Marcom Transcreation for East Asia Designing Global Branding & Globalization

Marcom Transcreation for East Asia
Designing for Global Branding & Globalization

Leon Lee
Lee@Lehrmach.com

Lehrmach.com | Austin . Texas USA Slide 1

Market Synopsis

• "Show Me The Money"

• Translate the nuance, not words

• Website experience is the global brand • Seamless message delivery


"Show Me The Money"


Mass Marcom Dilemma

Newspaper
Magazine
Junk mail
Billboard
Television Poster
Radio
Flyer Web Banner Ads
Junk E-mail

• Late-1990s, Digital Consumerism / E-Commerce
• Mass marketing increase (300 to 3,000 daily impressions)
• Information overload, dilute customer attention
• Product/services to mere price commoditization

• Relationship Marketing, socio-emotional bond with customer
• Value beyond purchase price, lifestyle enhancement, social mobility
• Leverage global citizenry theme via localized marcom with global branding


Relationship Marcom Principle
Subjective Sociological & Psychological Valuation

Nodes
Nodes
Nodes
Nodes
Link
Link
Link Nodes
Nodes
Nodes
Nodes
Link Schema

Higher Ordered
Schema Nodes
Nodes

Nodes Structured Marcom Messaging
Nodes

Transitive Terminal
Nodes Transitive Terminal
Nodes Value Value
Value Value
Semantic Episodic
Semantic Episodic
(word) (imagery)
(word) (imagery) • Interpretative knowledge is socially organized
• Semantic && episodic values are cultural-centric
• Interactive orderliness (not auto-assume to share same values)

• Transitive values ~ (ex. lifestyle, utility, price value)
• Terminal values ~ fundamental socio-emotional values (ex. safety, family, education)

Source : Brand Beyond Borders, University of Pennsylvania 1999, www.Upenn.edu


Relationship Marcom Sample

Lifestyle Nodes Cultural Nodes Fantasy Nodes

• Semantic and episodic marcom
• Channels customer experience
• Form socio-emotional relations
• Enhance brand recognition and recall


Forming Global Brand Experience

Corporate Intangible Assets
Corporate Tangible Assets

Corporate Employee
Products Services Governance Commitment

Customer Brand Utilization Customer Brand Affinity

• Global brand
name & logo

• Physical
manifestation of
brand

• Conscious &
subconscious
Lifestyle Enhancements reminder

Quality & Relevance
Prestige of
Global Citizenry
Ownership


Transnational Marcom Evolution

• 1950s trade globalization
• Global HQ locale
• Disseminate marcom design to regions
• Rigid product and messaging, lack g-localized venue

• Mid-1980s, expanded global trade venue
• Global HQ locale, regional HQs
• Region design marcom, semi-independent cost-centers
• g-localized venue, but duplicative marcom efforts

• Mid-1990s, digital consumerism, relational
• marketing
• Global HQ locale, regional HQs
• Coordinated marcom design for
• participating regions
• Global brand management, marcom
cost-effectiveness


Driver : Brand Value Perception

• Perception projects value
• Form seamless marcom
• Value differentiation & extension
• Reduce marcom and R&D op-ex costs
• Accelerate market penetration

Case-study sample
•Dell Inc. sample
• 2000, Interbrand #25 ~ $11.5 million
• 2005 Interbrand #21 ~ $13.2 million
• 15% increase brand value

Source : Interbrand Best Global Brands - www.interbrand.com


Driver : Digital Consumerism, Internet

Internet Marcom Traditional Marcom

• Ubiquitous and omnipresent • TV, Print, Radio medium
• Borderless transcendence • Geographic-centric
• Always-On and On-Demand nature • Target isolated (campaign on/off)
• Exclusivity (ethnic, demographic, national)
• Distance enhance global brand proposition
• No physical locale
• Website is defacto brand experience

Source : TeleGeography - www.telegeography.com


Driver : World Gross National Income

Japan
High income
Population: 127,956,006
GNI per capita (US$): 38,980.00

China (PRC)
Lower middle income
Population: 1,304,500,000

Hong Kong, China (PRC)
High income

Taiwan, China (ROC)
GNI : all domestic production and net factor income flows abroad High income
• Total $44.983 trillion GNI
• East Asia ~ $6 trillion GNI
• Circa 14% World GNI Korea (ROK)
High income
• East Asia culturally defined : Population: 48,294,143
$6.114 trillion Classical Chinese lineage GNI per capita (US$): 15,830.00
East Asia Shared Confucian social values
Singapore
High income
$38.869 trillion GNI per capita (US$): 27,490.00
Other

Vietnam
Low income
Source : World Bank (WorldBank.org), IFC Doing Business (DoingBusiness.org) Population: 82,966,000
GNI per capita (US$): 620.00

Driver : Internet Language Distribution

Total Internet Population
804.2 million

Internet English
287.5 million
( 35.8% )

• Interplay between Online and Offline audience
• Online audience impact site g-localization marcom delivery

• Offline English speakers : 508 million
• Offline Non-English speaker : 5.82 billion
• English third largest group
• Most widely spoken, circa 40 countries
Internet Non-English
516.7 million
• English largest online user block, circa 288 million ( 64.2% )
• "Lingua Franca" international business
• Intermediary host language (ex. Japan, India, Singapore)

• Leverage English as defacto localized language
• American-English marcom nuance

Source : GlobalReach - www.global-reach.biz/globstats


Translate the nuance, not words


Transcreation Assets


Pronounceablity Issue
( Europe example )

• Local customer rendition
• Ability to pronounce, ability to brand recall

• 1950s Swiss product VICTORINOX
• US Serviceman not familiar with NOX-portion
• By default, Americans called generic title

Source : Flags of the World Switzerland - www.fotw.net/flags/ch.html

• Ireland city name, tourist center
• Change from English to Gaelic in 2004
• Fear loss of tourist brand recognition
• Town voted restore English name, Oct 2006

Source : BBC News -
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/6070820.stm


Transliteration : Solution Options

• Local language conformance • One-to-one translation • Similar to phonetic solution
• Adjust vowel & consonant clusters • Localized semantic nuance • Exact match not necessary
• No original semantic appeal • Original semantic appeal • No original semantic appeal
• Intrinsic local cultural appeal


Transliteration : Phonetic Solution
( Japan & Korea samples )

• Legal registration necessity
• Render by local phonetics
• No original semantic appeal

Microsoft Japan ( maikurosofuto )

Dell Japan ( deru ) Dell Korea ( t'er )

Nortel Japan ( nooteru )

Louis Vuitton Japan ( rui viton )

Louis Vuitton Korea ( rui pit'ong )


Transliteration Challenges
( China / Taiwan Phonetic )

• Render by local phonetics
• Conducive character selection
• Chinese characters already
possess intrinsic meaning

1930s China market

( Kou Ken Dou La )
Mouth gnaw the tadpole wax
Approximate character phonetics, terse imagery

Traditional Chinese

( Ke Kou Ke Leh )
Suit taste, suit happiness (Joyful refreshing taste)
New character phonetics less precise, better semantic appeal

1980s China market
Simplified Chinese
( Ke Kou Ke Leh )
Suit taste, suit happiness (Joyful refreshing taste)
Use same character glyphs, no reinvent brand


Transliteration : Phonetic Solution
( China & Taiwan samples)

Nokia China

( nuo ji ya ) • Render by local phonetics
Promise foundation asia • Conducive characters

Columbia Taiwan

( ge lun bi ya )
Elder-brother relations compare asia

Walmart China
( wo er ma )
Rich like "ma"

Yahoo China Yahoo Taiwan

( ya hu ) ( ya hu )
Proper tiger Proper tiger


Transliteration : Colloquial Solution
( China & Taiwan samples )

• Colloquial naming approach
• Different verbal rendition
• Original semantic appeal
• Note Chinese character glyphs

Nortel Taiwan Nortel Taiwan

( bei dian wang ) ( bei dian wang )
Northern Electricity Net Northern Electricity Net

Miramax Miramax
Taiwan China
( jing ying yu le) ( jing ying yu le)
Revelation-eminent Revelation-eminent
Mira (Spanish ) ~ Sight, View
Max ~ Maximum

Metlife Taiwan Metlife China

( da du hui ) ( da du hui )
Greater society Greater society

Source : Chinese Characters : www.Lehrmach.com/Research/2005.8.29-Lehrmach-ChineseCharacters.pdf


Transliteration : Literary Solution
( China & Taiwan samples)

• Literary naming approach
• Local universal appeal

Pepsi China Pepsi Taiwan
( bai shi ) ( bai shi )
100 matters ~ All knowledgeable 100 matters ~ All knowledgeable

Ikea China Ikea Taiwan
( yi jia ) ( yi jia )
Appropriate house (proper clan) Appropriate house (proper clan)

Contraction of Germany

DW Chinese-Simplified
(China, Singapore, diasporas
Australia-Americas-Europe)
( de guo zhi sheng)
Virtuous country of sound Virtuous Meaning Aspire Country
( deh yi zhi guo )
Deutsch country
Germany


Compromised Transliterated Examples
( Know the language, Know the consequences )

• Avoid random transliteration
• Phonetic and semantic association
• May mutually exclude markets
• Compromise brand awareness

Negative "dai er" Chinese Homonyms
Dell China
( dai er )
Honor thus Idle Pastry Sack of Ears Imbecile Two

US Enterprise IT Governance Software
• Niku (Farsi) : One who serves
• Enter Japan market, Niku meant "Meat"

Source : Brand Beagle : www.tippingsprung.com/childpages/news_brandbeagle.html

Japan refreshment drink producer Japan thrift shop
• Japan phonetics "Karu-pisu" • Japan phonetics "puppu deikku"
• Localized as "Calpis" • Localized as "Poop Dick"
• US audiences conjure bizarre imagery • US audiences conjure bizarre imagery

Source : Calpis Japan : www.calpis.co.jp


Global Brand Logo vs. Logotype

• Project common global brand awareness
• Logo : geometric symbol
• Logotype : stylized typeface
• Retain shape-dimension-color
• Do not localize name in logotype

Heckler-Koch

Mitsubishi

Nike


Divergent Global Brand Recognition
( Dell transcreated brand example )

Dell Japan ( deru )

Vietnam use
Latin alphabets

Dell Korea ( t'er ) Singapore may
solely use English

• Transcreated logo compromised customer attention
• Fragment customers into isolated markets
( Multinational vs Transnational )

Dell China ( dai er ) • Promote only singular brand icon
Dell Taiwan & Hong Kong ( dai er ) • Use "Rebus Effect" to strengthen brand icon recognition
• Channels : corporate marcom, "grapevine"
recommendations, brand reputation


Tagline Transcreation Process

• Brand tagline : word or catchphrase (long/ short)
• Distinguishable and differentiating
• Customer conscious and subconscious appeal
• Establish relationship marcom

Main tagline transcreation challenge :
Conform to local socio-linguistic expectations


Brand Taglines Rapport

• Emotional value proposition
• Relationship appeal
• Rhythmic impression

( We're driving for you )


Transcreated Taglines

From the Center Europe
( German )

Europe State Center Heart
( Ouzhou Zhongxin ) ( Chinese Simplified )

BMW China, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore

BMW Japan
( semantic ) Drive through the barrier with joy
( Kakenukeru Yorokobi ) ( episodic ) To drive like the wind

BMW Hong Kong
( joy to drive )

Louis Vuitton Korea
Past and Present Legends

( koa-ko-wa hyon-jae-ui chon-sol )


Tagline Affectation
( Beware of literal translations )

• Danger of word-for-word translation
• Cautious use free online machine translation
• Understand target language prerogatives

Gen baishi huifu nidi xian bei
( Chinese Simplified ) With Pepsi it will revive your ancestors

The fingers are very lickable
Ta shi shou-zhi tian hao
( Chinese Traditional )

( Spanish )
It is necessary for an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate


Transcreation Logistics #1
( Case-Study : Consolidating Dell Brand Tagline )

• Common global brand tagline
• Seamless online E-commerce
• Single point of accountability
• Converge global marcom budget

( 2000 – 2005 tagline )
Late-1990s
Dell USA tagline

American rhythmic proverb : Easy as Pie

Late-1990s
Dell Japan tagline ( Atarashii Jou-shiki ga Umareru Tokoro )
Place where new common sense are born


( Case-Study : Sourcing tagline candidates )

• Global brand centrally managed
• Across 5 business segments
• Usability with 600 participants
• Generated 60 taglines

• 600 participants

External
External
Customers
Customers
• 60 tagline candidates

Internal Global Brand Tagline Japan
Internal Global Brand Tagline Japan
Employees Management Candidate List Usability Sessions
Employees Management Candidate List Usability Sessions

• 5 business segments
International Home / Enterprise
International Government / Education
Liaison (US)
Liaison (US) Healthcare

Dictionary
( global marcom budget )
Usability
( Japan marcom budget ) Interview


( Case-Study : Generate raw candidates )

Colloquial Idiom List
• Generate raw candidate list
• Filter via self-review
• Present finalists to usability

Dictionary Candidate List


( Case-Study : Sample rejected candidates )

Eezee asu Deru Not understand raw phonetics
Phonetic (Easy as Dell)

Omo-Shiroi Deru
( Dell is very interesting ) Treated Dell as an object
instead of a customer experience

Kakkou-Ii Deru
( Cool and Stylish Dell ) Consumer segment appeal, but
Enterprise segment rejected

Deru Dai-suki
( I like Dell very much ) Referred to intimate
personal feelings

Fun-iki ga Atteru
( Ambience exists ) Too esoteric and vague


( Case-Study : Predominance of foreign loan words )

• American-English adoption into vernacular
• Original terms capture precise nuance
• Western words via local phonetics
• May augment additional value proposition

• Streamline, Efficient, No Frills

• Intelligent, Decisive, Fashionable

Caution : Divergent meanings may exist

( baikingu ~ Viking = buffet ) ( janpaa ~ Jumper = Jacket ) ( ooeru ~ O.L. ~ Office Lady = Secretary )

Source : Wikipedia Gairaigo - en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Gairaigo


( Case-Study : Narrow down finalists review )

Transcreated
Dell Japan Version
( Phonetic : Easy as Dell )

Sumaato ni Suru Chikara Deru
( The power to be decisive, Dell )
Consensus Tagline

Sinpuru wo Anata ni Deru Brand font typeface and
( Simple for you, Dell ) color palette

• US : Easy as Dell
• Japan : Simple for you, Dell
• Replace "deru" with Dell brand icon
• Leverage rebus effect for brand icon


( Case-Study : 2000-2005 website tagline integration )

• Online Visual Interface Design
• Consistent tagline & logo placement
• Website is defacto online brand
• Similar customer experience


Website experience is the global brand


Visual Interface Design #1
( Case-study : Dell.com online global branding components )

• Website is defacto global brand
Brand Tagline Brand Logo • Customer experience is site navigation
• Consistent information architecture

Master Header ( Dell.com VID 2000-2005 )
( visual anchor )

Lifestyle Imagery
( cilentele association )

Page Schematics
( information layout )

Master Footer
( visual anchor )


( Case-Study : Dell.com primary globalization features )

• Lifestyle imagery depicts ethnic group
• Language toggle preserve VID navigation
Country or Region Selector Multi-Language Toggle • National identity may possess transcendency
( place name sensitivity ) ( local language and American-English )

National Identity
( localized country name & flag )

Lifestyle Imagery
( localized clientele association )

Transliterated
Corporate Name
( Master Footer - Legal )


( Case-Study : Dell-Japan flag display opposition )

• Japan flag display only for diplomatic
and sporting events
• Other displays may be associated with
right-wing ultranationalist groups
• Compromise flag in VID, no usage in
TV/Print marcom

( Japan Hinomaru flag )

Source : Flags of the World Japan - www.fotw.net/flags/jp.html
( Japan right-wing protester )

( Case-Study : Dell-China & Taiwan flag dispute )

• Site transcendency challenge
Dell China
• Dispute from 1920s era
• Divergent interpretation & themes

Dell Taiwan

Source : Wikipedia China Civil War –
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_War_of_China


( Case-Study : Dell-Taiwan 2000-2005 compromise )

Select Country or Region
Flag Display
( neutral association on Taiwan )
( unique business & language region )

Dell Taiwan

Not use

Tai-wan
( use provincial name via Official Long Form : Chung Hua Min Kuo Short Form : Chung Kuo
Traditional-Chinese characters ) (Republic of China) (China)


Seamless messaging delivery


Relevant Marcom #1
( Product usability )

• Product usability obstacle
• Localized marcom not circumvent
• General Mills 1960s Japan market
• US baking products, Japan homes no oven
• Bake in rice cooker, rice after-taste

Most Japan homes
no ovens

Reformulate for
rice cookers

General Mills

Japan rejected, left baking
after-taste in rice

Source : Japan Market Research Network – www.JMRN.com


Relevant Marcom #2
( Fully localized message )

• Marcom message affectation
• AFLAC 2001 Japan market entry
• Port US marcom, multiple problems
• Create localized Japan marcom

Japan Affectation
1) When Duck speaks, must look at caricature to be polite
2) US Duck utters "Quack, Quack", Japan Duck utters "Ga, Ga"
3) Duck "AFLAC" shout shrilled local audience (Gilbert Godfrey voiceover)
US Comedian
Gilbert Godfrey

( yoku kangae yoo, okane wa daiji da yo)
Lyrical format : Use your money wisely, it's precious, yes it is…

Japan Success
1) Major market penetration, 75% corporate revenue
2) Tagline passed into local vernacular
3) Brand awareness expansion
AFLAC Duck (cgi)
New AFLAC Brand icon

Source : AFLAC Commercials - www.aflac.com/us/en/aboutaflac/aflaccommercials.aspx


Relevant Marcom #3
( Call-to-action nuance )

• Overt quality & sales anouncement
• Product usage in shower
• US lady stands in shower

US shower stall

(kirei ga chigau, ii kanji)
It's a different prettiness, good feeling

• No sales pitch, relaxation nuance
• Product usage in Ofuro
• Japanese lady sits in Ofuro

Japan Ofuro bath tube

Beautiful Cute Kirei
( utsukushii ) ( kawai ) ( pretty )
Excessive emphasis on Adolescent nuance Physical and mental
physical beautuy beauty balance

Relevant Marcom #4
( Conforming to purse-string clout )

• Flag and city name affectation
• Alienate main US Vietnamese-American clientele
Vietnam (current)

Dec 2004

• Appeal to Viet-American socio-economic clout
• Most from former South Vietnam
• Draw protest from current Vietnam government
South Vietnam (1975)

(Compromise marcom logistics)

• Do not mention city name
• No political imagery on US brochures
• Main Vietnamese-American population in Los Angeles
City name controversy • Move departure from Los Angeles to San Francisco

Source : First U.S. flight to Vietnam - www.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/12/09/bt.united.vietnam/index.html


Relevant Marcom #5
( Asian numerology )

• Cultural-specific episodic and homonyms
• Conscious & subconscious reinforcement

Chinese societies in Asia/Pacific, Americas, Europe

Written as Sounds like

( ba ) ( fa )

Universal among
East Asian cultures

( Gong-Shi-Fa-Cai )
Wish You Prosperity

Written as Sounds like Episodic

( si ) ( si )


Relevant Marcom #6
( Chinese numerological marcom )

• Alpha Romeo 164 to Hong Kong market
• 164 sounds like "we all die"
• Change to Alpha Romeo 168
• 168 sounds like "we all prosper"

Via Via
Chinese Chinese

( yi liu si ) ( yi liu pa )
Resembles
Resembles

( yi dou si ) ( yi liu fa )
We all die We all propser

"FOUR" inference based on context
Proverbial
2005 tagline association

( shi hai wei jia ) ( fang zhi shi hai er jie zhun )
Landesbank Baden-Württemberg For 4 oceans all standards
www.lbbw.de 4 oceans for family
Universally applied, valid everywhere


Relevant Marcom #7
( Japan numerological marcom )

• Asian numerology interpretation differences
• Episodic and linguistic relations paramount

Written as Resembles

( Hachi )

( Fujisan)
Omen for wealth and status

( Sue hirogari )
Spread out like a fan,
Opportunities widens

Written as Sounds like

( Kyuu, Ku )
( Kurushi )
painful, bitter, difficult


Publication Resource

Marcom Transcreation :
Branding, Strategy, Communication for Asia Market Entry

http://Lehrmach.com/Research/2007.9-Lehrmach-MarcomTranscreateAsia.pdf

http://lehrmach.com/ourwork.htm

Total 18 pages.
Sample Pages below


Lehrmach Branding ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leon Z. Lee is Lehrmach’s Senior Strategist for Brand
Lehrmach UX/UI Design
Management, his 15-year corporate tenure includes Nortel, IBM,
Lehrmach Trademark University of Texas at Austin, and Dell. He can be reached at
lee@lehrmach.com

ABOUT THE COMPANY
Lehrmach is a management consultancy with concentrations in
Brand Design & Transcreation, User Experience & User Interface
Design, and Trademark Management. For additional information,
contact lehrmach@lehrmach.com

www.lehrmach.com
lehrmach@lehrmach.com

Austin . Texas . USA


Marcom Transcreation for East Asia Designing Global Branding & Globalization

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Marcom Transcreation for East Asia Designing Global Branding & Globalization