ADVERTISING IN A CROSS-CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT 235z The Pepsi slogan ‘Come alive, you’re in the Pepsi generation’ was translated into German in 1960. The result
became ‘Come alive out of the grave’.
z GM’s brand Chevy Nova translates in Spanish as ‘doesn’t go’, while Nescafé was understood as ‘no es café’.
z A Copenhagen airline office promises to ‘take your bags and send them in all directions’.
z A Hong Kong dentist claims to extract teeth ‘by the latest Methodists’.
z A Japanese hotel left the following notice to hotel guests: ‘You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid’.
z ‘Let Hertz put you in the driving seat’ became ‘Let Hertz make you a chauffeur’.
z The truck brand Fiera from Ford became ‘ugly old woman’ when translated into Spanish.
z Mitsubishi renamed its Pajero model in Spanish-speaking countries because Pajero is related to masturbation.Values and attitudes
Values and attitudes are our guide in determining what is right and what is wrong, what is
important and desirable, and how we behave. Th erefore, it is important to understand diff erent
cultural values and beliefs. Some researchers claim that cultural values form the core of
advertising messages and that advertising reinforces cultural values.^138 Since diff erent cultures
cherish diff erent values, they oft en emphasise diff erent communications appeals. Even in the
USA and the UK, two countries in which the marketing environment is very similar (economic
development, language, legal restrictions, marketing institutions, technology, etc.), diff erences
in culture lead to diff erent types of advertising appeals. A study investigating beer ads in the
two countries found that American ads predominantly depict American values such as
achievement, individualism/independence and modernity/newness, while British ads show
British values such as tradition/history and eccentricity (acting strangely or whimsically,
oft en to humorous ends). Furthermore, in British ads the beer is more oft en shown being
drunk on regular occasions, while in American ads product use is depicted during special
occasions or the usage is not shown at all.^139 Empirical studies show that consumers seem to
respond more positively to culture-congruent appeals.^140Religion^141
Religion infl uences what is allowed to be said or shown in a marketing message. For example,
Seiko got into trouble when it ran its worldwide advertising campaign in Malaysia saying
‘Man invented time, Seiko perfected it’. According to Islam, God and not man invented time, so
the message had to be changed to ‘Man invented timekeeping, Seiko perfected it’. In France,
Volkswagen had to withdraw its billboards for the new Golf since it was said to mock the Last
Supper. A modern version of the Last Supper is shown, the last meal Jesus had with his dis-
ciples. Instead of ‘Drink, this is my blood’, Jesus says ‘Let’s rejoice since the new Golf is born’.
Secondly, religion infl uences the value people attach to material goods. According to Islam
and Buddhism, material wealth is immoral, while in the Western world wealth is a symbol of
achievement. Th erefore, status appeals can be expected to be more successful in Western
countries than in Islamic or Buddhist countries. Th irdly, religion has an infl uence on what
products can and cannot be consumed. An ad for a refrigerator should not show beef or pork
inside the refrigerator if the ad is meant to run in countries with a Hindu or Islamic culture.Sense of humour
Some countries make more use of humour than others. Ads in the UK, for instance, are more
likely to contain humour than in the USA or France, while a higher percentage of ads in the
latter countries are more humorous than in Germany. Furthermore, diff erent cultures seemM07_PELS3221_05_SE_C07.indd 235M07_PELS3221_05_SE_C07.indd 235 6/5/13 3:01 PM6/5/13 3:01 PM