Public Relations Across Cultures

by Neil Payne

The Public Relations (PR) industry is responsible for creating and maintaining relationships between clients and customers. Through areas such as brand management, advertising, media relations and crisis management, PR practitioners seek to foster interest, trust and belief in a product or company. PR practitioners are aware of how best to carry this out when dealing within their own nations and cultures, however, when dealing with a foreign audience it is critical that cross cultural differences are recognised. By way of illustrating the impact cross cultural awareness can have on the success or failure of a PR campaign a brief example can be cited: Pepsodent tried to sell its toothpaste in Southeast Asia by emphasizing that it "whitens your teeth." They found out that the local natives chew betel nuts to blacken their teeth because they found it attractive. Had the PR company behind this campaign analysed the cross cultural issues related to Pepsodent's product, the failure of this PR campaign could have been avoided.

Cross cultural differences can make or break a PR campaign. It is therefore crucial that PR practitioners dealing with PR campaigns that incorporate a cross cultural element analyse likely cross cultural differences. A few key areas shall be highlighted in order to help PR practitioners begin to consider how culture may affect future projects.

In order for a PR campaign to be successful abroad, an appreciation of the target language and its cultural nuances is necessary. The PR and advertising industries are littered with examples of poor translations and a lack of cross cultural understanding leading to PR failure. For example, when Ford launched the 'Pinto' in Brazil they were puzzled as to why sales were dead. Fortunately they found out that Brazilians did not want to be seen driving a car meaning 'small male genitals' and promptly changed the name.

Translation of documents, slogans and literature must be checked and double checked for meanings and cross cultural nuances. This should not only take place between languages but also within languages. Even in English there are cross cultural differences in meanings. For example, the airline UAL headlined an article about Paul Hogan, star of Crocodile Dundee, with, "Paul Hogan Camps it up" which unfortunately in the UK and Australia is slang for "flaunting homosexuality".

Areas where the spoken word is used in PR, such as press conferences or interviews, should be prepared for within a cross cultural framework. In short, speaking styles and the content used differs across cultures.

British and American communication styles are described as 'explicit', meaning messages are conveyed solely through words. Correlating background information is deemed necessary and divulged, ambiguity is avoided and spoken words have literal meaning. In many other cultures, communication is 'implicit'. The message listeners are likely to interpret is based on factors such as who is speaking, the context and non-verbal cues. Spoken words do not fully convey the whole story as listeners are expected to read between the lines.

With relation to content, speakers must be aware of the cross cultural differences in humour, metaphors, aphorisms and anecdotes. In addition, references to topics such as politics and/or religion can be a very sensitive issue in other cultures.

When the spoken word is used the cross cultural distinctions of the target culture must be incorporated in order to help the speaker appeal to and identify with the audience. Press releases, features and copywriting all require a certain amount of cross cultural sensitivity when being applied abroad. Journalistic traditions, writing styles, news worthiness, delivery systems and whether a 'free press' exists are all areas that will affect how the written word is tailored.

In addition, the most important point, from a cross cultural perspective, is how to write in a way that engages the readers in that society or culture. Some cultures may prefer colourful and inspirational writing, others factual and objective. Some may be motivated by language that incorporates a religious or moral tone, others by a money-orientated or materialistic one.

When writing, the first step should always be to look at and integrate the cross cultural particulars of the target audience.

PR practitioners employ many different communication channels when trying to circulate information relating to their campaign. The main channels of communication in the UK or America are the radio, the press, TV, internet and public spaces. However, these channels may not always be applicable abroad.

In many countries the radio, TV or newspapers may not be the primary source of information. Literacy rates may be poor and/or radios may be expensive. In Africa, only 1.4% of the population have access to the internet. Even where such channels of communication do exist, such as TV, some methods used by PR practitioners, namely guerrilla marketing, would be interpreted differently in foreign countries. For example, interrupting live TV may be laughed at in the UK but in other countries it would be seen as irresponsible and rebellious.

The usual channels of communication in some countries would simply have no effect in terms of PR. In such countries, local alternatives need to be sought such as religious leaders, tribal chiefs, school teachers or NGO's. Information coming from such figures will not only reach the audience but be perceived as more credible than if it were from foreigners.

The use of publicity materials in PR campaigns such as logos, slogans, pictures, colours and designs must all be cross culturally examined. Pictures of seemingly innocuous things in one culture could mean something different in another. For example, a company advertised eyeglasses in Thailand by featuring a variety of cute animals wearing glasses. The ad failed as animals are considered to be a low form of life in Thailand and no self respecting Thai would wear anything worn by animals. Similarly, logos or symbols are culturally sensitive. A soft drink was introduced into Arab countries with an attractive label that had a six-pointed star on it. The Arabs interpreted this as pro-Israeli and refused to buy it.

The above cited areas are but a few of those that require decent cross cultural assessment by PR practitioners if they wish their international and cross cultural campaigns to succeed. The aim of implementing a cross cultural analysis in PR is to build campaigns that target the audience as best as possible, meaning appealing to their world view while avoiding offense.

 

 

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Babel PR

 

Babel PR is made up of a team of people that love what they do. Few public relations agencies can offer the same high level experience in the technology, media and telecoms sectors but what makes us stand out, and what ultimately delivers great results for our clients, is the passion we bring to the task. Since our launch in 2006 we've grown considerably and we now serve a wide range of business and consumer focussed companies in the technology, media and telecoms sectors.

We're often working for companies with completely new products and services, or those that use complex technology but we're known for our ability to get the message across in language that the target market understands. We focus on what the customer wants to buy, whether that's a solution to a business or personal need, a competitive advantage, a lifestyle or an image. It's an approach that always delivers results.

Babel is a European PR agency operating in the telecoms, media and technology sectors. We design and implement PR campaigns that generate the right coverage, build brand awareness and deliver new business. The Babel team are enthusiastic specialists with a deep understanding of the sectors they serve as well as the expertise, the relationships and the experience to make it happen.

Babel use a variety of public relations tactics specific to the client requirement and so no two Babel campaigns are ever the same.

Their clients range from major public companies operating across multiple geographies to start-ups focussing on a single market. What they have in common is a desire for public relations services that produce tangible results.

At the end of 2006 the UK's media and telecoms regulator announced proposals to auction the radio spectrum that will be made available as a result of the current switch from analogue to digital television transmission. That situation immediately placed under threat the possibility of the public service broadcasters delivering high definition TV on the Freeview platform and the plans of manufacturers and retailers.

The HDforAll group was formed by the public service broadcasters, retailers and manufacturers to raise the issue amongst the public. Babel PR was appointed to provide a focal point for the campaign and to bring together the interests of the members in a coherent national campaign. Babel prepared the core messaging for the group, defined the issues to be addressed, developed a public facing web site and brought together industry and consumer research.

Significant support amongst the industry and public was mobilised and comprehensive coverage of the issues was achieved across the full range of print and broadcast media. The positive outcomes included Ofcom being instructed to re-examine the underlying assumptions of its proposals with the result that Freeview viewers will now receive an HD service.

 

 

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The Plank Center

The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations seeks to advance leadership values and skills in public relations and bridge the gap between education and practice.

Established by the University of Alabama in 2005 and led by a national advisory board of distinguished educators and practitioners, the Center uses a variety of approaches and activities to support its mission. These include awards and recognition programs, scholarships, speaker programs, publications, scholarly and professional papers, workshops and symposia, research grants, and the collection of histories and papers of leaders in the field.

The Plank Center is named for Betsy Plank, a 1944 graduate of the University of Alabama (UA), who attained national and international stature during a distinguished career in corporate and agency public relations. Often referred to in the U.S. as the “first lady” of public relations, she was the first woman to head a division of Illinois Bell, now Ameritech, and the first woman to preside over the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She also was a founding member of PRSA’s College of Fellows, an honorary group of national leaders in public relations.

Plank also was the first person to receive PRSA’s top two awards: the Gold Anvil, as the nation’s outstanding professional, and the Lund Award for civic and community service. In addition, in 2000 she received the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arthur W. Page Society, an association of the nation’s top corporate public relations executives. The College of Communication & Information Sciences at UA inducted Plank into its Communication Hall of Fame and named its Distinguished Achievement Award for her.

Plank was a long-time supporter and advocate for public relations students and the Public Relations Student Society of America, which has named its annual scholarships for her. She was a pioneer in public relations education, having co-chaired the 1987 national commission to develop guidelines for the undergraduate public relations curriculum, served on accrediting teams at many universities, and spoken to numerous student groups and public relations classes. Plank was chair of the Center's advisory board until her death in May 2010.

The Center awards research projects that enhance understanding of factors that contribute to effective and ethical leadership in public relations.

 

 

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