The wrong marketing picture can be a thousand words lost in translation

Starbucks recently released its new logo, which features a green image of its well-known siren. Noticeably absent from the image is any text mentioning the words Starbucks or coffee. International business experts praised this move as a way to eliminate the need for logo translation.

In this case, a single, almost universally understood image might be sufficient to promote the coffee chain’s brand without any words. If McDonald's can promote its brand with a single letter, why not do the same with an image alone?

The language services industry often refers to standardization like this as internationalization. Internationalization is preparation that preemptively reduces or eliminates the time and cost required to adapt, or localize, a product to various international markets. Wise use of images instead of text can be an efficient way to internationalize products and marketing collateral, but not all images will represent a one-size-fits-all solution.

The Swedish antacid Samarin – similar to Alka-Seltzer in the United States – was reportedly once advertised in Arabic newspapers using only a series of three images and the product name. Presumably, the image-only ads were an attempt to limit costs associated with translation, as Samarin assumed the three images would not need adaptation.

The images basically told the following story: in the first image, a man looks as if he is ill; in the second, he drinks a glass of Samarin; and, in the third, he appears happy and well. The message – Samarin helps you feel better – seems rather straightforward, right?

Unfortunately, the ad did not account for the fact that Arabic speakers read from right to left, thus perceiving that a happy man becomes ill after consuming the product. Similar right-to-left blunders have reportedly been spotted elsewhere, including on Middle Eastern billboards.

Redoing blundered images can be costly not only when advertising dollars are wasted, but also when recalls are necessary.

For instance, Microsoft lost millions of dollars when the Indian government banned the Windows 95 operating system because a crucial map image was not properly adapted. When dealing with image-only advertisements, companies may not initially think to work with an expert in cultural marketing or localization. However, doing so can prevent costly blunders and may also improve revenue by making marketing more targeted.