Cross-Cultural Advertising –  Don't Lose it in Translation

Some Canadian ethnic communities are now holding a tremendous amount of spending power. As each has their own unique culture and sensitivities, marketing to them has now become a highly valuable – and very rare – skill set.

As a business person, you may have heard of the dangers of unskilled cross-cultural communication -- maybe you've even been on the receiving end!  (Any stories?)

The worldly-wise know that this realm is a veritable minefield of mistakes, where any misstep could easily be your brand's last.  Even the best of intentions can backfire.

Speaking of which, did you hear of the U.S car named Nova? It translates "No go" in the Hispanic market – which turned out to be rather apt. Another infamous example tells of a land where the image on a jar literally represents the contents -- much to the distress of a famous baby-food maker.

Global business cultures themselves can be a treasure-trove of fascinating facts. For example, on a continuum of all countries, Japan sits at one extreme as having the most relationship-based business culture.  Interestingly, at the other end Germany sits as the most highly contract-based.  Even though these two countries are among the most successful nations on earth, they couldn't be more different. In both cases, marketing efforts would best be left to attuned artisans.

Which brings us to the importance of astute advertising. Especially in banking. Funny how people can be a little sensitive when their finances are at stake. Particularly in this field, one faux pas can lead to utter disaster -- even when reaching out to an ethnic community on your home turf.

So when Scotiabank trusted Alluvion to create Chinese-language online banners for Canada, we again hand-picked only the most highly-experienced, relevant staff for the project team.

As you may know, Chinese characters are written in two related, but very different, styles:  simplified and traditional.  Simplified are standard in 'Mainland' China and Singapore, whereas Hong Kong and Taiwan retain the more elaborate traditional script.  Knowing which target group you're speaking to is crucial. In these situations, additional sensitivities may exist in terms of nationalism and other issues -- never to be transgressed.

After working through the various potential issues, the resulting online banners were released without a hitch and have proven to be effective in meeting their goals.

Are you ready to enter the increasingly-prosperous ethnic marketplace? Whether you choose to reach out in Chinese, HIndi, Punjabi, or any other language, it only makes sense to select an experienced, proven practitioner like Alluvion.