Lost in Translation: How Inconsistency Can Strengthen Your Brand

Cross posted from The Buzz Bin

If you’ve ever worked on a branding project, you know that one of the keys to brand success is maintaining consistency across all communication channels. Your logo should appear in the same color, shape, format and font everywhere it is used, and all your communication materials – from your letterhead and annual report to your Facebook and Twitter pages – should employ the imagery, typography, key messages and tone of voice you’ve developed for your brand.

Most established brands (McDonald’s, Delta Airlines and Skype, for example) have a set of brand guidelines that document all these rules and help the individuals charged with representing the brand maintain its integrity.

Why the focus on consistency? Because, with enough repetition, your brand’s identity will begin to embed itself in the minds of consumers. However, if you frequently change the look and feel of your brand, those powerful visual and psychological cues will be lost, and your ability to forge an emotional connection with consumers will suffer.

Now, I am a person who likes to play by the rules, but, even for me, this issue of brand consistency begs the unavoidable question: If you want your brand to speak to consumers across a variety of cultures, do the same rules of consistency still apply?

Not exactly. According to Nigel Hollis, executive vice president and chief global analyst at Millward Brown Inc., the combination of product design, positioning and communication strategy that makes a brand successful in one country may have to be adjusted to build a connection with consumers in new markets.

And it’s not just a matter of converting your tagline from English to French or from Spanish to Chinese. As a French major, I learned that effectively translating something from one language to another is never as simple as consulting the dictionary. Accurate translation requires a solid understanding of both languages and both cultures involved. Without this deeper understanding, you’re likely to 1) end up with something like the descriptions on this “Chinglish” menu, and 2) lose the respect of your target audience faster than you can say “Bonjour,” “Nihau” or “Shalom.”

Brands are successful when they win consumers’ hearts as well as their minds, and in order to win someone’s heart, you must approach him or her in a way that is both comfortable and relevant.

Not surprisingly, Coke seems to have made as much headway as any global company in “translating” its brand across a variety of cultures. The company has done much more than just translating the text on its website from English to French, Japanese, German, etc.– it has built a separate website for each country that expresses the Coca Cola brand in terms relative to each unique culture. (Check out Coke Japan, Coke Sweden and Coke Russia for a few examples.)

If you compare the Coca Cola USA home page to the Coca Cola France home page, you’ll see that the two not only look different, they also act different.

The French version takes a more energetic, colorful approach while the American version evokes calm and simplicity. The former also features slightly different product messaging (Coca Cola light in place of Diet Coke) and highlights different brand engagement elements, such as co-promotions with Xbox 360 and mobile telecom provider Orange.

By partnering with a brand that has already staked a claim in the hearts of Frenchies–Orange – Coke is giving itself a leg up in becoming more approachable and meaningful to its target audience in France. The brand has taken a similar approach to reach Hispanic consumers in the U.S. Reinaldo Padua, assistant vice president of Hispanic marketing for Coca Cola North America, told Marketing News they have been able to increase sales among Hispanic immigrants by bundling beverages with popular food products like tortillas.

If you think about it, all brands – even local ones – live at the intersection of two different cultures: one of those buying the brand and that of the group responsible for its marketing. We marketers would do ourselves a favor by approaching brand strategy as an exercise in cross-cultural communication. Those of us who cultivate an understanding of our target audience’s needs, values and cultural norms will be better prepared to facilitate a connection between brand and consumer, and to prevent our brand promise from getting lost in translation.

Happy Cows

I spent the better part of July and August with my nose to the grind, focused completely on work during the week and frequently on the weekends. I finally hit my wall the week before Labor Day and virtually collapsed with exhaustion by the time the long weekend rolled around.

But I now have indulged in two work-free weekends ... and I feel great. Rejuvenated, rested and restored to my normal, level-headed self. It's amazing what a little fresh air and a few nights of good sleep can do.

While I was NOT working over Labor Day weekend, I had the chance to stop and notice the world around me -- and my gaze settled on a bunch of happy cows.

Every summer, a herd of cattle comes to graze on the rich, mountain grass on my family's property in the Blue Ridge. I've never really thought about it until now, but they must be in bovine heaven. Fields upon fields of greenery untouched by man-made chemicals (well, unless you count the thistle patches my grandfather proudly sprays with weed killer once every few weeks), and nothing to do but eat, sleep and breathe.

Every year, there are a few cows that give birth on the mountain ... and then a few curious-looking, wobbly-kneed calves. We've watched them learn to nurse, admired their little black faces peeking out from underneath their mothers' udders covered in thick, white milk.

And then there are the feisty older calves, who entertain us with their head-butting and adult posturing. They're not that different from a bunch of teenagers, all trying to be the most mature kid on the block.

We've always wondered where the Buck's Elbow Mountain cows go at the end of their annual summer respite. Are they dairy cows? Beef cows? Or, God forbid, dog-food cows?

Last weekend we got our answer. "Them cows is beef cows," their owner told us in his barely decipherable Shenandoah Valley accent. "We got dairy cows too, but they're down in the barn at Grottoes."

As much as I hate to think of those precious baby calves heading to the slaughterhouse one day, I have to think that, at least when they do, they go with a belly full of green grass and a life full of happy memories. And I bet they make for a tasty burger too :)

Multicultural marketing ain't what it used to be

Cross-posted from The Buzz Bin

How would you describe the typical American?

It is becoming harder and harder to do – and this has implications for marketers.

According to research from communications firm GlobalHue, the mixture in the American melting pot is becoming gradually richer and more complex. As cultural lines continue to blur, marketers will find that understanding consumers requires more than a single cultural lens.

Case in point: A recent Bendixen & Amandi poll shows that young Hispanics define being American in their own terms. For many, that means proudly speaking “Spanglish” and straddling two cultures – honoring their Hispanic roots while defending American values and pursuing the American dream.

Trends like these are proof that the old rules of multicultural marketing no longer apply. Today’s marketers need to understand the new cultural landscape and communicate to their target audiences in a way that acknowledges cross-cultural similarities over differences.

So how can marketers acquire a taste for what’s cooking in the new melting pot? Here are a few suggestions:

1) Expand your familiarity with other cultures

• When you travel, go out on a limb and try a homestay with a foreign family. Or, if that’s not your cup of tea, take advantage of local tour guides to ask questions about cultural attitudes and norms.
• Volunteer as a conversation partner for someone new to the U.S. Most universities have language partner programs, and organizations like theInternational Rescue Committee can pair you with a family or individual acclimating to a new way of life in the states. You’ll be amazed at what you learn as you work to communicate and find common interests with people from varying cultures and ethnicities.
• Look to your peers for insight. If you have friends from backgrounds different from your own, talk to them about the similarities and differences they perceive among cultural groups.
• At the very least, make a point to explore other cultures through books, movies and news media. New America Now is a great place to start. Check out its Ethnoblog and poll series.

2) Leverage social networks for research and experimentation

• Peruse blogs, Twitter hashtags and Facebook groups targeting specific cultural audiences. Below are just a few examples:
  • Sandip Roy – a blogger and radio show host who frequently covers issues pertaining to Indian-Americans
  • #LATISM – the Twitter hashtag for Latinos in Social Media
  • Cuentame – a Facebook group geared toward Latinos
  • CitySaheli – an online community for the “savvy South Asian woman”
  • The Grio –a video-centric news community covering perspectives that affect the African-American community
• Social media channels are well-suited for today’s multicultural marketers because they make it easier to adjust or revise strategies and appropriately micro-target within diverse communities.

3) Embrace culture in your campaigns

• State Farm took this approach with its BollyStar Competition celebrating India’s Bollywood culture, and Pepsi has had great success with itsYoSumo campaign aimed at second- and third-generation youth and young-adult Latinos. See Jessica Faye Carter’s recent post on Mashable for more examples.

4) Make an effort to connect emotionally with your target audience

• The NBA is doing this with Énebéa, a website geared toward Hispanic and Latino fans that have a strong emotional connection with Latino NBA players. The site has a special focus on Latino players and included more interviews, online chats, statistics and photo galleries than the general NBA site.
• If your company is committed and/or involved with the community it’s trying to reach, be sure to highlight related activities so your audience knows you’re genuinely invested in it. Wells Fargo is an example of a company that does this well. See Bill Imada’s recent Ad Age article on the topic.

5) Always test assumptions in focus groups before incorporating them into your marketing campaign. You won’t know if your messages strike a valid chord with consumers – regardless of their cultural identity – unless you solicit honest, objective feedback.

Studying, observing and interacting with a culture outside your own will enable you to identify and leverage similarities and differences among various consumer segments. And being culturally aware won’t just help you develop a better multicultural marketing campaign, it will also enhance your ability to engage with (and have fun with!) people across the globe.

So grab a spoon and start sipping while the soup is still hot.

Photo courtesy: chewonthat blog

Tidbits from Tuscany - More Musings on Olives

After discovering that not all olive oil tastes good, I decided to do some research on the olives of Tuscany. Here's what I learned:

• Olive trees are evergreen (who would've thunk?). It usually takes about four years before they begin to bear fruit, but the trees can live for hundreds of years. They are incredibly resilient, sprouting back easily even if chopped to the ground, and fire-resistant.
• In most Mediterranean areas, olives are harvested in November, December and January, but in Tuscany the harvest can start as early as late September. This early harvest means that Tuscan olives are generally less ripe and therefore produce less oil than others. So Tuscan olive oil is also rarer than its olive oil peers.
• In Tuscany, olives are always picked by hand and the entire family is usually called on to pitch in during the harvest. (Sounds fun, doesn't it?) Olives are picked while they are still green and must be rushed to the press as soon as they come off the tree so they don't spoil.
• In their natural state, olives are very bitter, so they are soaked in brine before beingeaten or packaged for consumers. The potent little fruits are about 20 percent oil, so it takes about 200 of them to produce a liter of olive oil.

• In Tuscany, olives are pressed at a communal mill called a Frantoio. Growers traditionally bring their olives to the mill and stay to observe the official pressing. Granite wheels are used to crush the olives whole -- skin, pits and all -- making a paste which is further filtered and processed to extract all liquid from the fruit. This involves running the liquid through woven mats placed in a hydraulic press. A centrifuge separates the watery olive mass from the oil, and the oil is then stored in large jugs or steel tanks to "age" for a least a month. It then undergoes one more filtration process before it isfinally sold to consumers.

Check out the following sites for more fun facts, travel tips and recipe ideas related to the Tuscan olive harvest:

Matching Food and Wine with Fiona Beckett

WanderingItaly

Florence Villas

Food Network - Michael Chiarello

Photo courtesies: siciliasud.it, Wikimedia commons

Tidbits from Tuscany - Insight No. 3

Another thing I learned in Italy: Not all olive oil tastes good.

Yep, you heard me right. In fact, I'll even go so far as to say some of it is downright nasty. And keep in mind that this is coming from an admitted olive oil addict. At home in the states, I buy the stuff by the liter and add it to just about everything I eat -- salads, hummus, pasta, seafood, sauteed veggies, pizza, chicken, dipping sauce for bread and so on. At my last physical, I learned that my LDL (or "good") cholesterol was off the charts high, and my doctor told me that probably had much to do with my extreme penchant for olive oil.

So, you can imagine my surprise when, at the Cantine de Greve (referenced in a previous post), I dunked a fresh piece of bread into a dish of Tuscany's finest, popped the dripping morsel into my mouth...and nearly spat it out on the tasting table. The flavor was awful -- like it had been aged in a corroding lead pipe.

"Must've gotten the dud," I thought, and moved on to the next oil spout. Thinking perhaps the bitter taste in my mouth had something to do with the bread I'd used for dipping, this time I ran my finger through the shiny, golden liquid and licked it in hopeful anticipation. But once again, what I experienced was a tongue-curling, pungent flavor.

After a third unsuccessful tasting, I finally gave up. Maybe my tastebuds were off that day or maybe my palate just isn't sophisticated enough to appreciate authentic Italian olive oil. But either way, it brings me to Tuscan Tidbit No. 3 - All olive oils aren't created equal

Photo Courtesy of rd.com

Mantra of the month

To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common -- this is my symphony.

- William Henry Channing

Tidbits from Tuscany - Insight No. 2

No trip to Italy would be complete without a good dose of wine tasting. And since our home base for the week was a cottage in the heart of Chianti, we challenged ourselves to taste a wide variety of Chianti's best. And I must say we performed pretty well against our goal.

By the end of the week, we had tried everything from a (delicious) carafe of the house wine at our local ristorante, to Il Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Barone Ricasoli's Chianti Classico.

On our last day, we even made a stop at Le Cantine di Greve, a be old wine cellar with cool stone walls, tile floors and a smorgasbord

of tasting options. We went hog wild hopping from one sample station to the next, sipping reds, whites and vin santo, then dipping tiny

cubes of bread in an array of olive oils.

Anyway, my point is that we consumed our fair share of Chianti during our time in Chianti. And I'm embarrassed to say I very nearly left the region without even knowing what it is that makes a Chianti Classico a Chianti Classico.

Fortunately, a charming Italian man saved me from my ignorance. Giuseppe Mirossi -- better known as Beppe -- is a friendly and accommodating gentleman who runs a car service in Tuscany and was kind enough to drive Granville and me from Castellina to the Pisa airport for our Saturday departure. I can truthfully say I learned just as much from Beppe during our 70-minute commute that day than I had in the previous six combined. I'll try to share all that I learned from him in future posts, but for now, it's back to the topic of Chianti.

As many people know, Beppe said, in order to qualify as Chianti Classico, a wine must be made from at least 80 percent Sangiovese grapes. But what most do not know is that the Sangiovese grape vine is indigenous to Chianti and therefore thrives in the region's soil, which is riddled with stones. These stones, said Beppe, leach minerals that provide nourishment to the grape vines through their roots. Plus, because the stones are very porous, they absorb moisture during the winter months and release it back into the soil during the hot summer months, making for a surprisingly stable environment for the roots all year round.

So, Beppe told us, Sangiovese grapes planted and grown in California, for example, will produce a wine very different from that made with Sangiovese grapes grown in Chianti. And only the latter will ever be considered Chianti Classico. The secret, he said, is in the soil.