marketing cultural mistakes

7/26/2019 Marketing Cultural Mistakes

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International Marketing

Marketing

Mistakes

RelatedtoCulture

To: Dr. Amr Kheir-El-Din | By: Mohamed Zakarya | ESLSCA

Assignment # 3

Date

: April 2nd , 2016


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Contents

Introduction

Mistakes By

1. Translation

2. Cultural Errors


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IntroductionCulture is the set of values, beliefs, rules, and institutions held by a specific group oMain components include: aesthetics, values and attitudes, manners and customs,structure, religion,personal communication, education, andphysical and material e

Managers working directly in international business should develop cultural literacknowledge about a culture that enables a person to function effectively within it.

Globalization is one force creating the need for cultural literacy because it is knittinactivities in various countries more closely together than ever before. Cultural litera

the ability of managers to manage employees and business expansion opportunitiemarkets

Decision Makers who fails to develop such cultural literacy sometimes face errors to tailor the message to other cultures


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Translation


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KFC

While most businesses try to make agood impression while expandinginto a foreign country, fried-chickenfranchise KFC got off on the wrongfoot when it opened in China in thelate 1980s. When the companyopened its doors in Beijing, therestaurant had accidentally translatedits infamous slogan "Finger-licking'good" to a not-so-appetizing phrase:"Eat your fingers off."


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Electrolux

Not all translation blunders have beenlimited to U.S.-based companies.Swedish vacuum maker Electrolux got aquick lesson in English slang when itintroduced its products in the states.Thinking it was highlighting its vacuum'shigh power, the Scandinavian company's

ad campaign centered on the tagline"Nothing sucks like an Electrolux." Whilethe slogan might have beengrammatically correct, it never reallytook off with U.S. shoppers


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Pepsi

in Chinese

Pepsis Come alive with thePepsi Generation translates into

Pepsi brings your ancestorsback from the grave


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The Dairy Association

The Dairy Associations hugesuccess with the campaignGot Milk? prompted them toexpand advertising toMexico. It was soon broughtto their attention the Spanish

translation of the slogan readAre you lactating?


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Schweppes

In Italy, a campaign forSchweppes Tonic Watertranslated the name into

"Schweppes Toilet Water."


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General Motors

General Motors introduced theChevy Nova in South America, it wasapparently unaware that "no va"means "it won't go."

After the company figured out why itwasn't selling any cars, it renamed

the car in its Spanish markets to theCaribe


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Ford

Ford is with its Fiera. Ford tried to sellits low-cost truck Fiera in lessdeveloped countries. Unfortunately,Fiera translated means Old UglyWoman. Understandably, the name

did not create a buzz in the market.


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GerberGerber, the name of the famous babyfood maker, is also the French wordfor vomiting. It becomes a bit limitingwhen you go global... Gerber istherefore not in France

Gerber has a French Canadian web

page, it says"Les aliments pour bbs Gerber

ne sont disponibles pour l'instant qu'aux tats-

Unis" (French for: The baby food isn'there, try the U.S.)
http://www.gerbercanada.com/fr/frameset/index_food.htmhttp://www.gerbercanada.com/fr/frameset/index_food.htmhttp://www.gerbercanada.com/fr/frameset/index_food.htmhttp://www.gerbercanada.com/fr/frameset/index_food.htmhttp://www.gerbercanada.com/fr/frameset/index_food.htmhttp://www.gerbercanada.com/fr/frameset/index_food.htm


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PanosBelgian sandwich retailer Panosdecided to export to Russia, itwould have been helpful to knowa bit upstream the meaning of Panos in Russian, as itstranslation diarrhea


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Puffs

Puffs an AmericanFacial tissuemanufacturer didntgo well in Germany as

Puffs means Brother inGerman


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Cultural Errors


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Pepsi

Pepsi Cola lost it dominantmarket share to Coke in SouthEast Asia when Pepsi changedthe color of its vendingmachines and coolers fromdeep "Regal" blue to light "Ice"

blue as Light blue is associatedwith death and mourning in SEAsia


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Pepsodent

Pepsodent tried to sell its toothpastein Southeast Asia by emphasizingthat it whitens your teeth. Thisproduct benefit did not resonatewith the target audience consideringthe local natives chew betelnuts to

blacken their teeth, which they findattractive


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P&G

Proctor & Gamble used atelevision commercial in Japanthat was popular in Europe. Thead showed a woman bathing, herhusband entering the bathroomand touching her. The Japanese

considered this ad an invasion ofprivacy, inappropriate behavior,and in very poor taste


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UmbroBritish sporting goods company Umbro called itnew pair of shoes The Zyklon. Many NGOsand consumers complained about the use ofthis term, which is the name of the gas used bythe Nazis to exterminate millions of Jews in thecamps during WW2.


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HeinekenIn 1994 world cup soccer tournament Heineken was

engaged in special promotional campaign

The company had the flags of all of the countriesqualifying world cup finals imprinted under the bottlecap of their beer brand

Among numerus flags portrayed was that of SaudiArabia

It was considered offensive to the Muslim all over theworld


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Kenneth ole

In early 2011, a tweet was sent outfrom Kenneth Cole's Twitter accounttrying to promote their new springcollection. No big deal, right? Exceptwhen it's offensive, insensitive, andoffends millions of people. Thetweet was a poor play on the

political turmoil happening at thetime in Egypt:


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Radio Shack

Staged Christmas promotion inHolland targeting 25th December

Dutch Celebrate St. Nicholas Day onDecember 6th


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Thank You

marketing cultural mistakes

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