In this series of articles, we will look at the group of countries known as BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China), which have been on the global radar as some of the world’s largest and fastest growing markets, focusing on particular social and cultural trends in each of these countries.

Today, we will look at trends in social media use in Russia and differences between the country’s two most popular social networking platforms, Facebook and Vkontakte.

As with the other BRIC countries, social media usage in Russia has experienced significant growth. For example, in the first four months after its January 2010 launch in Russia, Facebook use grew by 376%. By 2011, it had more than 4.5 million regular users. Moreover, in June that year, Russians spent on average nearly 10.2 hours per month on social networks, nearly twice the US average and more than twice the amount of time spent by their global counterparts.

Within this upward trend, however, there are other interesting online trends and customs that can tell us something about Russian social media users. While Facebook, like in many other parts of the world, is popular in Russia, many Russian users log on to an alternative home-grown social network called Vkontakte. And although significant overlap between their respective user bases can be expected, the two sites do not have the same kind of appeal.

With its global reach, Facebook tends to attract early adopters who are English-speaking or at least eager to engage in global communities and are more savvy about global tech and social media trends. Vkontakte, on the other hand, is a space for Russian speakers and younger users with low purchasing power. This means the approach needed to tap into the user base of each is different. For Vkontakte, in particular, being able to speak Russian is necessary, and the younger profile of its user base makes it unsuitable as a medium for advertising expensive goods and services.

However, this does not mean that Vkontakte is lacking in marketing potential—with tens of millions of members, its user base is still larger than Facebook’s. It just means that it is important to plan the right kind of campaigns that would match the site’s user demographic and online culture.

In this regard, Clearasil has enjoyed remarkable success with its campaign, boosting sales by as much as 30% between 2009 and 2011. It took advantage of the Vkontakte’s user demographic of young people, their core target audience, by creating a campaign based on a Vkontakte app called Clearbooth, which allowed users to create videos about the product’s benefits, thereby engaging their customers and taking their opinion into consideration to improve their positioning and product offer locally. In tandem with this, Clearasil made use of the online culture of a social networking platform frequented by young people by designing the app so that the user-generated content could go viral within the platform through a competition. The results were impressive, with more than 13,000 pieces of content created and a total reach of half a million people.

Clearasil’s success with Vkontakte demonstrates the latter’s viability as a marketing platform. It also indicates that adequate research and a tailor-made strategy are necessary to tap into the potential of Vkontakte as a means of reaching millions of Russian-speaking users.

By Moses Lemuel

In this series of articles, we will look at the group of countries known as BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China), which have been on the global radar as some of the world’s largest and fastest growing markets, focusing on particular social and cultural trends in each of these countries.

Today, we will look at trends in social media use in Brazil.

So far, our survey of the BRIC countries tells of an upward trend in social media usage. Statistics show that 88% of internet users in China and 51% in Brazil have written their own forum or blog posts compared to only 32% in the US, indicating that rates of participation in social media are higher in the former two countries. Moreover, Brazilians are among the most active in social networks, with a reported 18.9% of Internet users visiting social networks over a period of a month, perhaps as an online testament to their reputation as warm and sociable people.

Until recently, Orkut has enjoyed greater popularity amongst Brazilian users compared to Facebook. And while the number of users on Facebook has been growing rapidly, the most dramatic growth is in the number of users on Twitter, whose market share almost doubled from 17% in April 2011 to 31.3% in August 2011, according to data from F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi and IBOPE Nielsen Online. This makes Brazil’s rate of participation on Twitter the highest in the world.

Twitter’s success in Brazil has been attributed to the ease with which Brazilians can use it to connect with their idols and to browse topics of interest, which has interesting implications for brands wishing to build a loyal following in the local market. However, the most fascinating story in the country’s social media scene is Orkut’s rise and its eventual defeat by Facebook.

When Brazilians began joining Orkut en masse in 2004, partly in an effort to outcompete other countries in terms of numbers, English-speaking users reacted to the proliferation of Portuguese content on the site by forming communities such as “Too Many Brazilians on Orkut”. Thus, according to social media researcher Raquel Recuero, Orkut’s popularity in Brazil also became its limiting factor, as the aggressive push to expand the Brazilian user base and the linguistic exclusivity of Portuguese content eventually drove off other users. By the time Orkut moved to divide its network into regions, it was too late. The site had begun losing its global edge to other social networking sites including Facebook. From there, it was simply a matter of time before Facebook became so much larger globally that Brazilians are induced to jump on the Facebook bandwagon as well.

Orkut’s dethroning by Facebook may be a sign that Brazil’s heretofore self-sufficient social media scene is becoming increasingly globally connected. The plurality of Facebook’s user base offers greater prospects for content diffusion across cultural and linguistic groups. This means more sharing of content between Portuguese-speaking Brazilian users and English-speaking users, which may in turn make it easier for foreign brands to reach Brazilians through social media.

By Moses Lemuel

In this series of articles, we will look at the group of countries known as BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China), which have been on the global radar as some of the world’s largest and fastest growing markets, focusing on particular social and cultural trends in each of these countries.

Today, we will look at the widespread use of local English dialects as well as social media in India and what this means for the future of the country’s social media landscape.

The English language is much more deeply-rooted and has a much longer history in India than in China. It is part of the legacy of the colonial period, when India was under British administration. However, Indians have made the language their own through the use of local dialects.

Unlike in China, where English is regarded as a foreign language and the amalgamation of Chinese and English known as ‘Chinglish’ is looked down on and even banned from use in the media, Indians feel a sense of ownership and even pride towards localised versions of the language, which feature idiosyncratic phrases such as “I’ll come today itself” and “I go there thrice a week” as well as combinations of local and English words. Moreover, English has enjoyed rising popularity in India due to the economic opportunities it opens up and the social status it confers to those who are able to speak it.

Meanwhile, social media use is also on the rise. There is an estimated 35 million Facebook users in India, and the country is ranked 4^th in Asia for the number of users on Twitter. Although the numbers pale in comparison to those in China, there is good potential for growth in India’s social media landscape as the country has an estimated 121 million internet users. And as mobile phones are the primary driver of Internet usage in India, this number will continue to increase with the widespread adoption of smartphones.

Both the potential reach of social media and the popularity of ‘Indlish’ in India are demonstrated by the popular reception of hit song “Why This Kolaveri Di”, which went viral on YouTube at the end of 2011. The song, sung in a combination of the Tamil language and English, has racked up nearly 40 million views on YouTube by the end of January 2012, becoming a top trend on Twitter in India as well. The song is peppered with ‘Tamglish’ catchphrases including its distinctive title (meaning “why this murderous rage” in Standard English), which has been incorporated into local slang as a phrase used to poke fun at another person’s irritation in the manner of to the English catchphrase “You mad?”

For those keen to take advantage of social media as a marketing tool in India, “Why This Kolaveri Di” also tells a forward-looking tale of the country’s nascent social media landscape. The advantages of social media marketing in India may not be as clear as in China, and the variety of languages spoken in the country, with more than 20 languages with over a million speakers, adds a layer of complexity to the matter. However, as the literacy rate climbs and as more Indians jump on the social media bandwagon, we can expect to see more and more web content in ‘Indlish’, which offers a convenient means for Indians throughout the subcontinent to communicate with each other as they interact online.

By Moses Lemuel

In this series of articles, we will look at the group of countries known as BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China), which have been on the global radar as some of the world’s largest and fastest growing markets, focusing on particular social and cultural trends in each of these countries.

Today, we will look at China and its increasingly globally-connected population, particularly in light of the rising popularity of the English language and the rapid growth of social media usage.

It is estimated that the number of English learners in China is at least over 300 million and constantly growing (Lidi, 2008), which potentially means that the number of English speakers in China will at some point exceed the population of the United States. Meanwhile, the number of Chinese social media users currently exceeds 250 million.

So what does this mean for brands looking to expand their reach in China? While it is tempting to conclude that the growing numbers of English speakers and social media users imply that it will automatically be easier to reach more people in China, this is an opportunity that should not be taken for granted; rather, it needs to be cleverly exploited. Although the Chinese have a preference for learning Standard English rather than a localised version or ‘Chinglish’, China is still a primarily Chinese-speaking society and will remain one for the foreseeable future. This means the Chinese will continue to use the Chinese language, what is locally known as Putonghua (Standard Chinese), among themselves, indicating that Putonghua will remain the primary language of local media.

However, rising interest amongst the Chinese population in learning the English language and in Western culture does have great potential for facilitating cross-cultural communication and marketing. Initiatives such as popular online video series “OMG! 美语” (OMG! American Language), shown here featuring American pop culture icon will.i.am, demonstrate that it is possible to promote American culture while being fully in touch with local linguistic and cultural sensibilities, especially through Chinese social media such as popular microblogging site Weibo. Moreover, according to the Gerson Lehrman Group, 95% of surveyed Chinese citizens are more trusting of brands that advertise through microblogs, while 61% of Chinese social media users decide to make a purchase because of a digital marketing campaign.

These trends present international brands with an effective way to reach their target audience in China, especially the younger generations who are increasingly web savvy and eager to learn more about other cultures.  Through a judicious combination of English and Putonghua in ad campaigns with a more extensive use of social media, where regulations on language are also less stringent, it may be possible to maintain a crucial linguistic connection with the target audience while capitalising on the popularity of English language and social media use in China in order to get local people talking about a brand’s products.

By Moses Lemuel

Reference: Lidi, Wang. (2008). The Spread of English in China and its Implications. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics: 31(3), p. 32.1-32.4

Typically, advertising must conform to laws and cultural norms. Most advertisements from the 1950’s – 1970’s, like this particular selection for example, wouldn’t be acceptable today due to changing perceptions about various issues such as gender, racial discrimination and public health. The effect of the cultural shift is such that some of these advertisements might even be illegal today.

Nowadays, advertisements regularly do not pass muster and are banned. This can be due to reasons that have to do with nudity, depiction of drug use or likelihood to “cause excessive fear and distress”, amongst others. Even when local laws are clear, bans can often be dependent on context and the interpretation of the offending advertisements. Thus, besides abiding with local regulations, advertisers need to be sensitive to ever-shifting cultural sensibilities.

To make matters more complex, cultural norms and sensibilities don’t just vary across time. They vary across different societies as well. This might seem obvious when we think about it, but it is easy to forget that what is acceptable in one society may not be in another. A good example is that of deodorant brands that launched a set of advertisements based on flirting  in India last year, which were considered “indecent, vulgar and suggestive” by the local authorities.  Even without the use of official bans, content may be regulated through self-censorship by broadcasters, which is the case in the United States, where many condom ads cannot be shown despite containing no nudity due to the fear of backlash.

There are some well-known facts about restrictions on advertising globally. Alcohol and tobacco advertisements, for example, are banned or restricted in many countries. There are also some prominent hot button issues that advertisements would do well to avoid being associated with, such sexism and racism.

However, cultural norms and local laws can be fairly obscure and apply to things you might not expect. In Lithuania, language is a potential problem as linguists are employed by the Lithuanian Language Committee to perform random checks on aired content to look for linguistic errors.  Broadcasters must remove any offending content found or face fines, making it necessary to ensure that voice-overs have proper accentuation. Language is also an issue in France, where it is required by law that everything on an advertisement must be translated into French, so even a tagline such as Nike’s “Just Do It” must appear with a French ‘subtitle’. This is due to a law that was passed at the end of the 1990′s by then Culture Minister Jacques Toubon, who wanted to promote and preserve the use of the French language.

Incidentally, a Nike advertisement was banned in China in 2004 for completely different reasons. The ad, which featured US basketball star LeBron James in battle with a cartoon kung fu master, was banned for misusing Chinese “cultural symbols” and for failing to “uphold national dignity” and respect Chinese culture.

So perhaps a good set of advice would be: don’t just do it; research local laws and sensibilities before proceeding with an ad campaign, just in case it ends up pushing the wrong buttons.

By Moses Lemuel

Some businesses take pride in offering products that have universal appeal, no matter where they are sold. IKEA’s furniture has its distinctive DIY style that vary little from market to market, while a can of Coca Cola looks similar whether you bought it at a roadside stall in the sweltering heat of the tropics or in snowy Spitsbergen. In fact, most international super brands have products that are like that; it’s part of why these brands are so recognisable.

However, the universality of these products does not mean that they cannot be marketed in ways that are tailored to local sensibilities. Indeed, some international brands with big marketing budgets do localise their campaigns, as we can see in examples such as this Coca Cola advertisement in India that features Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai. Less common are campaigns that draw on the more peculiar in local culture and customs such as HSBC’s very first ‘World’s Local Bank’ advertisement that infused an advertising campaign with local flavours that can truly bring out the brand’s global character.

There is certainly no shortage of interesting and even humorous material from around the world. For example, some cultures have interesting customs associated with the process of moving to a new home. In France, people may organise a party called ‘pendaison de crémaillère’ or ‘to hang the trammel’, a custom which goes all the way back to the Middle Ages, when people would bring the trammel (a metal hook used to hold kettle and pots over the fire) into the new home last. In Russia, people may let a cat into the house first in order to attract a guardian spirit called the Domovoy and ward off bad luck, whereas in Chinese tradition it is auspicious for the main bread winner of the household to enter first, walking backwards and stepping over a charcoal burner.

Such customs are a treasure trove that should not be overlooked. The point is to tap into the potential of images and themes that local customers can not only recognise but readily identify with in daily life. ‘Personalising’ your products this way indicates to people around the world that you understand how they think and that your products are perfectly capable of meeting local needs.

In short, the big picture is made up of its component pieces; to have a truly global outlook one must also pay attention to the local.

By Moses Lemuel

Indonesians are renowned for their friendliness, so much so that they often make it into lists of the friendliest people in the world. In 2011, Japanese comedian Udo Suzuki went as far as to test this by going to Indonesia to pull a few pranks on seemingly unsuspecting people. The results appeared to vindicate the Indonesian people’s reputation.

It should be noted, however, that the Japanese comedian chose to perform his stunt in Bali, which has its own customs and culture. Indeed, it is difficult to generalise about Indonesian culture as the country spans more than 17,000 islands and is home to around 300 different ethnic groups. Although Bahasa Indonesia is the official language of the country and is overwhelmingly favoured in the mass media, partly thanks to previous government efforts to promote it, more than 700 languages are spoken in the country. It would therefore be a mistake to assume that the local culture is the same in every part of the nation or that there is one single Indonesian culture. While the Balinese are indeed a friendly nation, ethnic groups such as the Bataks are known for their hot temper, with a historical reputation as fierce warriors and cannibals!

However, in the midst of this diversity, Java plays a dominant role in the Indonesian cultural landscape, commanding vast political influence as well as a large media presence. Home to nearly 60 percent of the Indonesian population, the island of Java is also where the country’s capital Jakarta is located. All over the country, Indonesians tune in to popular television and radio programmes that are produced in Java. The cultural landscape of Java is in turn dominated by the Javanese kejawen culture. The latter, therefore, comes closest to being an exemplification of a traditional Indonesian national culture.

Fortunately, Javanese culture is not entirely different from Balinese culture by reputation. Javanese people are known to be extremely polite. Their politeness makes interacting with them a generally pleasant experience, but it also poses its own problems. Refusing a request, for example, might be considered impolite. As a result, on a personal basis, Javanese people would often accede to requests even if they have no intention of keeping their word.

Lonely Planet’s guide to bargaining in Indonesia emphasises the need to be subtle and polite whilst being persuasive, and this advice rings true even outside of the shops, at least when dealing with the Javanese. How to be persuasive yet subtle and polite? I have found that the key to getting what you want is to be persistent while remaining courteous. Never openly express your dissatisfaction towards the other party. This might be difficult for those who are used to fast-paced and demanding environments, but a good working relationship requires a large degree of accommodation. Being rude and demanding may get you what you want for now, but it is very likely to hamper future cooperation.

By Moses Lemuel

“Eat according to the dish” is a Chinese idiom that invites people to act according to the actual circumstances. This is an advice that we would do well to remember, particularly in cross-cultural contexts.

The recent ‘controversy’ over the school lunch served on the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing at the school attended by Malia and Sasha Obama in the US reminds us how easy it can be to overlook differences between cultures. Of the eight items featured in the menu, only two items were associated with Japan:  Teriyaki Marinated Chicken Strips and Garlic Roasted Edamame. Yet the school’s unintentional choice of an “Asian” menu has provoked the ire of some, which raises the question of just how outsiders see Japan and East Asia. Perhaps there is a good reason for the confusion. East Asian cultures have drawn heavily from each other—Chinese culture, language and Confucian traditions, in particular, have had a historically strong influence in the region. With the explosion of mass media in the last few decades, the process of cultural diffusion has gained momentum with the exporting of popular culture from wealthier societies to the rest of the region. The movement known as the Korean Wave, for example, saw the spread of Korean pop music and television throughout the region, generating popular interest in Korean culture. Many in East Asia began learning the Korean language and adopting Korean street fashion. Korean cuisine also enjoyed a boost in popularity.

However, such cultural exchanges also suggest that there are differences between the various East Asian cultures. Even within the same cultural-linguistic sphere there can be significant differences across societies. There is much that the ethnic Chinese in Singapore or even Hong Kong do not have in common with their friends in China, ranging from differences in perspective to those in dialects and linguistic expressions. For example, in China the Chinese word used for ‘market’ is ‘shi chang’ (市场), while in Singapore it is ‘pa sha’ (巴刹). The latter is derived from the Malay word ‘pasar’, which is itself derived from the Persian ‘bazaar’.

Naturally, such interesting cultural divergences are also reflected in the respective cuisines. Despite having a large Chinese majority, food in Singapore has much more in common with food in neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia than food in China. So the next time you see ‘Singapore Noodles’ on the menu in a Chinese restaurant, remember that chances are it’s not actually Singaporean!

By Moses Lemuel

Creative Culture has proudly supported the global launch of the Nokia Lumia, providing the brand and their creative agency with astute local market health checks, cultural consulting and adaptations covering a range of continents: from Asia to Europe and the Americas. Truly global and truly integrated, the marketing campaign included print, TVCs, retail and web material.

The highlight of this end of year in the Emirates: Cointreau is launching an amber-gold edition of their iconic bottle for the Dubai duty free. To spread the word, Cointreau asked Creative Culture to copywrite a press release. Poetic and inspiring, it invites UAE travellers to grab this limited edition bottle and indulge themselves with delicious cocktails.

Valeo has decided to do it again! In January, Creative Culture will be taking forty two of their employees to London, for the second time in two years, for a memorable cultural and team-building experience. From classic attractions like the London Eye and the Big Bus Tour, to a musical and a top restaurant, the Valeo team will enjoy the ultimate London experience! In the meantime, our cultural and events managers have been all hands on deck over the past few weeks!

Singaporean English, or ‘Singlish’, as it is locally known, is something that is closely linked with the Singaporean psyche. It is celebrated as a pillar of local culture, as a means of identifying oneself with the local culture. As a spoken language, it pervades local audio-visual media with its “lah”s and its peculiar, uncodified grammar. At times, it may even sound far removed from standard English. To complicate things further, it features a large assortment of loan words from various Asian languages and dialects that are spoken locally.

Singaporeans tend to be proud of Singlish while being able to see the lighter side of it — to be amused by the Singaporean-ness of it as an embodiment of the simple cultural life that exudes the down-to-earth but indefatigable attitude for which the past generations are known. Officially, however, Singapore has grappled with the Singlish question for a long time. Although it forms part of the reality of everyday life, government officials have, over the years, rolled out numerous Speak Good English campaigns to encourage Singaporeans to speak less Singlish in order to appear more globally-connected.

On the other hand, there are small movements of resistance that celebrate Singlish. “Yes, I speak Singlish and I’m not ashamed to admit it!” declares a Facebook group. While the Government sees it as simply a kind of mangled English, these movements seek to establish it as a language in its own right. These movements raise a crucial question: Why should Singaporeans speak ‘good’ English when they already communicate perfectly well in Singlish?

Interestingly, these movements are championed by members of Singapore’s small artistic-intellectual community, by people who are typically described as cultured and well-educated. They have no difficulty with speaking ‘good’ English, but they champion Singlish as a means of cultural resistance against what they see as the officious and un-Singaporean character of the Speak Good English initiative. Colin Goh, film director and creator of local satirical website TalkingCock.com, announced at the start of the 2002 Save Our Singlish campaign that there is a need to preserve Singlish “because it’s simply part of our culture.”

Standard English does remain economically important in Singapore as a means of communicating clearly, being a staple of business communication, particularly in international and cross-cultural contexts. However, good knowledge of how Singlish is used and a keen grasp of its influence on Singaporean culture are vital for a close understanding of local ways of thinking. Tailoring a marketing campaign to local sensibilities would ensure real engagement with the target audience while avoiding potential pitfalls arising from a lack of familiarity with local cultural-linguistic norms.

By Moses Lemuel

Paris’ Indian sub-continent can be found along the streets between the two metro stations Gare du Nord and La Chapelle, in the north of the French capital. The colourful shop signs serve as a symbolic contrast to the traditional Parisian 19^th century off-white buildings. Here in Little Jaffna, the community is constituted mainly by Tamils ​​from Sri Lanka, but also by Bangladeshis, Indians and Pakistanis. Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, the street that runs between La Chapelle and Gare du Nord, is covered by oriental grocery stores, hairdressers and restaurants. At lunch time, all restaurants are filled with people, and oriental food is served along with traditional Indian music.

Most of the Tamils now residing in Paris ​​escaped from Sri Lanka in the 1980s during the violent civil war between the country’s two ethnic groups, Tamils ​​and Sinhalese. The French authorities were at first hesitant regarding the refugees’ pleas for help, but in 1987, a period began when asylum was systematically granted to all refugees. However, this period of liberal refugee policy came to an end in the mid-1990s as a result of the joint European measures to regulate immigration. Today there are approximately 100,000 Tamils ​​in France, most of them residing in Paris, along with around 65,000 Indians and 50,000 Pakistanis. In the early 1990’s, the first Tamil businessmen began to open shops on and around rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis. Today there are Tamil newspapers, a radio station and several websites dedicated to the area’s residents.

Across the world, a wide range of businesses are looking for opportunities to serve the tastes and needs of growing minority groups. The digital revolution along with the increasingly refined usage of demographic information on ethnic groups is making this task easier every day. It is fuelling the move toward ethnic marketing.

Malarvizhi Kutty came to Paris from Sri Lanka in 1988, and works in the Tamilan Music Center shop. The shelves are filled with DVDs from Bollywood and Kollywood, cassettes and CDs in different languages, and posters of the Hindu God Ganesha and Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan. Malarvizhi Kutty explains that the difficulty of learning French helped to further strengthen the ties between the Tamils.

“Because of language problems, we have not been very well integrated into the French society. In order to create our own lives here, we try to stay together and preserve our culture and traditions. When arriving, you are very dependent on other Tamils ​​who already live here, and who take good care of you,” he says.

When companies are looking for new target markets, the ethnic market is often overlooked. Mainstream marketing campaigns fail to reach these audiences; it often requires somewhat generalised messages. But today, the potential is bigger than ever.

Here are a few things that anyone who wishes to go ethnic with their marketing should take into consideration. First, it is of utter importance to understand the beliefs, cultural interests, consumption patterns, attitudes, and traditions of the ethnic group that you are aiming at. Furthermore, when researching your audience, it is essential that you understand whether you are targeting first or second generation communities, as this has the potential to make a huge difference when it comes to cultural outlooks and opinions. Residents born in Little Jaffna are more likely to be comfortable with the French culture than their first generation parents who may hold on more strongly to their traditional roots within the multi-cultural landscape. When it comes to location, Little Jaffna represents an interesting example – just like Brick Lane in London, it is a very concentrated area, meaning that residents are more likely to have a traditional perspective on things than those spread within other communities.

Tamils ​​are often English speakers, as a result of Britain’s past as a colonial power, and most refugees who come to France don’t speak a word of French. “Many give up the idea of ​​integration through work and would rather look for jobs among friends and relatives”, Malarvizhi Kutty says. Additionally, Malarvizhi Kutty says that many Tamils ​​find it difficult to accept and integrate certain cultural differences.

“In Sri Lanka, girls and boys never get together before they are married. The mothers are often quite worried about their daughters when they are out with their friends. Many families send their children to India to study, if they can. I think we Tamils ​​are afraid that if we integrate too much into the French society, we will lose our own culture.”

When conducting ethnic marketing, the language factor should obviously be of great concern. Like Malarvizhi Kutty points out, many of the residents in Little Jaffna speak poor French, suggesting that the chances of engaging increase significantly if you translate your campaigns. Living in a multi-cultural world opens to incredible opportunities when it comes to marketing new products and finding new target groups. By capitalising on this diversity through campaigns that are bespoke, specific and well-targeted, chances are you will achieve great results.

By Michelle Sejersen

To start:

1.     Koninginnehapje: Literally translated as ‘Queen Bite’, this Flemish recipe is a real treat. Made with chicken, mushrooms and thyme, these bite-size pastries are a great starter for any dinner party.

2.     Scialatielli with Seafood: This recipe, popular in the South of Italy, is guaranteed to evoke the taste of the seaside, no matter how far you actually are from the beach. Scialatielli is fresh hand-made egg pasta, which comes in a flat, tagliatella-like shape. If you’re feeling creative, why not try making your own?

Main course:

3.     Zereshk Polo Morg aka Barberry and Saffron Rice with Chicken: Never heard of barberries? These little berries are delicious and essential for many Persian dishes. Once grown in the UK, barberries were systematically eradicated due to their propensity to harbouring wheat rust, which devastates crops. You can still find dried barberries though at any good middle-eastern grocer or online.

4.      Karjalanpiirakat: Translated into English as ‘Karelian Pie’, this rice-filled pastry is traditionally from the Karelian region of Finland. Although rice is the most common filling, potato, buckwheat and millet are also used. 

5.     Kässpätzle: A classic recipe from western Austria, Switzerland, Svabia and parts of Bavaria, Kässpätzle,  literally ‘Cheese sparrows’, is the ultimate comfort food.  In this dish Spätzle, which consists of tiny pieces of dough somewhere between fresh pasta and dumplings, is teamed with shallots, eggs, nutmeg, chives and cheese. The result is a filling meal bound to give you enough energy to survive the drop in temperature.

And for dessert:

6.     Summer Fruit Pudding: A classic dessert from the UK, this recipe is bound to keep you sweet even when summer is a distant memory. Use frozen fruit from your local supermarket when your favourite blackberry patch has retired for the year.

7.     Birchermüesli: Originally developed by biological medicine pioneer, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, this tasty blend of oats, apple and lemon is now a dish often eaten by Swiss people as a light summer supper. Try it with freshly baked bread or a little bit of whipped cream on top!

By Stephanie Wright

1-     Stapler: the German for “forklift” (Not exactly helpful in the office)

2-     Negocio: the Spanish for “business” (Not to mix up with the English word “negotiation”)

3-     Supplier: French for “to beg” (Not the best way to establish a solid relationship with your contractors)

4-     Attualmente: Italian for “currently” (Not “actually”)

5-     Comodidade: Portuguese for “comfort” (Not “commodity”)

6-     Brand: German for “fire” (A special warning for marketers)

7-     Advertencia: Spanish for “Warning” (Not “advertisement”)

8-     Duits: Dutch for “German” (And not to refer to “Dutch” people)

9-     Location: French for “rent” or “lease”

10-  Gift: Norwegian for “poison” or “married”.

Remember these points and enjoy confusion-free conversation abroad!

By Stephanie Wright

A driving force behind this development is the Trade Union movement. ‘Made in America’ fits well ​​with ‘Union Made’, and the protectionist sentiment is further reflected in advertising. One of the most talked about commercials during the Super Bowl final this year was Chrysler’s film on the theme ‘Imported from Detroit’. The message conveyed is that Detroit makes better cars, and at the end of the film, Eminem is pointing towards the viewers and says: “This is the Motor City – and this is what we do”. (click here to view the advert)

According to trend expert Gerald Celente (Dr. Doom), the ‘Made in the U.S.’ wave is only the beginning of what he believes will be a strong protectionist backlash. If the U.S. economy does not fully recover, more and more Americans might begin to perceive buying products made in other countries disloyal, and most particularly when they come from giant competitor China.

So, what does this mean for foreign companies wanting to sell products to the U.S. market?

There are mainly three things to consider. Firstly, here in Europe we often think that ‘European’ is a selling point in the U.S., but this is not the case for all products. For some companies operating in the U.S. market, it is better to appear American. Secondly, although the brand is not American, it is essential to be able to demonstrate that the products are assembled in the U.S. Toyota have since long understood this, and the cars they sell in the U.S. are assembled in Kentucky, Alabama and Indiana. Thirdly, this trend could easily be broken when the economy recovers. The primary loyalty is, after all, to the consumer’s own wallet, and when American businesses no longer have to be domestically encouraged, price and quality will once again be the most important factors for consumers, rather than which country the product originates from.

By Michelle Sejersen

Creative Culture Founder and CEO Mélanie Chevalier was interviewed by The Linguist, the Institute of Linguists (IoL)’s bi-monthly issue.

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“In Sweden, English enjoys a particularly high status, while Swedish, the country’s official language, has a somewhat lower status”, Patrik Hadenius, editor in chief of Swedish language magazine Språktidningen, states. Finnish and Arabic have a low status, he further explains, despite the fact that both languages ​​are spoken by a large share of the population in the country. However, the relationship between language and status is constantly changing and it primarily seems to be determined by the cultural, economic and political power of the people who speak it. Although English is Sweden’s most important foreign language, ​​some linguists believe that it is losing ground as the lingua franca. It has been suggested that it is getting ever more important and urgent to recognise Chinese and Arabic as strong candidates for the future lingua franca.

So, how do the Scandinavian languages position themselves in terms of status? Well, even though the Scandinavian languages ​​are closely related, a shift in status has occurred in recent years, Patrik Hedenius believes. Once upon a time, Swedes were considered to be better off in terms of wealth and power, the Danes belonged to the continent and the Norwegians were underprivileged. In recent decades, however, Sweden’s – alongside with the Swedish language’s – status has declined. The Swedes are no longer the richest – the Norwegians are. Indeed, Norway and the Norwegian language’s status have risen, and in addition to the country’s wealth, the Norwegians are also very good in both Swedish and Danish. Probably better at their neighbouring languages than both Swedes and Danes, who never had to make the same effort.

The Scandinavian languages make an interesting case for linguists, who keep trying to find the lowest common denominator for the world’s approximately 6,000 languages – any structure that is common to all languages, that is. It is true that the Scandinavian languages are closely related, but there are still some significant differences. Many Swedes tend to believe that the languages are more similar than they really are. For example, the Swedish word for “fun” means “peace” in Norwegian, and the Swedish word for “cry” means “laugh” in Danish. Linguistic pitfalls like this one can make communication somewhat difficult between the two countries. But what we do know is that languages are phenomenal in terms of transferring opinions, ideas and sentiments between people. And regardless of status, we are now able to communicate in more languages than ever before, even within a particular country.

By Michelle Sejersen