What is the best way to advertise a range of Sears’ eye care products? That’s right, with a parody of a nineteenth century flea circus.

The marketing agency behind this campaign is Quebec-based Lg2. It is initially impossible to see how this advert would relate to Sears. But the point of the advert is made right at the end in a comically brisk fashion, as you would only be able to enjoy the flea-based attractions with the correct eye-wear. Clever Sears…

Chinese Language Learning

Our next advert comes from Toronto-based advertising agency Height. They were tasked with creating a poster campaign for Chinese language learning specialist, The China Path.

The simplicity of these images is quite striking. Obviously the first thing to note is the deep red that is evocative of communism and China.

However, it is the second image that is perhaps the most interesting, as it provides a real life scenario where learning the Chinese language would be invaluable. The advert is instantly engaging, as it challenges the viewer to “Learn to read from the Chinese side of the menu.”

The third advert is unfortunately not as strong as the previous two. This is because by providing us with a translation of the Chinese text, we lose the mystery that surrounds this promotion, and it inadvertently gives us a reason not to learn Mandarin.

Let us know what you think of these promotions. Also, if you have any other interesting adverts, please let us know in the comments below.

Unsurprisingly, large swathes of annoyed pit-bull advocates believed that the ad was offensive, as it played upon the negative stereotypes of the dogs. One particularly dismayed pit-bull advocate, Rachele Lizarraga, a social media representative for a pit-bull reserve in California, has launched a Facebook page called “Pit-Bulls Against McDonalds”. Through this outlet, Lizarraga started an online petition calling for the advert to be pulled.

As the story spread through social media last Friday, the increasing pressure forced McDonalds to pull the radio ad. The company then swiftly released a statement, which said, “The ad was insensitive in its mention of pit bulls. We apologize. As soon as we learned of it, we tracked the source and had the local markets pull the ad immediately. We’ll do a better job next time. It’s never our intent to offend anyone with how we communicate news about McDonald’s.”

So what did you think of the advert? Did you like it? Was it insensitive to pit-bull owners, or have certain pit-bull advocates been too sensitive?

To put this simply, more than one of every two of the nation’s babies born between July 1st 2008 and July 1st 2009 was of Hispanic origin. This meant that an estimated 1.4 million Hispanics were added to the population of the United States during that year.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2050, the Hispanic population in America will have reached 132.8 million people, with Latinos making up 30% of the population.

What are the Commercial Implications?

With the Hispanic population growing in size and strength, their numbers could help determine the success or failure of a brand. Although this powerful minority may live in the United States, it is important to understand that this community has unique tastes and buying habits.

Therefore, the best way for firms to exploit this rapidly growing and lucrative market is to ensure that all products, services, and promotional materials have been fully localized for Hispanic consumption.

Recent research into the Latino consumer has revealed a distinct set of purchasing values. For instance, Hispanics are generally very close to their families, and are liable to purchase a product that will benefit the entire family as opposed to the individual. Similarly, Hispanics look for value for money with their acquisitions, and are inclined to spend more money on products that will last.

Finally, all Latinos, whether they originate from Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, or the Dominican Republic, retain a strong sense of culture. Interestingly, these emotions have a positive impact on purchasing decisions, meaning that a localized product is more likely to appeal to the Hispanic community than a generic alternative.

The draw of Localization

Despite much of the Hispanic population being bilingual, many would still rather communicate in Spanish. This view is supported by findings from the Pew Research Centre, who note that Spanish-language news was televisions success story for 2010.

According to the data cited by Pew, Univision’s prime time viewing audience grew by 8%, and peaked at 1.9 million people in 2010. Univision now rivals ABC, CBS, and NBC in terms of audience size, with such viewing figures even encouraging Univision to launch a 24 hour Spanish news channel.

Surprisingly, Univision and Spanish language rival Telemundo were the only two broadcasters in the whole of America to enjoy rating gains this year. Their success clearly mirrors the overall population increase in the Hispanic community.
Yet, only 1.2% of a total $365 billion of the advertising budget in America is spent to target this community. This seems illogical, particularly when you look at the demographic of cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston, where the bourgeoning Hispanic society equates to approximately 29% of each population.

In response, Randy Falco, President and CEO of Univision, states that marketing experts need to realise that the Hispanic community is a “trillion dollar economy”. For instance, although Proctor and Gamble was the biggest spender in Hispanic specific media, their $197.7 million investment in 2010 only corresponded to 4% of their total budget of $4.61 billion.

Lili Gil from the Huffington Post believes that the Latino community could be a real vehicle for growth for American businesses. However, their success will be dependent on their ability to produce localized products, services, and brands that appeal to the thriving Hispanic economy.

Local Success

Brands that have spent time and resources localizing their products, services, or advertising campaigns have found much success in the global market.

For instance, sportswear giant Nike have localized many of their advertising campaigns to directly appeal to the Chinese market. Their latest promotion even includes French Open Champion Li Na to help appeal to the Chinese consumer.
With Nike’s traditional “Just Do It” tagline having no meaningful Chinese translation, Nike opted for the localized “Use Sports”. The motivational television spot that accompanies this campaign is about “using sport” in China, or, according to Nike, “just doing it with Chinese characteristics”. The advert also makes several cultural references, including the use of a loudspeaker voiceover, which is intended to evoke images of morning exercise in Communist China.

This localization campaign has been a success for Nike, as China now accounts for 57% of their international revenue after apparel sales broke the $2 billion barrier.

Using Nike as a template, international firms need to accurately and meaningfully translate all marketing copy in order to connect with the Hispanic consumer. However, to fully penetrate the lucrative Hispanic market, businesses need to understand regional cultural values and unique purchasing habits.

With the advertising frenzy that is Super Bowl Sunday looming large, it seems that expensive commercials are not just designed for TV anymore. Most of the adverts that are to be aired during the game on Sunday will attempt to entice viewers to interact with their favourite brands on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube.

“The Super Bowl is an incredibly social event; and as social media becomes more integral to people’s lives, it’s a natural combination with the Super Bowl,” Tom Bedecarre, CEO of San Francisco ad agency AKQA, told Chron.com.

As expected, there will be plenty of beer, soft drinks, and snack commercials. However, economists are encouraged by the large number of automobile ads, as well as the airing of the first Super Bowl real estate advert in two decades. It seems that marketing agencies are backing the economy to support big-purchases over this next year.

“When cars and real estate (companies) are advertising, it feels like a very good sign of recovery,” P.J. Pereira, chief creative officer of San Francisco ad agency Pereira & O’Dell, was quoted on Chron.com.

Similarly, it is luxury car brand Lexus’ first Super Bowl advert. “We, like many of the automotive companies, are feeling much more bullish about this year and next year,” said Brian Smith, vice president of marketing for the company. “A lot of people tightened their belts and delayed replacing their vehicles in the past couple of years. We’re sensing huge pent-up demand.”

For anyone who is set to watch the game, let us know what you think of the adverts. Finally, who will you be supporting, the New York Giants or the New England Patriots?

As a language tool favoured by politicians, euphemism is a mix of abstract terms, metaphors, slang, and understatement that offers a safeguard while delivering potentially difficult news. In 1945, for instance, with perhaps the greatest euphemism of all time, Emperor Hirohito informed his subjects that, “The war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan’s advantage”. This was following two atomic bombs, the loss of 3 million people, and a looming invasion.

Euphemisms can be used in diplomacy, the boardroom, and even the bedroom. In Politics of the English Language (follow link to read full essay), George Orwell wrote that political language is often designed to “make lies sound truthful and murder respectable.”

Interestingly, Euphemisms often differentiate between individual nationalities. Unsurprisingly, Americans, who always seem to be in a hyperbolic class of their own, have replaced seemingly mundane phrases with more ambiguous terms. For instance, toilet paper has become bathroom tissue, false teeth has been replaced by dental appliances, used is now previously owned, and what were once hospitals are now wellness centres.

Similarly, most Chinese euphemisms stem from their prudish natures. Rather than ask about a patient’s sex life, for example, doctors usually ask if you have had much time for fang shi (room business). Also, online sites may sell qingqu yongpin, which has the amusing translation of “interesting love products”.

However, it is the Brits who proudly take the crown for being the most accomplished at using euphemisms. In fact, euphemisms are so ingrained within British speech that foreigners who may speak English fluently are unlikely to understand the true meaning behind each sentence. Rather confusingly, seemingly bland remarks such as “incidentally”, which actually means “I am now telling you the purpose of this discussion, and “with the greatest respect”, which can be translated to “you are mistaken and silly”, are code that allows the speaker to show anger and contempt without the emotional investment.

These are just some examples of the varied uses of euphemisms. If you agree with me, or have any particular euphemisms that you use, please let us know in the comments below – we’re very interested in hearing more about the use of euphemisms from around the world.