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Saudi Arabia is a huge market that represents rich opportunities for international brands. It is, however, a market whose culture and identity are sometimes misperceived by brands and media alike, which often stereotype. Take the example of the recent “Men Too Sexy for Saudi” news reports. Here are some common misconceptions.

Myth #1. No provocation. Provoking the imagination of consumers is the essence of many marketing campaigns. Without it, brands wouldn’t get much attention, and this rule holds true for Saudi Arabia. But how far can you go in what’s assumed to be a culturally and politically very conservative country? The slightest hint of innuendo on behalf of a global brand might be seen as unacceptable imperialism or lewd indecency, and fall at the hands of the censor. Yet highly provocative advertising developed by local agencies can drive social change by challenging attitudes and mores, such as the Rahma (Mercy) campaign against domestic abuse, particularly of foreign workers, and the recent No More Abuse campaign decrying violence against women.

Myth #2. Sex doesn’t sell. Whatever the official culture or politics of a place, there is a universal desire for women to be appealing, promoting values such as women empowerment, aspiration and education. The key in Saudi Arabia is to remain sufficiently “under the radar”. An example of a successful, cheeky campaign was the one run for lingerie brand “Change”, which was distributed via online and point-of-sales media only. This cleverly pokes fun at the censors while simultaneously staying within the actual rules of censorship.

Myth #3. Middle East: one culture and one language. Most Arab countries abide by “classical Arabic” for both spoken and written forms of the language. But each country follows different linguistic conventions on the local level, with different culture-specific interests – just take a look at the most commonly searched terms across the region to see that brands who treat the region as a homogeneous whole do so at their peril. In fashion for instance, Saudi women long for luxury designer Abaya and Thawbs, whereas the current trend in Egypt is Arabic slogan T-shirts. This is a reflection of growing patriotism following the recent political uprising.

Myth #4. Cars and women are not a good match. While currently women are not allowed to drive, the issue is not as clearcut as it is sometimes thought. It is the focus of heated debate at the top levels of government and society in Saudi Arabia, as they understand that the issue has a negative impact on the country’s image abroad. It may be time to prepare marketing efforts for this enormous untapped market in case the opportunity opens up.

Myth #5. It’s all bling bling. The luxury market in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East is huge, not just for the rich elite, but also for an emerging middle class with increased spending power for lifestyle goods. But this doesn’t mean that only shiny will sell – in fact, IKEA (despite its well-documented airbrush gaffe) is very popular precisely because it offers a more restrained, unflashy approach to furniture.

In summary, being too provocative can backfire, and being too conservative can lose the audience’s attention and be a waste of money. For maximum payout, there’s no perfect rule book to follow. Most important is to observe closely what’s happening on the ground, take carefully assessed risks, and get a strong grip early on about how your message is likely to resonate. For help navigating cross-cultural differences, contact us.

We have already talked about how lightly brands need to tread in a world where everyone is watching, where companies have unprecedented access not only to an enormous raft of potential consumers, but also to the ever-vigilant eyes of potential critics. “Trial by Twitter” is a process that has found many brands guilty, and unfortunate gaffes are never far from mind. Take Waitrose’s social media misfire last autumn, where its “Reasons” campaign was hijacked and turned on its head by teasing tweeters. Rather than issuing an apology as such, they did feel they had to acknowledge the jocular nature of people’s reactions. Other brands to have faced similar cyber-ribbing have reacted in various ways, either by adopting a similarly ribald tone, or by going on an unrepentant offensive, as this blog post discusses. And we can’t forget the reaction to Nick Clegg’s apology video, which went viral last year and totally undermined his attempt to clear the air with the British electorate.

People around the world apologise in different ways. In Japan, the act of apologising is considered a virtue (more on this later). It is no surprise, therefore, that their language and culture have such a diffuse number of ways to express the sentiment of sorriness. The same cannot always be said of the West, where people can often be found saving face by issuing ‘apologies’ that are entirely devoid of any sincerity or meaning. Or the classic British reflex-action apology, where “sorry” is used so unsparingly that it is roughly akin to “hmmm”.

Whatever the ‘right’ approach, there can be little doubt that the apology is an important art when errors in communication are so easy and public. And things only get more complicated when that apology has to be made across cultures, where different conventions, traditions and politics, not to mention different languages, are at play. Last week, Apple found themselves issuing a public apology to their Chinese customers following criticism from state media outlets about the company’s warranty terms. The apology received extensive news coverage across the country, to the bewilderment of many Chinese people, who found the authorities’ glee at events somewhat baffling compared to the veritable silence over more significant matters of public interest. What was perhaps most interesting about Apple’s apology was the way it was worded – “At the same time,” they said, “we also realize that we have much to learn about operating in China, and how we communicate here.” In this knowledge, a comprehensive global communication audit might have saved any embarrassment, taking advantage of local expertise and insight to achieve a “finger on the pulse” – essential for survival in the modern technology jungle.

As we’ve already mentioned, the cross-cultural apology is a complicated process due to the linguistic, political and cultural considerations that need to be taken on board. Indeed, an episode at the end of 2012 shows the extent of the complications in China, with the reporting of an “apology” made by the new Leader of the Communist Party, Xi Jinping. When arriving late for a speech, he made a comment which literally translates as “made everyone wait a long time”. Does this mean “sorry”? According to the presiding English interpreter, it did. Later on, however, opinion was divided among observers, with some objecting to translations from various international media outlets that played up the “sorry” aspect, while others felt the literal translation – with its more unrepentant connotations – was appropriate.

An extreme example of how cultural conventions can differ came with the public apology offered by Japanese popstar Minami Minegishi following revelations that she had spent the night with her boyfriend. She appeared with a shaved head, begging the public for forgiveness in a traditional act of contrition.

There is no escaping the fact that, were the divas of Europe or the US to so flail themselves for such minor misdemeanours, the blogosphere would be utterly saturated. Yes, it might have been over the top and unnecessary, but it was also on some level based on cultural tradition.

These examples show the challenges faced by brands operating internationally, and the need for expert, sensitive cross-cultural communications strategies. Saying sorry is never easy. Saying sorry across a cultural divide is even harder…

Take the example of some mannequins in an Adidas window display in Russia during an LGBT-rights demonstration, which were reconfigured to mimic Nazi salutes. It would appear that this was done by staff members in support of the violent, far-right faction who were opposing the march and attacking activists under the seemingly indifferent eyes of onlooking police. As the author of this New York Times article states, “what are Western companies to do when a country’s culture becomes so toxic that even situating a clothing-retail store there can implicate the company in violent ideology and in violence itself?” Demands were made by a US-based human rights organisation in an open letter to Adidas HQ about the sorts of conditions that are imposed on their authorised dealers around the world in such circumstances. But while it is possible to train staff and monitor activity and conduct closely, can anything be done to prevent the deleterious effects of a few hapless individuals on the ground?

A similarly unfortunate intervention affected Ikea last year, when it was revealed that the Saudi Arabian version of their catalogue had been manipulated to exclude women. This is a brand that promotes inclusivity, harmony and fairness, so much so that it is prepared to speak out radically on behalf of the gay marriage lobby in Italy, so why on earth is it marginalising female identity in the Arab peninsula with the stroke of the airbrush? The brand’s official response blamed a third-party franchise for the creation of the catalogue, apologising for not monitoring the production of this catalogue more closely, especially when it so contravenes the “group’s values”. Whatever the situation, surely here we are seeing the complications of maintaining a tolerant universal identity while simultaneously appealing to a local market whose values are themselves intolerant towards the representation of women?

Google cite transparency as one of their core values, and publish a biannual transparency report detailing search traffic, removal requests and user data requests. However, there have been reports that a Google censorship notification feature in operation in China – aimed at alerting users to potential government-backed service disruption for certain search terms – has been disabled on the quiet. This is arguably an act of ensuring search quality and efficiency, which had been compromised by government censorship, but it does also go against the brand’s pledge for transparency in a region where freedom of speech is so delicate. How can a brand maintain all its integrity when trying to operate at an optimal level in a country where its core values are not shared?

In the past, controversy has been something that has been courted deliberately to provoke and publicise – take just about any United Colours of Bennetton ad ever created – but in this day and age the challenge is much more to do with avoiding unintended, perhaps inevitable, media attention when core values have been compromised. The glare of the internet and the omnipresence of camera phones mean that scrutiny of global brands is never far away.

Join Textappeal’s Elliot Polak and Jumeirah’s Ross McAuley at this mind-opening seminar.

IKEA had to issue an apology after a recent spot launched in Thailand drew criticism from transgender rights groups. Angry activists lambasted the global Swedish brand, claiming the advert, which depicts a transgender lady getting so excited at a bargain in the store that her voice drops a few octaves, much to the surprise of her male companion, played on negative stereotypes and even violated the human rights of the transgender community of south-east Asia. The company have publicly apologised for the video, which aired on Youtube and to commuters on several of the country’s train networks, and issued a prompt response to the Thai Transgender Alliance, who made the original complaint. This sparked further complaints from the transgender community around the world, who poured scorn on what they saw as a demeaning, trivialising and offensive piece of advertising.

Behind the news:

The title of the ad translates approximately as “Forget To Keep Hidden” or “Forget To Deceive”, and was presumably intended to alert potential customers to the brand’s honesty and affordability in a light-hearted fashion, a fact they are keen to highlight in their carefully worded response. In Thailand, transgender females, known as Kathoeys or sometimes via the popularised anglicism ‘ladyboys’, are fully integrated and accepted members of society, with many leading successful careers in the fashion, beauty and entertainment industries. They are far from obligated to a deviant or secret lifestyle, thus the uproar caused by the advert. This campaign was a little wide of the mark from IKEA, a brand – as history dictates – do not shy away from courting controversy with provocative ad campaigns. In most cases it is the traditional values of the right that are challenged, as with this brouhaha in the US back in 2007, rather than the liberal and inclusive values championed by an organisation such as the Thai TGA. But creative work designed to provoke and entertain is almost inevitably going to alienate some members of any given market – did they overstep the line here, or is it a storm in a Thai-cup?

News:

Women in Japan have the opportunity to reap the rewards of using their thighs as an advertising space for brands and companies. A girl’s zettai ryouiki – which translates roughly as “absolute territory” – is apparently the highly coveted space that lies between the bottom of her mini-skirt or shorts and the top of her knee-high socks. The brand seeks to recruit girls over the age of 18 who have a presence on one or more social networking sites (SNS). To earn their commission, they must wear the stickers for eight hours over the course of a day, and then post photos of their new ‘accessory’ on their preferred SNS. And this intriguing new combo of guerrilla advertising and social media has been popular – around 2,800 Japanese women have registered, with an average of 330 friends on Facebook. Popular campaigns have thus far included promotion of Green Day’s latest album.

Behind the News:

The logic behind this marketing technique – summed up in this article with the headline “Where the Eye goes, the Ad goes” – is nothing new… beautiful women have been used to promote goods and companies since the dawn of advertising. The appeal of this “absolute territory” in Japan can be linked to depictions in Japanese anime and manga, and such is its popularity that it even has its own Facebook page with almost 3000 followers. The brand sees it as a sort of ‘win-win’ situation for both the girls and the brands they are showcasing. The former can earn money, set trends and receive what could be euphemistically described as “positive” online attention. The latter, for their part, are able to leverage the marketing potential of social media platforms in a decidedly original fashion, possibly even achieving viral success (one participant has 8,000 followers on Twitter). While similar tactics might draw criticism in other markets, this does at least provide ordinary women with a means of making easy money in a way that they find cool, empowering and fashionable. Though in many countries, there’s no escaping that the weather – rather than social attitudes – will be the deciding factor in the power of the human billboard…

What do you all think? Offensive, resourceful, sexy, trendy or just plain weird?

News:

In a PR stunt rolled out by the fast-food giant McDonald’s, 13 branches of the restaurant in Australia will see their slogan translated to “Macca’s”, the nickname by which it is known across the country. This name change is part of this year’s Australia Day celebrations, and observes the fact that, as discovered by a recent survey, “Macca’s” is the country’s second most recognised Australianism, used by at least 50 per cent of the population (surpassed only by “footy”, referring of course to Aussie Rules football). Running for the entire month of January, the rebrand will see signage altered with the new name alongside the traditional Golden Arches, with a TV campaign to match.  Mark Lollback, head of marketing at McDonald’s Australia, has said of the move: “What better way to show Aussies how proud we are to be a part of the Australian community than incorporate the name the community has given us across all our channels, even our signs?” There have also been calls to have the colloquial term incorporated into the online edition of the Macquarie Dictionary, the national record of Australian English, officially recognising its position in the local language.

Behind the News:

While nicknames for this major international brand are common – think “Macky-D’s” in the UK, “Mickey-D’s” in the US, or “McDo” in France – none have ever been deemed popular enough for such a dramatic rebrand for the domestic market. Adapting such a solid corporate identity in this direct and transparent way to reflect local cultural trends and perceptions is a bold move, although the chain’s headquarters have indicated that this will be a temporary measure. While the success of the promotion remains to be seen, there can be little doubt that other global brands will be looking on with interest. Commercial nicknames are clearly widespread, especially among more familiar and popular brands or organisations. In the UK, you wouldn’t expect to encounter too many confused looks by mentioning Marks & Sparks, JD or the Beeb, but resulting public relations campaigns are rare to see. One thing that is reinforced by the appearance of “Macca’s” is the importance of market localisation, showing cross-cultural understanding and sensitivity towards consumer habits in specific markets, as this piece argues with regard to the presence of McDonald’s across Africa.

Textappeal World Blend 2013

For the 2012 New Year, the Textappeal team invented a box filled with worldly flavours of chocolates such as “peanut butter with jam”, “jasmine”, and “wasabi” as our annual gift. This posed a tough challenge for us this year, as we now have to exceed expectations for 2013!

This year we decided to create our very own blend of tea. Tea being the second most popular beverage in the world, we created an infusion of flavours that best describes our multicultural Textappeal brand.

We arranged a tea tasting session in our offices with a qualified tea master.  After tasting a variety of teas and flavours, we came up with a delicious infusion of Chinese cinnamon, Spanish orange blossom, Indian rose petals, Thai red peppercorns, Mexican chilli and Madagascan vanilla.

Our Tea master also gave us a lesson on how tea is made, consumed, people’s interaction with tea and the aesthetics surrounding the art of drinking tea around the world.

It was an extremely interesting team session, but let’s not get rid of our coffee machine just yet, just in case. Watch this space to see what we have in mind for 2014!

Wishing you all the best for 2013!