Epic Fails in Global Branding: Intercultural Communication

TOPIC Intercultural Communication
3 WEEK 4 DURATION 180 mins
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:

1. understand some issues relating to intercultural communication – how norms and
conventions of a particular culture affect communication;
2. develop an appreciation for the various communication dynamics in ;
3. create a narrative about two cultures – one being high context and the other low context.
PRESENTATION
Epic Fails in Global Branding

Expanding one’s business internationally can be an exciting step for any entrepreneur,
but marketing a product or service abroad requires adequate research and preparation.
Without the proper considerations, such as language barrier, marketing to a foreign audience
can have disastrous outcomes.
When you're globalizing a brand, it's always a good idea to check whether your name,
logo, or tag line means something different in the regions where you're expanding. Here are
examples of epic fails in global branding. What do you think they could have done early on to
avoid it from happening?
Read the information about the following brands and identify the problems they had
encountered due to language barrier.
1 Comm 01: Oral Communication in Context

Brand What was the specific language barrier encountered?
Colgate
KFC
Mercedes-Benz
Vicks
Electrolux
Colgate launched toothpaste in

KFC made Chinese consumers a bit
France named "Cue" without
realizing that it's also the name apprehensive when "finger licking good"
of a French pornographic
was translated as "eat your fingers off."
magazine.
Vicks introduced its cough drops into the

Mercedes-Benz entered the Chinese
German market without realizing that the
market under the brand name "Bensi,"
which means "rush to die." German pronunciation of "v" is "f" making
"Vicks" slang for sexual intercourse.
Electrolux at one time marketed its

vacuum cleaners in the U.S. with the tag
line: "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux."

DISCUSSION
Learning effective c0mmunicative strategies in the context of intercultural

communication will ensure one’s success in the many aspects of his or her personal and
business life. Having knowledge about the culture of the people you are communicating with
will be very helpful so that you would know the dos and don’ts while interacting with them. For
more helpful information about other cultures and their communication styles, read the article
the follows:
vs Low Context
Communicating in High Context vs Low Context Cultures

How people communicate with one another varies wildly from culture to culture. In our
fully globalized times, it is more important than ever to understand these differences and
where they come from. One way to reach such an understanding is through the high and low
context culture framework, developed by anthropologist Edward T. Hall.
In 1976, Hall proposed that cultures can be divided into two categories—high context
and low context. The concept has been a popular frame of reference since its introduction 40
years ago, and is used as a training tool to this day.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES?
The differentiation between high and low context cultures is meant to highlight
differences in how cultures communicate. High-context cultures will use communication that
focuses on underlying context, meaning, and tone in the message, and not just the words
themselves.
On the flipside, low-context cultures expect communications to be explicitly stated so

that there’s no risk of confusion, and if a message isn’t clear enough, it will slow down the
process of communication. In the most extreme cases, leaving any sort of wiggle room for
interpretation can be disastrous.
HIGH CONTEXT VS LOW CONTEXT CULTURE CHARACTERISTICS
Cultures typically can’t be organized strictly into either high or low context. Most
cultures fall between the extremes on the spectrum and can share characteristics of both high
and low context traits to varying degrees.
Although it can be a complex characteristic whether a culture is high context or low

context, it can determine many other aspects of a particular culture. For example, in a high-
context culture similarity is an important characteristic. This is because the majority of the
population in high context cultures typically have the same level of education, as well as a
shared ethnicity, religion, and history.
Through these shared experiences, messages can be contextualized by assuming an

audience will think in the same way and follow the underlying message implicit in someone’s
speech or writing.
In low-context cultures, the opposite is true. They are usually diverse, and focus on the
individual, instead of the group. Since there are so many differences within a low-context
culture, communication must be basic enough to allow for as many people to understand it as
possible.
FORMS OF COMMUNICATION
Just as communication in general is different for high and low context cultures, the
forms of communication also change, including the types of media that they enjoy. In today’s
fast-paced digital age, these forms can shift, but underlying preferences stay the same.
Generally, high-context cultures prefer oral communications, while low-context

cultures favor written communications.
When it comes to emails, texts, and online messaging, low-context cultures use it to fire
off quick, frequent messages. Low-context cultures also want these communications to
revolve around basic questions, like:
What’s happening?
Where’s it happening?
When’s it going to happen?
How’s it going to happen?
Of course, high-context cultures will tend to move in the other direction, with a focus
on longer forms of communication that don’t always focus on basic questions.

COMMUNICATING IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Clearly, it’s important for a multinational organization to know the difference between
high and low context cultures. A full understanding of these differences will effectively improve
both outward, client-focused communication as well as inter-business relationships.
Will a company in Japan appreciate your attempts to get right to the point? Will a
German company become bored if you talk around a subject, instead of directly addressing it?
Know your audience and their cultural standing, and your message will never get lost.
▪ What is Hall’s purpose of coming up with the concept of high context vs low
context cultures?
▪ How do you think having the knowledge of these concepts will help you become
a better communicator?
TASKS
EXERCISE 1: With the knowledge you got from the discussion on intercultural communica-
tion, explain in your own words the differences between high context and low context
cultures in their way of communication.
High Context Culture Low Context Culture

EXERCISE 2: Watch two video vlogs about different cultures of countries – one categorized as
high context, and the other low context. Make a list of things mentioned by the host about
each country and some tips, if there are any, when travelling or staying there. Also,
highlight the communication style of that culture. This can be orally presented in class.
Country 1: _______________________
Vlogger: _______________________
Descriptions:
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Communication Style:
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Country 2: _______________________
Vlogger: _______________________
Descriptions:
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Communication Style:
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

REFERENCES
James, G. (n.d.) Epic Fails in global branding. Retrieved July 30, 2020 from
https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/the-20-worst-brand-translations-of-all-time.html
Koh, M. (2014). People reveal their embarrassing moments because of a cultural misunderstanding.
Retrieved July 30, 2020 from https://thoughtcatalog.com/hok-leahcim/2014/04/30-people-
reveal-their-embarrassing-moments-because-of-a-cultural-misunderstanding/
Shofner, K. (n.d.). Communicationg in high context vs low context cultures. Retrieved July 30, 2020
from https://www.unitedlanguagegroup.com/blog/communicating-high-context-vs-low-
context-cultures
Prepared by:
Albert L. Paguntalan, M.Ed

Instructor, Senior High School

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TOPIC Intercultural Communication

3 WEEK 4 DURATION 180 mins

At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:

Epic Fails in Global Branding

1 Comm 01: Oral Communication in Context

Colgate launched toothpaste in

Vicks introduced its cough drops into the

Electrolux at one time marketed its

2 Comm 01: Oral Communication in Context

Learning effective c0mmunicative strategies in the context of intercultural

Communicating in High Context vs Low Context Cultures

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES?

On the flipside, low-context cultures expect communications to be explicitly stated so

Although it can be a complex characteristic whether a culture is high context or low

Through these shared experiences, messages can be contextualized by assuming an

Generally, high-context cultures prefer oral communications, while low-context

When’s it going to happen?

How’s it going to happen?

4 Comm 01: Oral Communication in Context

High Context Culture Low Context Culture

5 Comm 01: Oral Communication in Context

6 Comm 01: Oral Communication in Context

Albert L. Paguntalan, M.Ed

7 Comm 01: Oral Communication in Context

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