We talk about global reach and how the Internet has made us all closer. One thing many of us keep forgetting is that this applies to marketing too.
A Japanese ad might be translated and put on the web, an ad that might be funny in Germany may end up offending everyone else. We have to move away from the hopes of targeting specific geographical areas.
To create a truly compelling ad most publishers appeal to an emotion or feeling. They try to put together two ideas (beautiful women and liquor) or they try to be funny and shocking. But with each ad being tailored to a specific geography, culturally differences have to be taken into consideration.
With the Internet we see ads meant for one demographic being shared online to everyone. As social media grows and more sharing occurs, we see more and more cultures around the world being drawn into the fold. So what was once a German ad that would only be seen in German magazines or on German websites, is not being shared on UK, USA, African websites.
The amalgamation makes the cultural quips in the ad (used to create a “we’re one of you” feel) lose their effectiveness, and in some extremes the ad backfires. Ad makers are now, more so than ever, being forced to remember that they’re no longer creating content for one market, but instead has to be effective across multiple demographics.
Although geographic ads are losing their potency for large brands, local ads are still doing great. The reason being is because local ads are marketing for small business. These companies lack global brand recognition, and as such most people are willing to understand cultural differences in advertising.
Since I’m recommending a move away from a geographical ad campaign for large brands, what do you put in its place? I think that more companies need to focus on demographic branding. Gender, family income, and language should be much more important than simple geography.
What do you think? Have you considered a large geographic branding campaign for your company? Would you suggest something different? Have another example of how a cultural difference in an ad caused controversy? Leave a comment and let us know.
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