Mind your language

Even today, the truth behind the George Bernard Shaw witticism that the US and UK are two countries "divided by a common language" is made obvious on TV screens and in newspapers and magazines. American companies run US ads unchanged in the UK, in the mistaken assumption that, because we a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marketing Week 2003-06, p.35
Main Author: Croft, Martin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advertising
Copy
International markets
Translations
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Summary:Even today, the truth behind the George Bernard Shaw witticism that the US and UK are two countries "divided by a common language" is made obvious on TV screens and in newspapers and magazines. American companies run US ads unchanged in the UK, in the mistaken assumption that, because we all speak the same language, what works for the US market must work for the UK market. The problem is that while the words may be the same, what they mean can be completely different - and that is without taking into account differences in tone of voice or unfamiliar cultural references. Ad agencies need to start thinking about how potential executions will work in different markets before they get too locked in to one approach. According to Laurence Grinter of TDA, advertisers cannot rely on alliteration, use colloquialisms or idioms. And humor does not translate well.
ISSN:0141-9285