I first became aware of the importance of globalised content in 1994. I had the chance to hear Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, speak on the topic of international business at the University of Michigan. I was excited because I had just returned to the USA after working for two years in the UK and was working in the international department of a major software company. My new territory was everywhere except North America and most of Europe; the Nordic countries fell under my patch along with South America, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Middle East and Africa. I was in the deep end of international business and Roddick seemed to know exactly what she was doing.
Lesson learned from The Body Shop
I was delighted to hear Roddick speak. I had just finished her first book, Body and Soul. Globalisation, corporate social responsibility and sustainable business practices were relatively new ideas for mainstream corporations, even as late as the mid-1990s. She was riveting, most of all when she discussed the challenges faced by running a global company.
In one story, she described a marketing campaign for a new skincare line for mothers and babies. All the products were formulated for use by both infants and adults but specifically aimed at new mothers. The branding included soft blues and whites with incredibly emotive photos of young mothers and new babies.
Rolling out to a global market
I don’t remember the exact name of the long-defunct product line but it was something along the lines of Mummy and Bubby. The Body Shop rolled it out to their regional offices, having translated all the marketing material into different languages. But they did it from their head office in the United Kingdom with no input from their local stores.
The floor to ceiling banners announcing the new range showed the same gentle colours, the same poignant images of new mothers with their infants and, for Spanish audiences, the translated product name, “Mamao Y Toto”. Unfortunately, that phrase combines two particularly vulgar words in Puerto Rican slang, ‘c***sucker’ and ‘pussy’. It was a massive disaster and, according to Roddick, the product line never got off the ground in the Americas because of it. Roddick was a good storyteller and her recounting got big laughs from the audience. I’ve never forgotten it.
By that point, I’d had my own globalisation experiences but nothing so elaborately bad or quite so expensive as The Body Shop blunder. Despite widespread use of the Internet, a truly global economy and handy tools like Google Translator, businesses are still self-inflicting brand damage and curbing their revenues through needless mistakes. While Roddick laughed if off as a lesson from the school of hard knocks, we don’t all have that luxury with our own marketing.
Learn more about globalising content
I’m speaking about why and how companies should globalise their content for an international audience at Content Marketing World Sydney. If you haven’t already done so, you still have time to register for this event. It’s being held from 31 March to 2 April and I’d love to see you there. As an extra incentive, use Global100 and receive $100 off your registration fee.
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