Civic education CENSORSHIP CROSS-CULTURAL ADVERTISING National advertising campaigns are structured to reflect regional, national, and local markets, cultural differences and preferences; global advertising uses the same standardised strategy worldwide, considering the world as a single entity; glocal advertising standardises certain core elements of the campaign, but also incorporates local cultural influences into the final product. All in all, a successful advertising campaign must be aware of and take into account any cultural differences among the countries in 21 which it will be launched to make sure it will be received the way it was meant to be. Sometimes, in fact, cultural differences require ads to be adapted and customised. Read about these global advertising campaigns, which failed, then answer the questions. Lost in Translation Without the proper considerations, marketing to a foreign audience can have disastrous outcomes 1. B MW The national anthem of the United Arab Emirates German car manufacturer BMW made the marketing mistake of improperly using the national anthem of the United Arab Emirates in one of its car commercials. The ad displayed the Al Ain Football Club singing the anthem and then breaking into a run toward several BMW cars when they heard the sound of the engine. It evoked rage instead of passion: the Emirates found it incredibly offensive that the car company suggested its cars were more important than the national anthem. 2. KFC Finger-lickin good Fried chicken franchise KFC started on the wrong foot when it opened in China in the late 1980s. In Beijing, the company s famous slogan, Finger-lickin good , translates to Eat your fingers off . In the end, however, the blunder didn t hurt KFC too badly: it s the top fast-food restaurant in China today, with more than 5,000 restaurants. 3. Procter & Gamble Pampers When Procter & Gamble started selling its Pampers diapers in Japan, the packaging featured an image of a stork delivering a baby. While that imagery may have worked in the West, it never caught on with Japanese parents. After some research, the company learned that customers were concerned and confused by the image of a stork on the packaging. The tale of a stork delivering a baby to parents isn t part of Japanese folklore. There, stories involve giant floating peaches bringing babies to awaiting parents. 4. Mercedes-Benz Bensi or Benchi German luxury car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz decided to introduce its cars to the Chinese market under the shortened name Bensi . This word, however, means rush to die in Chinese, which is not the image Mercedes-Benz wanted to promote. The company quickly rebranded to Benchi , which means run quickly as if flying . Adapted from: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5241international-marketing-fails.html 1. What mistake did BMW make in one of its car commercials? 2. What does finger-lickin good mean in Chinese? 3. How do babies reach their parents according to Japanese folklore? 4. What is the difference between Bensi and Benchi in Chinese? 90 Marketing and advertising anthem: inno diaper: pannolino blunder: gaffe floating: galleggiante to catch on: fare presa stork: cicogna