If You Confuse ’Em, You’ll Lose ’Em

By Stephen Bean | May 10, 2010

Effective advertising is a huge part of marketing – a serious part. So, exercise utmost care when it comes to copywriting because your message must be crystal clear to the reader and not ambiguous in any manner.

If your message is misinterpreted, misunderstood or not understood, it can easily produce a negative effect and set your program back big time. Some advertisers like to use humor in their copy. Be careful when doing this because what is funny to you may not be funny to others. In fact, it can come off as insulting.

Never forget that the sole purpose of advertising is to sell something. You are not in the entertainment business. If your advertising – print, television or radio – leaves people laughing hysterically but they can’t recall what product the commercial was for then the entire venture was a complete waste of time.

It’s a grand idea to run your advertising copy (prior to turning it loose on the public) by a group of people. Observe their reactions, and listen carefully to their comments and criticisms. Such a focus group can include six to eight individuals of different ages, including males and females, consisting of perhaps a few friends, a few current customers and even your landlord. This should give you what is called a “stratified sampling” on which to base your decisions. When it comes to advertising the “test is best rule” will serve you well – and save you from wasting money and time.

Over the years there have been some major blunders in advertising when it comes to copywriting. The most interesting and dramatic of these miscues occurred when American companies attempted to advertise in other countries and cultures where the languages were vastly different from English. In these cases, the meaning in English was completely lost when translated to other languages. Here are a few of the most amusing examples:

• In Taiwan, the literal Chinese translation of the popular Pepsi slogan, “Come Alive With The Pepsi Generation,” was “Pepsi Will Bring Your Ancestors Back from the Dead.”

• Also in Chinese, the Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan, “Finger-Lickin’ Good,” was interpreted to mean “Eat Your Fingers Off.”

• When General Motors introduced the Chevy Nova in South America, it apparently was not aware that that “No Va” meant “it won’t go” in the local language.

• Colgate introduced a toothpaste in France called “Cue,” which unfortunately was also the name of a notorious adult magazine in that country.

• In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water actually translated the name into Italian to mean “Schweppes Toilet Water.”

• When Parker Pen marketed a ballpoint pen in Mexico, its ads were supposed to say, “It Won’t Leak in Your Pocket and Embarrass You.” However, the company mistakenly thought that the Spanish word “embarazar” meant embarrass. Instead, the ads actually said in Spanish that: “It Won’t Leak in Your Pocket and Make You Pregnant.”

• Lastly, Hunt-Wesson introduced its Big John products in French-speaking Canada as “Gros” just before learning that the phrase, in French slang, actually means “big breasts.” In this case, however, the translation issue didn’t have any noticeable negative effect on sales.

In the U.S., we most often advertise in English. However, it is a good marketing idea for self-service laundries to advertise in the various languages of their customer bases as well, if they serve a culturally diversified group of clients. Doing so is not only extremely respectful but also a proper strategic marketing practice.

Just be absolutely certain that your English ad copy is authentically translated into the other language(s) so that it conveys your exact intended meaning and can’t be misinterpreted. To accomplish this, I suggest consulting with your local university’s language department, so you can be certain the translation is valid, appropriate and proper.

After all, you don’t want the light at the end of the tunnel to be a train coming at you.