A lecture I did for a 2nd year marketing class on the importance of culture in creating international advertising campaigns.

1. Advertising Industry
=
Global Cultures
By @heleenmills

3. Don’t be culturally
insensitive

4. #epicadfail

5. Spring 1994 Collection
Dress was destroyed.
Embroidered verse of
the Quran
Chanel

6. Camellia is a funeral flower in Brazil
Revlon launches a Camellia scented perfume in
Brazil
All products were recalled
Revlon

7. Motto was successfully used in the 1960’s in
USA: “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation”
Motto was then translated for Chinese
market.
It worked out to be “Pepsi brings your
ancestors back from the dead”
Pepsi

8. Nike
Decoration had to resemble a
fire.
Arabic reads from right to left.
The design spelled Allah.
All shoes were recalled in 1997

9. Radioshack
Amrican supplier of consumer electronics.
Planned a Christmas promotion for 25 December in their
shop in Holland.
The Dutch celebrates St. Nicolas Day
And actually give presents on
6 December.

10. Hallmark
Sell cards with already written messages on the
inside.
Very popular business model in the USA & UK
#epicfail in France
French are culturally traditional, and prefer hand
written cards instead.

11. Schwepps expanded to Italian
market
#epicfail in Italy
Because “tonic water” directly
translated means:
“Water from the toilet”
Schweppes

12. Moco model’s sales are slow in Spanish
speaking markets.
Especiallly the green model.
Moco is the Spanish
word for mucous (booger).
Nissan

13. Poor and slow sales in “Hispanic”
markets
Nova in Spanish is “no-va“ or
It Won’t Go
Cheverolet

14. Parker pens translated their motto: "It
won't leak in your pocket and
embarrass you” to Spanish
Oops…
Translation meant: "It won't leak in
your pocket and make you pregnant"
Parker

15. Coca-Cola was translated phonetically to
"Ke-kou-ke-la“ for the Chinese market
Oops…
Depending on the dialect, it meant:
“Bite the wax tadpole”
or
“Female horse stuffed with wax”
Coca-Cola

16. You‘re fired!

17. Kellogg’s
Western breakfast cereal
Tried to enter the Indian market with a price
premium
Indians eat spicy cooked food
for breakfast

18. Case in point:
Breakfast:
http://imgur.com/a/Ktydb
.

19. Any questions?
@heleenmills
hmills@sun.ac.za