Advertising Slogans

So someone does a survey of how many Germans actually understand the English advertising slogans that are often used in that country. The problem appears to be:

"Advertising experts sometimes disregard the cultural differences and push for the ‘One World, One Brand, One Claim’ motto.

"But our study shows that the message often simply does not get across."

Been very successful too, this little survey:

The study appears to have struck a chord among the public, judging from
the publicity it has received. German newspapers deemed the results "a
disaster" and blamed marketing officials for "trying to be cool".

Me? I always try to remember to look at who actually paid for such surveys:

The study, by the Cologne agency Endmark, asked Germans aged 14 to 49
to translate 12 common English slogans that appeared on billboards
locally.

Ah, now, a German advertising agencey, in fact, a regional German advertising agency, would not have any interest in making sure that these ‘One World, One Brand, One Claim’ campaigns became translated and, well, regionalised, would it?

2 responses

  1. My German is not what it was, but perhaps they might have legitimate unease at the slogan, “Ein Welt, Eine Marke, Ein Anspruch!”

  2. Commercial interest or no, I think they have a point.
    The article says, The average German’s grasp of English may be competent, but campaigns such as the Jaguar’s “Life by Gorgeous” are met with bafflement.
    I think of my grasp of English as fairly competent, having been practising all my life, but I must confess that I, too, meet “Life by Gorgeous” with bafflement.

Leave a Reply

Discover more from Tim Worstall

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading