CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATIONBARRIERS IN NIKE'S ADVERTISEMENTCommunication in Business CB 701Presentation

Group no: 3NAMES OF MEMBERS STUDENT ID

TEAM LEADERJINAL MEHTA 1406047

SAPNA RANIGAUTAM KUMARCHHAYA AWASTHIMUKESH KUMARVINITA ANGADI 1502034

Introduction:Cross cultural Communication:

SLOGAN ON CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION:“The reasonable person adapts himself to the world, while the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself”

Definition of culture Culture is a like dropping an Alka-Seltzer into a glass –

you don’t see it, but somehow it does something. 

Culture affects everything we do. This applies to all areas of human life from personal relationships to conducting business abroad. When interacting within our native cultures, culture acts as a framework of understanding. However, when interacting with different cultures this framework no longer applies due to cross cultural differences. 

Cross Culture Communication

Cross cultural communication aims to help minimize the negative impact of cross cultural differences through building common frameworks for people of different cultures to interact within.

In business, cross cultural solutions are applied in areas

such as HR, marketing, advertising to the target market where you need to consider their cultures and views, team building, foreign trade, negotiations etc.

Effect of Culture on Cross Cultural Advertising Cross cultural communication solutions are especially

critical to effective cross cultural advertising. Services and products are usually designed and marketed at a domestic audience.

When a product is then marketed at an international audience the same domestic advertising campaign abroad will in most cases be ineffective. 

This is because of different cultures, habits and attitudes that are followed by people.

Example : GESTURE USA- OK Russia- ZERO Japan- MONEY Brazil- INSULT

Continued How can the same Gestures be treated differently in

different cultures?

Elements crucial to Cross Cultural Advertising

During our research, We have analysed that there are four elements that impact Cross Cultural AdvertisingThese elements should be taken into consideration to understand Cross Cultural Communication problems.

Language in Cross Cultural AdvertisingCommunication Styles in Cross Cultural Advertising Colours, Numbers and Images in Cross Cultural Advertising Cultural Values in Cross Cultural Advertising 

Language in Cross Cultural Advertising 

It may seem somewhat obvious to state that language is key to effective cross cultural advertising.

However, the fact that companies persistently fail to check linguistic implications of company or product names and slogans demonstrates that such issues are not being properly addressed. 

The advertising world is littered with examples of linguistic cross cultural blunders.

Language must also be analysed for its cultural suitability.

Example: LANGUAGE BIG BARRIER TO COMMUNICATION

The problem: Nike has a television commercial for hiking shoes that was shot in Kenya using Samburu tribesmen.

The camera shows one tribesman who speaks, in native Maa.

As he speaks, the Nike slogan "Just do it" appears on the screen.

Lee Cronk, an anthropologist at the University of Cincinnati, says the Kenyan is really saying, "I don't want these. Give me big shoes."

The message: The Samburu spoke to Maa language and their translator spoke Swahili. This caused a communication glitch and the words weren’t understood.

Without much detail, the Ad was launched with the wrong saying.

This led to the Ad being considered Brainless and funny.

Communication styles in Cross Cultural Advertising Understanding the way in which other cultures communicate

allows the advertising campaign to speak to the potential customer in a way they understand and appreciate.

Communication styles can be Explicit or Implicit. An Explicit communicator (e.g. USA) assumes the listener

is unaware of background information or related issues to the topic of discussion and therefore provides it themselves.

Implicit communicators (e.g. China) assume the listener is well informed on the subject and minimizes information relayed on the premise that the listener will understand from implication.

An explicit communicator would find an implicit communication style vague, whereas an implicit communicator would find an explicit communication style exaggerated. 

Example: NIKE is US based brand so if it advertises the same Ad in China, than it will not work.

PREDICTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE SCENARIO:

Based on our research, We have noticed that this ad will struggle to succeed in China, this is because,

They have not considered the cultural attitudes of the Chinese market

They released the Ad that is based on U.S.A Explicit communication style.

Therefore, We recommend Nike to keep adjusting their methods so as to appeal to the target market better.

Colours, Numbers and Images in Cross Cultural Advertising  Even the simplest and most taken for granted aspects of

advertising need to be inspected under a cross cultural microscope.

Colours, numbers, symbols and images do not all translate well across cultures. 

For example: In some cultures there are lucky colours, such as red in China and unlucky colours, such as black in Japan. Some colours have certain significance; green is considered a special colour in Islam and some colours have tribal associations in parts of Africa. 

So, if you portray anything in your ad that is going against the consumer cultures, it will be be a great cultural risk.

Example:The setting: In 2004, NIKE commercial depicted LeBron defeating traditionally dressed Chinese elders, women, and even a red holy dragon.

The problem: Although China is rapidly developing, many Chinese people are still quite traditional.  Their traditions and culture is ancient and many people still hold its traits to high esteem.  Dragons, typically seen only as a mythical figure to westerners, symbolize things like power, strength, and luck in China.  In addition, elders hold a high sense of respect and authority.

The message: People were offended by the ‘weakening’ of their strong traditional figures that the ad received negative publicity

Cultural Values in Cross Cultural Advertising  When advertising abroad, the cultural values underpinning the

society must be analysed carefully. Is there a religion that is practised by the majority of the

people? Is the society collectivist or individualist? Is it family orientated? Is it hierarchical?

Is there a dominant political or economic ideology? All of these will impact an advertising campaign if left

unexamined. 

EXAMPLE: Nike offended Muslims in June, 1997 when the "flaming air"

logo for its Nike Air sneakers looked too similar to the Arabic form of God's name, "Allah". Nike pulled more than 38,000 pairs of sneakers from the market.

Skills To Overcome Differences for Nike Including people from respective cultures in the marketing

team so as to avoid these marketing blunders and losses Local research should be done to establish a deeper

understanding of the cultures involved. Respecting Differences and Working Together Building Trust Across Cultural Boundaries Understanding Body Language and learning the cultural

values of the target country Connecting with people Proactively seeking to avoid such situations is better than

trying to fix the damage they cause after.

Conclusion: By way of conclusion, We can see that the principles of advertising run through

to cross cultural advertising too. That is – know your market, what is attractive to them and

what their aspirations are. Cross cultural advertising is simply about using common

sense and analyzing how the different elements of an advertising campaign are impacted by culture and modifying them to best speak to the target audience. 

Recommendations for Nike: Nike should employ someone from the region you want to

target and if it’s another country make sure they are a native speaker, to iron out any potential embarrassing ‘finger lickin’ issues.

When launching an Ad, Nike should consider if the launch date could coincide with any big cultural milestones or celebrations, if there is a national holiday that would help you speak to the multicultural consumer on their wave length

Research should be performed into the immediate history and politics to make sure the adaption resonates well and does not offend the people you are hoping to engage with.

Translator should be involved. This will be helpful for them to understand the tone & nuisances of the slogans so nothing gets lost in translation.