Cultural Context Still Matters

Though the world is becoming more "flat" every day, there are still cultural distinctions that make a difference when it comes to understanding people - and marketing to them.

I recently went to Sri Lanka for some business meetings.  While there, I needed some toothpaste, so I bought a local brand:  Sudantha.  The labeling on the tube of toothpaste had all the right assurances.  The product fights cavities and helps remove plaque.  When I opened the tube, I got a surprise.  The toothpaste was BROWN.  Why was I surprised?  Because in our western culture, brown is associated with things like decay or products turning bad.  Apparently, that's not the case in South Asia.  While American toothpaste is white or brightly colored, Sudantha was a dingy brown.  When I used the product, I got another surprise.  The flavor was not peppermint, but another spice - probably cardamom.  So, the lesson here is what is appropriate in one culture may seem odd in another.

Take superstitions such as lucky or unlucky numbers.  In western culture, the unlucky number is "13" and many buildings don't have a 13th floor. In China, however, 4 is the unlucky number because the Chinese word for "four" sounds like the Chinese word for death.  So retailers avoid the number four in pricing ... buildings avoid the number four when numbering floors ... and hotel rooms often don't have the number four in them.  While in western culture superstition only goes so far, in China, the unlucky number superstition can be pervasive.  Buildings not only don't have a fourth floor - they don't have a fourteenth floor or a twenty-fourth floor, either.  In the photo, this Shanghai building not only avoids "four" but in a nod to multi-cultural superstition, it eliminates the thirteenth floor as well  Western marketers coming into China would be well advised to understand deep-rooted cultural beliefs such as unlucky numbers.  By the way, the "lucky number" in China is the number eight because in Chinese it sounds like the word for wealth or prosperity.

It can be embarrassing (or worse) when cultural taboos are ignored or misunderstood.

Kadomatsu

During the New Year season I wanted to send a token of respect and wishes for good luck to a Japanese client.  New Year is a big event in Japan with many deep rooted traditions.  One of these is for companies and homes to display something called a "kadomatsu."  This traditional display consists of three bamboo stalks and pine boughs.  I ordered one from a florist and felt very good about my cultural sensitivity and my business savvy in recognizing the client's special holiday.  A few days after the display was delivered, I got a note in the mail from the client.  I expected a "thank you" note, but the message essentially asked why I was wishing them bad luck.  Unfortunately, the florist that I ordered the kadomatsu from decided to spruce up the display by adding chrysanthemums to it.  In Japan, these showy white flowers are used in funerals and are the symbol of death.

Marketers:  while the world is flattening, watch out for cultural difference that can mean success or failure in your international business.