ADVERTISING IN A CROSS-CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT 233Coca-Cola tested more than 30 commercials using a panel of Singaporean teens. Assuming that contemporary
youth are global and Asian youngsters can be mirrored to American ones, ads showing things that are typical of
American youth, such as body-pierced, grungy kids in a car listening to rock music and head-banging, shirtless
youngsters crowd-surfing at a concert and youngsters going down a store aisle on a grocery cart, were shown to
Singaporean youngsters. However, the ads were not really appreciated by the Singaporean teens. They considered
the ads far too rebellious and unruly. The head-banging car scene was particularly disliked. One 18 year old made
the comment ‘ They look like they’re on drugs constantly. And if they’re on drugs, then how can they be performing
at school?’ Coke concluded that ads have to be ‘within bounds of societal approval’ in order to be liked by young
Singaporeans. According to the managing director of Viacom’s MTV India, Asian teens are far more conservative
than American or European youngsters. Rebellion, anger or the need to question authority, which are all elements
of global youth culture, do not appeal in Asia. Asian youngsters may wear earrings, belly-button rings and ponytails,
but they are still very conformist, a value deeply seated in Asian culture.^131
Bajaj Auto, India’s largest scooter and motorcycle producer, fared better. Its commercial pictured an Indian boy
and his Caucasian girlfriend cruising around on a Bajaj motorbike. Since in India most marriages are still arranged
and strict caste codes still operate, this scene is pretty provocative. However, this provocation is set off by the next
scene: the youngsters arrive at a temple and the boy covers his girlfriend’s head with a shawl. The commercial
shows rebellion, but it does not push it too far. According to the creator of the ad, the message of the commercial
is ‘we are changing, testing boundaries, but we have pride in our core values’. Indian youth loved the ad and Bajaj
motorcycles achieved a sales increase of 25% during the seven months following the launch.BUSINESS INSIGHT
Maybe today’s youth are not so global after allVerbal language
Subtle diff erences or diff erent pronunciations may convey totally diff erent meanings. In Asian
countries such as Japan and Th ailand, language diff ers according to who is speaking. Th e
suffi xes Th ai women use are diff erent from those Th ai men use. In Japan the level of formality
of the language depends on the gender and the status of the speaker.^132 For marketing com-
munications, this means that the seller always has to place him- or herself in an inferior position.
Furthermore, translation of words may lead to more space requirements, which can alter
the overall layout of the ad. For instance, 25% more space is needed when translating from
English into a Romanesque language and 30% from English into German. Furthermore, the
meaning of words may alter as a result of translation. For example, Germans associate ruhig
with a forest, sleep, church, a cemetery and a bed, while tranquille makes the French think of
the countryside, a forest, a house, a library.^133 Also, non-verbal language is important.^134 N o n -
verbal language includes timing, special orientation, gestures, touch, colours and eye contact.Timing
Is time money or do people consider it to be indefi nitely available? A time-is-money person
(such as in Europe and the USA) may fi nd an ad that appeals to ‘saving time’ convincing, in
contrast to people who do not adhere to this time concept. Also, a distinction can be made
between a time orientation towards the past, present or future. Many European countries
have an orientation towards the past, using the past to explain where they are now. Americans
are more future-oriented, while Muslim countries are rather fatalistic and adhere to a present-
time orientation. History-related advertising appeals may not work so well in the USA.M07_PELS3221_05_SE_C07.indd 233M07_PELS3221_05_SE_C07.indd 233 6/5/13 3:01 PM6/5/13 3:01 PM