About this Author
John Yunker is founder of Byte Level Research and author of the widely acclaimed book, Beyond Borders: Web Globalization Strategies and editor of Global By Design. He has covered the emerging field of Web globalization for half a decade and has published a wide range of reports dedicated to best practices in Web localization and internationalization.
About this blog
Going Global focuses on the risks and rewards of expanding into new geographic and cultural markets, from Web globalization to international marketing to global usability.
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Monthly Archives
October 31, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
According to a recent press release, last year more than 15 NBA teams incorporated Asian American marketing efforts into their overall marketing plans. And the timing isn't due just to Yao; today, there are three Chinese players in the NBA: Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets, Wang Zhizhi of the Los Angeles Clippers and Mengke Bateer of the Toronto Raptors.
There are more than 2.4 million Chinese residents in the U.S. And the NBA needs all the fans it can get these days. Here's an excerpt from the press release:
"The timing is perfect for the NBA to take this important step in reaching out to the Chinese population in the United States," said Saul Gitlin, executive vice president-strategic services at Kang & Lee Advertising. "Not only are Chinese the largest Asian group in the country, but they have an unusually high level of education and boast a median household income of $51,444 - almost $10,000 ahead of the median for all households in the country. The intense passion for basketball within the Chinese community presents many opportunities for the NBA."
The NBA has also done a fine job of marketing itself globally. Jordan wasn't the world's most popular athlete by chance. The NBA had been pumping game highlights globally during most of his reign. And now, the NBA is awakening to Web globalization...
The NBA has enjoyed tremendous popularity in China. During the 2002-03 season, a record 14 telecasters televised NBA games and programs in China, with NBA programming reaching a total of 314 million TV households. The league also launched NBA.com/china, a comprehensive internet destination, written entirely in Chinese.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Business Globalization
Posted by John Yunker
InternetNews featured a brief article on eBay's expansion plans. It includes a great quote from an industry analyst:
"Globalization is the next logical path for growth, they do have to be cautious," Alvarez (Meta Group) told internetnews. "So long as they don't make the typical mistake of thinking that the rest of the world behaves as the U.S., I think they should be able to localize their business model overseas and bring the community flavor to auction sites everywhere."
Alvarez also noted that eBay's success overseas could hinge upon how the company continues to leverage the PayPal online payment service. eBay acquired PayPal in October 2002, and since then, the service has unveiled a localized payment service in the United Kingdom. At the conference, Whitman said she expects to grow PayPal services across eBay's other international Web sites, and to champion further penetration of PayPal transactions on eBay in the U.S.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Business Globalization
Posted by John Yunker
The executives at Wal-Mart may be accused (and guilty) of many bad things, but I have to give them credit for sucking up their pride when going global. This article talks about how Wal-Mart decided against using its brand name in Japan; quite simply, Wal-Mart means nothing in the market. Instead, Wal-Mart wisely partnered with an established retailer, Seiyu.
Too many companies are too full of themselves to even consider partnering with local companies. But all too often, this modest approach makes the most sense. So what if you're the number one company in the U.S. - in another country you're nobody. But humility (and open-mindedness) is one of the keys to global success.
Here's an excerpt from the article:
"For Japanese customers, the name Wal-Mart doesn't mean a lot. The Seiyu name means a lot. For the near future, we'll go with the Seiyu brand," said Billie Cole, spokesman for Wal-Mart International Holdings.
Wal-Mart, which operates in 10 nations besides the United States, has adapted its approach to different markets, making itself more visible with Wal-Mart stores in places like China, while taking a lower profile in Mexico and Britain, where it has chosen partners as it has in Japan.
But nowhere else is the total invisibility of Wal-Mart quite as apparent as in Japan, the world's second-largest economy, where foreign brands are sometimes embraced - among them, Coca-Cola, Louis Vuitton, Walt Disney, the Gap - but often face failure verging on total rejection.
Eventually, I imagine that Wal-Mart will re-brand Sieyu. But the key word is eventually.
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Posted by John Yunker
Remember Realnames - the company that promised to eliminate the need for URLs forever? With their system you needed only to enter a company's name in the address window of a Web browser instead of a URL and you would be taken to that company's Web site. Of course, the flaw with this system is that you had to know firsthand which companies had actually registered their names with Realnames -- not enough ever did and the company failed.
Apparently a company in Korea, Netpia, has resurrected the Realnames business model with early success. Here's an article about the company. It will be interesting to see how Netpia does over the long run against the likes of Google, which has a Korean-language search engine.
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October 30, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
The Pew Research Center has released an interesting study about the differences between men and women around the globe.
One area where there appears to be general agreement is the Internet. Here's what they say:
Men and women similarly like to surf the web. The only notable opposition to the internet is in Jordan, where more than half the women (54%) think it is a change for the worse, and in the United States, where a quarter (25%) of women criticize it. As with cell phone use, some of the strongest support for these new technologies, especially among men, is in Africa, where there is the least access to both the internet and cell phones.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Cultural Issues
October 23, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
The brain trust that is General Motors will have to rename its latest brand, the Buick LaCrosse for its Canadian market. According to this article in the Toronto Sun, GM did not realize that LaCrosse is slang in Quebec for masturbation. Here's an excerpt:
GM vice-chairman Bob Lutz, who was in Toronto yesterday to address a gathering of GM dealers, said he wasn't aware of LaCrosse's racy roots although he speaks French and spent three years living in Paris.
"I thought I knew every expression existing in the French language for self-gratification, including the crudest ones known to man," said the outspoken Lutz.
The article also cited the Nova snafu from years past. Now I've been told repeatedly that the Nova example is an urban legend. However, when I wrote about it for my book I went to the person who first documented this story. He told me that he spoke with GM right after the incident and that it did in fact occur and that GM did in fact remove the Nova nameplates from the cars in at least one Latin American market.
That said, it is very easy to make fun of companies when these mistakes happen. But coming up with names that work in multiple markets isn't easy, particularly if you have to navigate the ever-changing world of slang.
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October 18, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
McDonald's has a new slogan "I'm Loving It." I'm not fan of the slogan - and am not sure McDonald's even needs a slogan any more -- but I do enjoy watching how companies extend their slogans across markets.
So far, I've found that McDonald's translated the slogan into Spanish as "Me Encanta." In Spanish, the slogan feels a bit more elegant. It will be interesting to see what the company does for other languages/countries, if anything.
Companies are largely better off skipping slogans altogether if comes down to using these vague, meaningless phrases, particularly if they are going to need these slogans to work globally. It's hard enough to get a slogan to succeed in one country let alone a half dozen. Nike ended up not translating its "Just Do It" slogan because it had such a tough time translating the meaning across languages/cultures.
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October 15, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
In 2001, the McDonald's in Greece launched the "Greek Mac." The Greek Mac consists of two burgers wrapped in a pita with yogurt sauce, tomato slices, iceberg lettuce and onions.
According to a recent press release, McDonald's claims the sandwich is becoming just as popular as its Big Mac counterpoart. Not only that, but its popularity has grown beyond national borders. It is now served in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Spain, Cyprus and Portugal. I would bet that Melbourne, Australia, with its large Greek population, might not be far behind.
And here's a quote that pretty much sums up the challenges and opportunities of doing business globally...
“The Greek Mac sandwich is a delicious example of how we as an international company cater to local tastes while maintaining the universal appeal of our brand," said Stavros Petropoulos, Managing Director of McDonald's Hellas.
Question: how long before the Greek Mac hits North American shores?
PS: Even McDonald's boilerplate company description emphasizes the "localness" of the company:
McDonald's is the world's leading foodservice retailer with more than 30,000 restaurants, serving nearly 46 million people each day in over 100 countries. More than 80 percent of McDonald's restaurants around the world are owned and operated by independent, local businessmen and women.
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October 12, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
Maps generally make ideal global gateways. That is, if you see a map on the home page, you will likely assume that you are being asked to select your target country or region. However, the challenge with using maps is that they can also draw attention to those parts of the world your company does not address.
Take a look at the M&Ms home page below. The countries highlighted in orange link to localized Web sites -- more than 20 Web sites in all.
However, the countries in orange are visually outweighed by the countries in blue, creating the impression that M&Ms is ignoring huge chunks of the world -- from Canada to China. In this case, it might have been wiser to de-emphasize the map itself and focus on listing the country names next to a map (or globe) icon, as eTrade as down, shown here:
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Posted by John Yunker
Globalization is funny. Just when you think you've created a global brand, people start yearning for its "localness." Take Coca-Cola. According to this article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, expat Mexicans are paying a premium for imported Coke.
Here's an excerpt:
"It has a different taste," owner Adela M. Trinidad, 30, explained in Spanish.
It's common for immigrants to seek out and buy products shipped from their homelands. For them, brand names such as Chandrika or Jarritos re-create Bombay in a bar of soap or Oaxaca in a fizzy tamarind drink.
But the attachment to Coke, Mexican-style, is another story.
The company is, after all, based in Atlanta. It is so symbolic of Uncle Sam that writer Salman Rushdie famously coaxed its consonants into a word for America's global dominance in economics and culture: Coca-Colonization.
What's more, cans and plastic bottles of the soda are a dime a dozen in the United States - or, actually, $7 a dozen. The Mexican Coca-Cola sold by Philadelphia-area distributors costs $10 to $12 a dozen.
I guess you just "can't beat the real thing."
PS: Ironically, Coke, with more than 50 country Web sites, does not offer a site for Mexico.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Business Globalization | US Hispanic Market
October 11, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
I recently came across the Web site of BYD Automotive in China. Now I have to believe the lawyers at BMW are well aware of this logo, though I'm not sure what they can do to stop it.
It certainly made me look twice:
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Posted by John Yunker
This recent article in USA Today covers the Internet access craze in China. According to the article, the number of people online has surpassed 68 million, making it the second-largest Internet market next to the U.S. -- and it has much more room to grow.
What also was interesting is that the local Internet portals have made Yahoo! China largely irrelevent. According to a recent survey, Yahoo! China is the least popular -- by a large margin -- of the four major Internet providers. The most popular (in order) are Sina, Sohu and NetEase.
Why is Yahoo! having so much trouble? Blame localization (or lack of localization). According to the article, "foreign Web sites often take longer to appear on Chinese computers and seem to lack an intuitive feel for the Chinese market." Compare the NetEase, SoHu and Yahoo! sites below:
These two sites look a lot more like one another than they do like Yahoo! It could be that Yahoo's global template is working against its local success; just a thought anyway.
This user quote pretty much sums it up: "I go online to find local information most of the time. So why would I use a foreign Web site?"
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Posted by John Yunker
I am on a number of mailing lists. This year I noticed that a few multinational organizations have begun sending releases in more than one language. While it would make more sense to have recorded my language preference and sent only the language I prefer, the multilingual approach is a step in the right direction.
Included below is a recent release from the World Trade Organization in English, French and Spanish (why not German, Russian, Japanese...?). Obviously, you can't blast out every language, but it's a start.
========================================
Now on the WTO website:
BRIEFING NOTES ON THE MINISTERIAL AND THE MAIN ISSUES
These briefing notes describe the situation as it exists at the time of
going to press (mid—August 2003). They are designed to help journalists
and the public understand the key issues of the Cancún Ministerial
Conference.
> find out more:
http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/minist_e/min03_e/brief_e/brief00_e.htm
(Click on the links or copy and paste them into your browser.
Alternatively, you can go to our home page http://www.wto.org and follow
the links.)
TIP: When pages are newly published you might at first have difficulty
viewing them. Try clicking your browser's reload or refresh button. If
that still does not work, try again a bit later.
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Posted by John Yunker
The trend of American companies building Spanish-language Web sites is now in full swing. We are now seeing health care organizations getting into the act, with Delta Dental of California now offering a Spanish site:
I always find it interesting to observe how Web sites incorporate their first localized Web sites. They rarely revise their navigation menu to point to the new site; instead, they create a special button or graphic that points to the page. Navigation almost always comes later, and even then this "global gateway" does not become a major element until there are several localized sites involved.
As shown here, the Spanish site maintains the same layout:
I would have recommended pulling the text out of the graphics to save time in localization. Assuming that additional language-specific sites are created, the less "embedded text" you have, the less work the localization will be.
Still, I'm happy to see more organizations dedicating resources to Spanish localization. With 40 million native-language speakers in the U.S., it's just a matter of time before most organizations follow suit.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Business Globalization | US Hispanic Market
Posted by John Yunker
Here is a great article about Unicode and how it affects Web developers and programmers. Here's an excerpt:
The Single Most Important Fact About Encodings
If you completely forget everything I just explained, please remember one extremely important fact. It does not make sense to have a string without knowing what encoding it uses. You can no longer stick your head in the sand and pretend that "plain" text is ASCII.
There Ain't No Such Thing As Plain Text.
If you have a string, in memory, in a file, or in an email message, you have to know what encoding it is in or you cannot interpret it or display it to users correctly.
Almost every stupid "my website looks like gibberish" or "she can't read my emails when I use accents" problem comes down to one naive programmer who didn't understand the simple fact that if you don't tell me whether a particular string is encoded using UTF-8 or ASCII or ISO 8859-1 (Latin 1) or Windows 1252 (Western European), you simply cannot display it correctly or even figure out where it ends. There are over a hundred encodings and above code point 127, all bets are off.
For the article, go to: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/Unicode.html
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October 10, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
Ã…ke Persson has pointed me to a very useful resource for collation: http://developer.mimer.com/collations/charts/index.tml.
Why is collation so important? A few years back, I translated an online glossary into different languages. I didn't realize, of course, that once I translated the terminology that it would need to be re-alphabetized. However, resorting the list wasn't as easy as I had assumed because I didn't know if à came before â.
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Posted by John Yunker
This is a great article about Procter & Gamble's adventures in Russia.
While currency devalatuations have been challenging, the economy has since stabilized and sales are growing at 50% annually (although revenues are still a fraction of US revenues). Products such as Pampers, Tide and Pantene have been very successful (though they must be priced aggressively).
Here's an excerpt that highlights the complexities of marketing in Russia:
...P&G must alter marketing strategies that have worked for decades in the United States.
Alex Nasard of Procter's Moscow marketing office said the company uses straightforward pitches rather than the entertaining, nuanced ads aired in the United States. Nasard said Russians are more immune to propaganda because of years of communism.
P&G also has left English labels on most products, to maintain the company's global branding as well as appealing to Russian customers' desire for anything American.
Here's the article.
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Posted by John Yunker
Another useful Web globalization Q&A has been added to the W3C site. It has to do with the issue of character sets and encodings. I can't even begin to describe how confusing this issue can be to Web developers as they begin tackling new languages -- and new scripts. But is is something they will encounter more frequently. Fortunately, we now have Unicode.
Question:
What is the 'Document Character Set' for XML and HTML, and how does it relate to the encodings I use for my documents?
For the answer, go to: http://www.w3.org/International/questions/qa-doc-charset.html
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October 6, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
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October 5, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
According to the Herman Report, casual dress is gaining popularity around the world...
Recent research by the Bank of Scotland discovered that a significant number of employers now operate with "dress down" policies. The United Kingdom-wide survey also discovered a third of small businesses with a newly introduced dress-down survey believed it has boosted productivity. Bank of Scotland researchers contacted 1,000 businesses across the UK and found that 20 percent of manufacturing companies and 27 percent of professional firms have dress down policies.
Here's the article.
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