International Marketing Cross Culture Marketing Mistakes

International MarketingCross Culture Marketing MistakesPrepared to Dr. Amr Kheir El-dinPrepared byMohammed Khairy Derballa

Bad Advertising mistakesIn 2002,Umbrothe UK sports manufacturer had to withdraw its new trainers (sneakers) called the Zyklon. The firm received complaints from many organisations and individuals as it was the name of the gas used by the Nazi regime to murder millions of Jews in concentration camps.Bad Advertising mistakes Cont.Sharwoods, a UK food manufacturer, spent 6 million on a campaign to launch its new 'Bundh' sauces. It received calls from numerous Punjabi speakers telling them that "bundh" sounded just like the Punjabi word for "arse (Behaving in stupid way).Bad Advertising mistakes Cont.A nice cross cultural example of the fact that all pictures or symbols are not interpreted the same across the world: staff at the African port ofStevadoressaw the "internationally recognised" symbol for "fragile" (i.e. broken wine glass) and presumed it was a box of broken glass. Rather than waste space they threw all the boxes into the sea!Bad Advertising mistakes Cont.A company advertised eyeglasses in Thailand by featuring a variety of cute animals wearing glasses. The ad was a poor choice since animals are considered to be a form of low life and no self respecting Thai would wear anything worn by animals.Bad Advertising mistakes Cont.When President George Bush went to Japan with Lee Iacocca and other American business magnates, and directly made explicit and direct demands on Japanese leaders, they violated Japanese etiquette. To the Japanese (who use high context language) it is considered rude and a sign of ignorance or desperation to lower oneself to make direct demands. Some analysts believe it severely damaged the negotiations and confirmed to the Japanese that Americans are barbarians.Bad Advertising mistakes Cont.A soft drink was introduced into Arab countries with an attractive label that had stars on it--six-pointed stars. The Arabs interpreted this as pro-Israeli and refused to buy it. Another label was printed in ten languages, one of which was Hebrew--again the Arabs did not buy it.Bad Advertising mistakes Cont."Traficante"and Italian mineral water found a great reception in Spain's underworld. In Spanish it translates as "drug dealer".Bad Advertising mistakes Cont.Pepsodent tried to sell its toothpaste in Southeast Asia by emphasizing that it "whitens your teeth." They found out that the local natives chew betel nuts to blacken their teeth which they find attractive.Bad Advertising mistakes Cont.Kellogg had to rename its Bran Buds cereal in Sweden when it discovered that the name roughly translated to "burned farmer."Bad Advertising mistakes Cont.When Pepsico advertised Pepsi in Taiwan with the ad "Come Alive With Pepsi" they had no idea that it would be translated into Chinese as "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead."Bad Advertising mistakes Cont.When Pepsico advertised Pepsi in Taiwan with the ad "Come Alive With Pepsi" they had no idea that it would be translated into Chinese as "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead."Bad Advertising mistakes Cont.In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name into "Schweppes Toilet Water."Bad Advertising mistakes Cont.At a Budapest zoo: Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.Bad Advertising mistakes Cont.When Gerber, a Nestle owned purveyor of baby foods first started selling their baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the USA with the cute baby on the label. Later they found out that in Africa companies routinely put pictures on the label of what is inside the package, since most people cannot read.Bad Advertising mistakes Cont.FIAT released an ad in Italy in which actor Richard Gere drives a Lancia Delta from Hollywood to Tibet. Gere is hated in China for being an outspoken supporter of the Dalai Lama there was a huge on-line uproar on Chinese message boards commenting that they would never buy a FIAT car.Thanks