Extend your reach
Chuck Kapelke
Key insights
- Maintain your brand's core value across regions.
- Be sensitive to regional regulations and privacy standards.
- In creative content, use simple humor that transcends cultures.
- Don't rely solely on translation software.
- Focus on social media.
In 1928, brand marketers at the Coca-Cola Co. lucked out when they stumbled upon a combination of Mandarin Chinese characters — k'o k'ou k'o lê — that both sound like the company's name and (more or less) convey the brand's purpose: The characters can be interpreted to read "to permit mouth to be able to rejoice." Awkward perhaps, but...