As globalization spreads more rapidly, advertisers need to find way to market their brands in other countries. A key part of this is being able to translate a company's slogan and values. It's not always so easy, however, and the messages often get lost in translation.
The video is a good example of how language barriers can provide significant frustration.
The following are examples of ads that faced similar problems when translating to English:
When Matsushita Electric was trying to promote a new PC, it teamed up with Panasonic to make the internet system "user-friendly" and licensed Woody The Woodpecker to be its "Internet guide." The day before the ads were set to release, Panasonic realized they were about to make a huge mistake. The poor Japanese advertisers had no idea what kind of embarrassment they would have faced had they used their intended slogan: "Touch Woody - The Internet Pecker"
The Italians probably weren't too keen on trying Schweppes Tonic water when it first came out -- how refreshing does "Schweppes Toilet Water" sound to you?
KFC's classic "Finger-Lickin Good" was wrongly translated in Chinese to "Eat your fingers off."
"Chicken-man Frank Perdue's slogan, 'It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken,' got terribly mangled in another Spanish translation. A photo of Perdue with one of his birds appeared on billboards all over Mexico with a caption that explained 'It takes a hard man to make a chicken aroused.' Elsewhere, the slogan was translated into, 'It takes a virile man to make a chicken pregnant.'"
Advertising Bloopers
International Ads Lost in Translation
Trend Themes
1. Global Marketing - As globalization accelerates, businesses must ensure their brand slogans and messages are correctly translated across a diverse range of cultures and languages.
2. Language-based Marketing - As businesses seek to expand their reach and enter new markets, they need to tailor their marketing messages for audiences in different languages.
3. Cultural Sensitivity in Advertising - To avoid cultural and linguistic mishaps that can damage brand reputations, advertisers must take cultural sensitivity into account and prioritize high-quality translation services.
Industry Implications
1. Translation Services - As businesses expand globally, there is a growing need for professional translation services that can accurately convey brand messages across different languages and cultures.
2. Marketing and Advertising - Marketing and advertising agencies need to understand the cultural norms and nuances of the markets they are targeting to create effective ad campaigns and avoid translation mishaps that can harm their clients' brands.
3. Digital Marketing - As the world becomes more interconnected digitally, businesses must prioritize multilingual and multicultural digital marketing strategies that are sensitive to regional differences in language, culture, and sentiment.