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Ronel Schoeman, Databases for retail uplift
Richard Roche, The times are a changing
Jeremy Saul, Holistic
Richard McCann, Friday's of Piccadilly
David Harrison, WSPS
Russell Loarridge, Firstwave Technologies
Alan Joen, Touchstone
John Whittingdale MP

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From Richard McCann, Friday's of Piccadilly

Speaking in Tongues
Richard McCann looks at the latest trend in incomprehensible communication

Apparently it's now cool to communicate in a language customers can't understand. Above-the-line agencies are rolling out global campaigns in English - especially to German audiences. Something surely no below-the-line marketer would ever do?

I see from a survey of German consumers in Frankfurter Allgemeine that most foreigners are baffled by these global ads. Slogans that global brand advertisers tell us are coolb - such as Mitsubishi's 'Drive alive' - was understood by those German consumers who claimed to comprehend it as 'be sure not to drive while dead'. Mmm. Maybe not exactly what the advertiser thought they had paid for? So while the British DM industry has taken targeting sophistication to a level thought impossible a decade ago, is the above-the-line industry failing to learn from its below-the-line colleagues?

The survey goes on to look at McDonald's so-called successful slogan 'Every time a good time'. Apparently this was understood by half its audience. Well hooray! And Audi's 'Drive by instinct' campaign communicated with a pathetic one in five of its audience. But my prize goes to energy company RWE whose 'One group. Multi utilities' was utter nonsense to an impressive 92 percent of its foreign targets.

Isn't it time a direct marketing agency rescued global marketers from this monster rip off?

Any above-the-line marketers who wish to read this article in an entirely incomprehensible form can contact Richard for the Swahili version.

Richard McCann is a director of below the line agency PR specialists Friday’s of Piccadilly. www.fridays-group.co.uk

Archived views
Ronel Schoeman, Databases for retail uplift
Richard Roche, The times are a changing
Jeremy Saul, Holistic
Richard McCann, Friday's of Piccadilly
David Harrison, WSPS
Russell Loarridge, Firstwave Technologies
Alan Joen, Touchstone
John Whittingdale MP