘damaged’ in the US – has amazingly positioned itself in China as a top-tier luxury car.
Transcreation: just good customer service?
By Gordon Husbands | Conquest, Cultural sensitivity, International marcoms, Transcreation | 2 responses so far
Over recent months there has been a rush by translation companies to jump on the ‘transcreation bandwagon’ and even a few blog posts calling it a new service or just spouting dubious sales-speak. But surely the question of when to transcreate versus translate is really more about what level of customer service we want to deliver in which country or to what target audience?
Firstly, the word ‘transcreation’ – it’s not new
At Wordbank we have been providing this service since the mid ’90s – our Conquest™ service was launched in 1997 specifically to offer a better way of adapting creative copy to different local markets. Indeed, I first heard the term back in 1996. It was coined by a European advertising agency executive laboriously making a point about how marketing should be properly adapted rather than just translated.
Transcreation downtime in Sicily
By Gordon Husbands | Cultural sensitivity, International marcoms, Transcreation | One comment so far
I am fortunate to have spent the past week or so on holiday near Syracuse, on the eastern coast of Sicily. The weather has been very changeable, but far from chilly. What is staggering is that along with the sun, sea, sand and tourists, you are surrounded, everywhere you turn, by ancient history. The evidence of past civilizations is ubiquitous. Crossing the bridge into Ortygia, the original Greek island settlement of Syracuse, you virtually fall straight into the Temple of Apollo. Well, what’s left of it. Turn around and cast your eyes upwards and you see the Greek Theatre, the foundations of the huge, sacrificial altar of Hieron II (241BC onwards) and, finally, the impressive Roman Amphitheatre.
Cheesiest Bin Laden bandwagon of the day
By Gordon Husbands | Cultural sensitivity, International marcoms, Transcreation | One comment so far
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Just how cheesy is this?
I received an email on Tuesday 5 May from a British company called Corpdata aiming to sell me B2B marketing lists with the headline: “Accurate data killed Osama bin Laden (helped by US Special Forces)”.
A tenuous link at best and definitely a case of jumping on the nearest and most recent bandwagon. Cheese aside, does it work from a marketing perspective?
On the one hand, I laud the speed of response and yes, the targeting is correct. But on the other hand, how can I take it seriously? The Roquefort quotient is only increased when you note the company’s name – Corpdata. Or should that be ‘Corpsedata‘? Ouch!
The revenge of the Spanish punter
By Gordon Husbands | Cultural sensitivity, International marcoms, Transcreation | No comment yet
Throughout history, many Mediterranean countries have gained a reputation for unnecessary and convoluted bureaucracy – much to the chagrin of the naive and vulnerable foreigner.
However, if you thought that all the ‘locals’ are happy and willing to participate in the form filling, jobs-for-the-indolent game you would be wrong.
007 takes a walk on the wild side
By Gordon Husbands | Cultural sensitivity, International marcoms, Transcreation | No comment yet
Maybe this article is more transgender than transcreation, but then it is international women’s day today.
At Wordbank we have been tweeting since yesterday on how to congratulate the ladies in your life in the relevant local language. As many readers will know, today in Russia is a day of flowers, presents and congratulations to mothers, sisters, daughters, aunties etc. Much as the celebrations will vary country-by-country, relative to the local history and culture, similarly the lifestyle, rights and expectations of women will vary depending on where they live.
Suffice to say that attitudes to women vary significantly across globe.
Today, however, is a good opportunity for we men to consider for a moment the realities of life as women.
Festive Greetings – Tricky Transcreation
By Gordon Husbands | Cultural sensitivity, Transcreation | No comment yet
<
Well, it’s nearly Christmas again. Or is it?
Yes, if you live in North America, Oz, Kiwi-land or the UK and bits of Western Europe it is, but outside of that it all goes to Greenland in a handcart. Strictly speaking, of course, Christmas does not exist for the majority of the world’s population, but that doesn’t stop bedecked fir trees from being lit up in Dubai or Hong Kong. The Russians still stick to the archaic calendar and celebrate Christmas after New Year’s Eve, and everyone else. And so it goes.
Dangers of a culture hunt – just a slip of the tongue away
By Gordon Husbands | Cultural sensitivity | No comment yet
If you have not heard the already infamous James Naughtie (the ‘augh’ pronounced as in the Scottish ‘loch‘ or Irish ‘lough‘ rather than as in ‘laugh‘) spoonerism on YouTube yet, I suggest you have a listen now:
Actually, once you hear it you may wonder what all the fuss is about as it is so clearly just a slip of the tongue. The notoriety is no doubt down to the fact that the ‘C’ word is probably the last taboo word in the media. But then again, what is ‘taboo’ depends on your cultural perspective.
To subtitle or not to subtitle?
By Gordon Husbands | Cultural sensitivity, International marcoms | No comment yet
In case you didn’t know, ‘video’ is the new ‘copy’. Sweaty, dishevelled journos hacking out hot words on a satellite terminal and posting incisive articles from the front line of breaking news is boring and old hat. As the updated version of the quote goes, ” A picture speaks a thousand words, but video says it all”.
Never more so than in the corporate promotion world. If you are not posted on YouTube you are not a happening brand. Video is where the action is and everyone is jumping on the bandwagon – well, so all those spam emails tell me anyway.
However, going global with your video raises the hairy problem of whether to dub or subtitle. Clearly it is always going to be cheaper to subtitle, but then is that going to appear really naff to your target audience just when you were trying to convince them your brand is über-cool?
Check out this article by Francesca Riggio and see how different cultures respond to dubbing and subtitling. Assume nothing when it comes to second guessing cultural preferences.
