If your business serves a global clientele, then you’ll need to make sure you take a different approach to your marketing efforts in other parts of the world than you would in the US. When even corporate giants like Ebay, Walmart, and McDonalds failed to take off in certain overseas markets, their lack of insight into cultural preferences, consumer habits, aesthetics, and even the language barrier stood in the way of their success. Don’t allow your international client base to get lost in translation. Read these cautionary tales and learn from these company’s mistakes before you decide to go forward with your next worldwide campaign.

Chevy Nova

Sales of the Chevy Nova didn’t go over well in Latin American countries, where “no va” translates into “won’t go.” Anyone who has spent time in Mexico most likely also knows that Pemex owns all of the gas stations, and they sell gasoline under the name Nova. If only the higher-ups at Chevy had bothered to spend time in Mexico before they tried to sell there, they might have known that as well. And speaking of Spanish, they speak it in Europe too, and the Coors company might have done a little research before they decided to market their beer in Spain, where their “turn it loose” slogan translated into “suffer from diarrhea.”

Pampers

It’s important to take not just the language, but also cultural norms and beliefs into consideration when you are crafting an international marketing slogan. Advertisements for diapers that features a stork failed to resonate with the Japanese market because storks don’t bring babies in Japanese culture: giant, floating peaches do. In Japan the stork is a symbol of longevity, and the last thing parents want is for their child to be in diapers for any longer than is absolutely necessary. While parents appreciate having quality diapers available at reasonable prices, the relationship between them and diaper companies, no matter how immediately gratifying, is one that the vast majority hope will be short-lived.

Kentucky Fried Chicken

The history of a culture is also an important factor to consider before you write your next international ad. When Kentucky Fried Chicken launched their marketing efforts in China, they quickly discovered their well-known slogan “finger licking good” translated into “eat your fingers off.” That cannot have gone over well in a country where one of the most influential works of modern literature is A Madman’s Diary by Lun Xu, which is a masterpiece that deals with a madman who sees things with more clarity than those around him and believes his countrymen are engaging in cannibalism, which he used as a political allegory for the oppressive culture that was present in early 20^th century China.

Vicks

Another issue that comes into play where overseas ad campaigns are concerned is the name of the product itself. When the Vicks company attempted to launch their popular line of wellness products in Germany, they failed to take into account the fact that in German the letter “v” is pronounced like a “w.” Vicks is pronounced “wicks,” which is slang for sexual intercourse. Woe to those Germans who attempted to use this product in that way. While these examples are all humorous and make us laugh today, they were considerably less hilarious to the companies who made these mistakes at the time. Learn from their example, and consult marketing companies in the companies you are marketing to before you proceed.

No Comments »