Selling Detergent Powder in the Middle East - The Ultimate Cultural Gaffe

The following is a famous example of how even big companies make the silliest of the mistakes. This example is about a Detergent company that was doing excellent business in the Middle East in the seventies. The detergent company was using the franchisee model. The company was sending the detergent powder to the Arabic countries and the local business men were taking care of the marketing and selling functions.

The company wanted to increase the sale. It set up an office and sent out its SUPER CATS (The brilliant marketing hot shots). The marketing hot shots created a well thought out campaign and executed the same.

The marketing hot shots sat back and waited for the moolah to roll in. But to their utter shock and despair the sales simply dropped off. It was so bad that the stocks started pilling up. As is the custom with any company when things go wrong it is the witch doctors that are called in. In marketing the witch doctors are the Marketing researchers.

The marketing research team started their work. It all boiled down to the new campaign that was put in place. The time if we remember was in the seventies. The literacy levels were quite low so press advertising was not feasible. And in the seventies TV had very limited presence in the Middle East. So the company used the billboards/hoardings or outdoor media.

The campaign theme was very simple. The billboards had three panels and the panels were kept very simple. On the left most panel there was a very dirty cloth, the middle panel showed the dirty cloth being dipped in the detergent and the third or the right most panel showed the cloth coming out clean – Sparkling clean. A simple and very universal theme that catches the attention of all home makers of the world. So what is so wrong with this theme and campaign?

The Marketing and the marketing research guys were mulling over this perplexing issue. One of their local Arabic employees happened to come into the office. She   burst out laughing looking at the billboard sample put on the OHP (overhead projector) “Who would like to buy a detergent that makes clean cloth dirty and that too after washing it with the detergent. My son can do it free of Cost”.

Looking at the puzzled faces who were looking at her in amazement, totally confusing and lacking comprehension, she went on to explain “Oh Oh, You people don’t know it - right. I should have guessed it. Unlike most languages in the world Arabic is read from right to left and not from left to right. While you wanted to convey the meaning of dirty cloth becoming sparkling clean, the exact opposite was being conveyed to the Arabic customers – that the clean cloth becomes dirty by using our detergent”

This cross cultural gaffe left everyone in the room stunned and speechless.

Bharat and India

This is what could happen to a well-meaning Indian in the United States. The entire thing is a figment of my imagination but it could happen.

Our friend let’s call him X enters a Wal-Mart. He is a window shopper (not a serious shopper just wiling away his time). He wants a particular item and asks for the stores assistant’s help. The guy next to him gives X a strange look and says “oh you want the stores clerk, is it, wait for some time please he is taking a rest room break”

X blows a fuse “what do you mean, he is taking rest, and what is Wal-Mart paying him for, for taking rest! Aha” he exclaims. Bharat does not know that rest room is not the place for taking rest. Rest room is the name for the very popular Indian word Toilet.

Next X goes to the vegetable sections and enquires about Ladies finger. The stores clerk gives him a puzzled look and says “this is the vegetable section sir, meat section on the other side please” And all the time she was hiding her immaculately manicured hands as if she was afraid that Bharat was going to bite them off. Defeated and utterly disappointed Bharat asks for “curd”. “What is curd” is the reply. “Oh curd is milk after some buttermilk is added to it and milk takes rest for the entire night. Next morning milk turns into curd”. The stores clerk takes off. She could not bear this funny Indian guy.

Left to himself, Bharat finds an Indian who guides him to Curds – Yoghurt. “What a funny name” Bharat says to himself “why is it called Yoghurt after Yoga is it and why is yoga hurt. May be because people feel hurt after doing Yoga and curds gives them energy. That is why curd is called Yoghurt in USA”.

At the billing counter the billing clerk says “is everything okay with you sir” Bharat slowly nods his head left to right, left to right “oh what is the problem”. “No Problem” says Bharat and nods his head again left to right, left to right. There is a cultural issue here. Indians nod their nod in s semicircular fashion  to say yes. Bharat was all the time saying yes there is no problem and the billing clerk was taking it as a no which is a vigorous head shake which is a no in western countries.

Exasperated and furious the billing clerk says “sir here is your check” “Oh” exclaims Bharat “you are giving me a cheque, what for?” With clenched teeth the billing clerk says “For the items, you bought Sir”. “but why” says the bewildered Bharat “you should give me a bill why are you giving me a cheque”. An Indian living in USA intervenes and explains to Bharat that check means a bill and that the billing clerk was not giving Bharat money for shopping at Wal-Mart.

Next day Bharat goes to a grocery store and says “I want some rubbers please”. ‘Rubbers? I don’t sell rubbers, you have to go to a chemist” says the store clerk. “But I see rubbers here” says a surprised Bharat. “Oh those are not rubbers they are erasers” says the stores clerk. Rubbers in USA mean condoms and not erasers.

Crushed and defeated Bharat slumps into his bus seat. His friendly neighbor enquires’ “Indian?’ he says “where from?” “Hyderabad” says Bharat “I passed out from OU” “passed out, why where you sick” says the anguished American. “These Americans” muttered Bharat “they all talk non sense. Why should I be sick if I pass out from Osmania”? Passing out my dear Bharat means fainting in US and what you should have said is graduated from Osmania University.

Seeing Obama’s picture on the newspaper Bharat perks up “oh Obama, I love him” “We love him too, he is running for the President for the second time”. “my my why should he be running. As a president I am sure he can afford to go around in a car’ says Bharat. Giving him a strange look the American withdraws and makes no further comments. Running for the President my dear Bharat means standing/contesting for the presidency and does not mean running in the literal sense.

The day after Bharat goes to a automotive shop and says “I want a silencer for my motorbike” “We don’t sell silencers here. You will have to go the shops that sell guns” replies the shop keeper. Silencer? Bharat you should have said a muffler.

Bharat’s irritation reaches a new peak at the apartment rental agency. Bharat says “I want to rent a flat”. “Why do you want to rent a flat, why dong you buy a pair of them” says the surprised rental agency agent. “I am a poor man. I can’t even afford to pay the rent of a flat and you are asking me to buy a pair of them” retorts a angry Bharat. “I am not asking you to buy, your wife should buy a pair of flats and wear them. You can get them at a shoe shop”. It slowly dawns on Bharat that the rental agent is talking about flats (flat shoes without heels) and all the time he (Bharat) was enquiring about an apartment for hire.

Bharat lands up at the travel agency “He enquires what would be the fare for a return ticket to Hyderabad and back cost” he enquires “of sir, do you want a round trip” enquires the booking clerk. “Oh no not a round trip, only till Hyderabad and back, how much will it cost?” Luckily for Bharat the booking clerk had dealt with Indians before. He explains to Bharat that round trip and return mean the same and gives the information that Bharat wants.

 In USA cricket is not a game it is an insect. Z is not Z it becomes Zee, Poem is not Poem it becomes Pome and many other subtle variations have to be mastered to succeed. So if you want to avoid similar embarrassing experiences like the ones faced by Bharat, I would suggest that you go through the posts and acquaint yourself with American English and live a happy life in the USA.

Great teaching aids

I strongly believe that teaching is a two way process. The teacher has to enjoy what he is teaching and the taught (the students) should enjoy what he is learning. The focus is not so much on rote learning as it is about skill and building the comprehension of the subject. The student should be able to understand the 5W and 1 H of the subject. That is Why, When, What, Where, Who and How. It is about the applications of the theory in real life to make the student first a better person and later a better manager. The regular teaching practices that I use include lecturing, case study presentations, role plays, group discussion, presentations and assignments.  Some of the creative teaching practices that I have used include:

1)      Greeting card game: A game that I have found on the internet is a great game for teaching marketing basics. It can be used for one day training for students who have either started their marketing course or even those who have finished the course. Greatest when it is played by marketers with 10 years of experience.  Greeting card game is a real life simulation game where the participants have to set up the business, run it and end up with a profit or a loss. Very interactive, I have conducted this game many times. This has become hugely popular and is now conducted by many in Hyderabad, in India an even abroad.

2)   Desert survival: A simple exercise lasting 45 to 60 minutes. It is real life simulation where the participants are thrown into a jungle and have to survive on limited resources. A game on communications and negotiation, the different ending simply blows the participants off their zone of comfort.  

3)        Chinese whispers and other simulations: Similarly many simulations games have been tried out. The most popular ones include the Chinese whispers, a lesson in verbal communication, Can you tell a story, a game about verbal communications and remembrance power and a game of strategy named show of cards where a team can win only by cooperating with the others.  

4)      A to Z qualities of a manager:  A unique presentation that was developed by me. This presentation shows a series of very carefully selected Indian advertisements. Each of the advertisements details a trait that the students have to identify. The student identifying the most attributes is declared the winner. The simplicity of this exercise leaves a lasting impression. 

5)      Using English Movies:  Movies are a very good way of driving home the concepts of Management. Dog day afternoon, The Negotiator and the 12 angry men are very good for communication and negotiation skills. In pursuit of happiness is a great movie for selling, sales management, dealing with stress, overcoming obstacles and barriers. Ten Commandments is a great movie on leadership fraught with danger but the hero’s unwavering pursuit of his conviction wins the admiration of all the students.

6)        Using Hindi movies: I have used Three idiots for telling about meaning and purpose of education and used  Lagaan, Chuk De for leadership , Bawarchi for great Human resource Management and  Tare Zameen Par for overcoming obstacles and handicaps in life, and mentoring the less privileged.

7)     I have even used a Telugu movie Narasimha for example which tells the students about inspirational paternalistic leadership.

8)    I have used a commercial to bond the class and make them prepare their own movies as assignments: I have taken a commercial “Lead India”. This inspirational advertisement bonded the entire class of Business Communication. The class used to sing the advertisement together. In the same class the student groups made video movies as part of their assignments. These movies were later discussed in the class and the discussions were very lively.

9)     Used English serials like apprentice, undercover boss:  I have used popular English serials like Apprentice a serial where the participants (actually aspiring entrepreneurs) compete with each other to win a coveted job with the Donald Trump’s business empire. Another series is the Undercover Boss USA where a CEO goes undercover to find out the problems faced by his employees. A great show that makes the CEO walk the talk.  

10)    Used Indian serials like Dream jobs, assignment for classes: I have used Indian series like Dream jobs where a person from one field takes up a dream job and learns about the problems and perspectives of that new job. The second series is about an employee from a very cushy corporate who has to take up a very humble assignment for a day and pull it off. Both very good case studies of situational adaptability.

11)  Taken inputs from programmes like All about Ads, Story Board, Brand equity etc.: Indian television has many television programmes that can be used in the calls room. I have many times used “All about Ads” of NDTV Profit, “Storyboard” of CNBC India and “Brand Equity” of ET Now.  

12)     I have taken part in nearly 30 TV programmes as a management expert. I have recordings of all the episodes and these recordings are used to explain the finer points. I have uploaded some of these videos so that students anywhere in the world can download and watch it at their convenience.

13)   I have started a blog and use the blog many times in the class. I have used my blog “Dranil-marketingmusings.blogspot.com” to explain the concepts of marketing. I can use the blog for a reading session, can make the students take assignments from it and tell the students how the blog is set up and managed.

14)    Used Quizzes, flash cards:  I have used interactive and multimedia based quizzes and flash cards to make the topics more interesting & more appealing to the internet savvy new generation students.

15)    Divya Resorts case study: I have done something very innovative. I have developed a case about a resort called “Divya Resort”. The students had come prepared with the case and had a very long and hard hour of case discussion. At the end of the discussion one man stood up. It was the MD of the Divya Resorts, Lokesh. Seeing the MD of the company they had just discussed really charged up the students. They grilled the MD and the MD accepted that the insights of the students were very useful. 

16)    Ries report:  I have used videos of Ries report a video magazine to bring home the finer points about the basic principles of marketing.

17)   World’s ultimate factories: I have a large collection of the National Geographic series “The ultimate factories”. It is a very good series for production and operation management students. The series shows how famous products are manufactured. There is a great amount of detailing in this series.  

18)   Have a great collection of Business documentaries that are used in the class. Business documentaries like Fahrenheit 9/11, the smartest guys in the room and the insider job are great documentaries to know about the 9^th September 2001 attack of USA, about the Enron collapse and about the subprime lending crisis of 2008.

19)     How do they make it series: a simple but a great TV series which shows how small products like ice cream or even bubble gum are manufactured. Great for induction classes in business management.

20)     Used dramatics in personality development: Along with Dr. Bhavani I have used a dramatics team from central university, Hyderabad to teach personality development and communication through dance and drama. This initiative was greatly appreciated.  

21)   Did outbound training: Taken over 300 students for a total of six days of outbound training to a resort. The students did activities like rock climbing, trekking, river crossing and many other activities that tested the students both physically and mentally. It was a great learning experience for the students and for the faculty.

22)     Samanvay a great learning experience:  The annual cultural fest od SSIM was a great way for the students to learn about the nuances of management. They learned to plan, organize, budget, get the sponsors and execute a grand event. The success of the Samanvay coordinators in the corporate world proves the point that theory when put into practice will hone the skills of the students and make then market ready managers.

23)    Used Facebook for connectivity and for clarifying doubts: I have used Facebook to connect with the students. Students come on to the chat and ask for many clarifications. I also advise the students on net etiquette.   

24)  Did online testing: I have done online testing on many occasions. The speed of the result and immediate discussion of the questions make online testing very popular. Effective feedback can be given on the spot.  

25)    Used TV for teaching learning process: I have used live TV especially the budget presentation and YouTube to show the students how the world is rapidly changing all around them.  

26)  Used puzzles, riddles, small stories: I have used puzzles, pictures, jigsaw puzzles, scale models, collages and word games all to make the class more interactive and get the students to open up and participate in the classroom discussion.

27)  I have conducted Mystery shopping at TMC. Mystery shopping is an unique Retail Sales personnel measurement Metric Study which was jointly conducted by me, the marketing department and by the students of SSIM. This led to a very fruitful interaction with TMC staff where they could examine the correctness of their customer service strategies. The research findings were later published in a form of a research paper in a reputed academic journal.

Panasonic Mobile advertisement - When Corporate giants make mistakes

One of my oft repeated quote has been "Common sense is not very common". It is applicable for everyone including you me and all the corporates. Especially the corporates who spent crores and crores of rupees and yet come out with howlers. 

Let's take the case of Panasonic Mobile Phone T31 advertisement aired on all the  major TV networks recently. The Hinglish version of the advertisement goes like this: Two young men are comparing their phones, one has a Panasonic T31 and the other has a popular Phone (S4 from Samsung?). The popular phone  guy reels off the features of his phone and all the features are matched by his friend having the Panasonic phone. 

Then the Panasonic guy says "your phone has something that my phone does not have" His friend is very happy and before he could preen himself the Panasonic guy says "EMI" and roars in laughter and adds "I can go to Goa and take Leena there too". (Check out the advertisement).

The idea by itself is brilliant that Panasonic is as good as any other phone and that is very reasonably priced  and value for money at  sub 7500/-.  That we can get a phone that is comparable with a one costing 25,000/- (Samsung S4) the phone so costly that the buyer has to pay for it in installments (EMI).

But man proposes and god disposes. I saw the same version of the advertisement and this time it was in Telugu. To my surprise at the critical juncture of the EMI, the Panasonic guy says “Naa phone lo vokati undi nee phone lo lenidi (Translated it means – My phone has something that your phone does not have) and adds “EMI”. The entire punch of the advertisement is lost. HE IS SAYING HIS PANASONIC PHONE HAS TO BE BOUGHT IN INSTALLMENTS where as the central theme of the advertisement is exactly the reverse.  (Check out the advertisement).

What is surprising is that it went under the radar of Panasonic and got telecast! The way out is to get the advertisement translated and show it to people who know all the three languages (English, Hindi and Telugu). Even better show it to a total stranger and he/she would have told Panasonic about the goof up. These types of translation mistakes happen as most of these advertisements are made and dubbed in Mumbai and the dubbings are done in haste and by Mumbaites who might know a smattering of telugu and are not totally proficient.

The words should have been “Nee phone lo vokati undi naa phone lo lenidi” Very simple and very avoidable. 

1st Article published in HANS India today - 'Pay As Much As You Weigh'

My article got published in HANS INDIA today (28th April 2014). The URL for HANS INDIA is epaper.thehansindia.com. Go to YOUNG HANS section and my article is in Page III. I tried uploading the PDF of the article but Facebook is not accepting PDF uploading now will blogspot. The JPEG of the article gets blurred on zooming!

I am very happy to tell you all that "Hans India" a daily English Newspaper from Hyderabad would be publishing my articles on a weekly basis. It is a great step forward (or backward - depending on whether you look if from mass readership perspective or from a technology perspective). All is all I am very excited as it means reaching out to a much larger audience. Big thanks my family members, my friends, colleagues, students and readers for their continuous support, encouragement and feedback. Will try to share all the published articles online. It is all because of the support and encouragement that I received from the readers from through out the world.

All the newspaper articles that would be published would be taken from the blog. Obviously they will be edited keeping the newspaper and the tone and tenor of the original article’s content and time frame.