Culturally Customizing Web Sites Part I
Presented by Dr. Nitish Singh Moderated by Paula Shannon October 2009
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Introductions Dr. Nitish Singh Assistant Professor of International Business at Boeing Institute of International Business at Saint Louis University ncsingh72@gmail.com Dr. Singh is also the co-author of the critically acclaimed book: The Culturally Customized Web Site: Customizing Websites for the Global Marketplace. He holds a Ph.D. in Marketing and International Business from Saint Louis University and an MBA and MA from Universities in India and the UK. More recently he has co-authored Proliferation of the Internet Economy
Paula Shannon
CSO, SVP and General Manager, Lionbridge Paula.Shannon@lionbridge.com More than 23 years experience in the translation and localization industry
Responsible for sites in 26+ countries, driving new services and sustainable solutions, ensuring the continued delivery of innovation and execution excellence to a broad range of Global 1000 customers Company confidential – distribution prohibited without permission
About Lionbridge
Global Scale
Market Leadership
4,600 employees 26 countries
Leader in $14B services industry • Translation and adaptation of products
• Global network of 25,000 translators
and content for international markets
Hosted Technology
Global Clients
Web-based language technology platform
Recurring relationships with 500+ global clients
• Enhances competitive advantage • Drives efficiency
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• 80% of revenue comes from recurring clients • 12 of the Fortune 20 companies are client
Global Web Statistics Global e-commerce sales will reach $12.8 trillion
US will account for less than 58% of total global online sales US only accounts for 185 million internet users today Global internet population is 1.08 billion users; by 2010 it will reach 1.8 billion. 65 % of Global internet users are non-English speakers
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Born Global! Web sites are global from inception To target global online consumers you have to speak in their language and culture Culture impacts how we perceive, process, and interpret information
“People cannot act or interact in any meaningful way except through the medium of culture.” E.T. Hall
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What is Culturally Customized? Communication which
reflects complete “immersion” in the culture of the target market addresses three levels of cultural adaptation: perception, symbolism, and behavior
goes beyond simple translation and cosmetic adaptation when targeting different countries and/or cultures Cultural customization begins where basic “localization” ends Company confidential – distribution prohibited without permission
Poll Question Is your website translated? Yes No
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Perception of Images
Western and Eastern people look at the world in different ways. Researchers compared the way Chinese and US students viewed photographs Company confidential – distribution prohibited without permission
What is a Culturally Customized Website?
What is a Culturally Customized Website?
Perception of Symbols
Perception of Symbols
Perception of Symbols
Poll Question: Do you actually consider the importance of culture? Yes No
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The Biggest Blunder! The BIGGEST communication blunder is to ignore the importance of culture in communications.
Higher web site usability, accessibility, and interactivity A more favorable attitude toward the site A state of “flow” and browsing comfort Increased purchase intentions which eventually impact you ROI Company confidential – distribution prohibited without permission
It is Not a Luxury! Cultural Customization Levels of Web Site High
Medium
Low
3.60 3.06
3.57 3.10
3.34 2.68
4.26 4.04
3.74 3.68
3.04 3.18
3.48 2.34
2.97 1.91
2.87 2.19
3.59 3.16
3.16 2.93
2.69 2.64
4.31 4.14
3.50 3.30
2.82 2.67
Italy Attitude Toward Site Purchase Intention India Attitude Toward Site Purchase Intention Netherlands Attitude Toward Site Purchase Intention Switzerland Attitude Toward Site Purchase Intention Spain Attitude Toward Site Purchase Intention
It is Not a Luxury! An Experiment with 400 Brazilian, French, German and Taiwanese Online Conusmers Measures
Web Sites Low on CC (n: 1823) (Means)
Web Sites High on CC (Means)
F-Value (n: 636)
Ease of Use
3.45
3.82
216.2**
Perceived Usefulness
3.31
3.65
159.8**
Attitude Toward site
2.89
3.45
422.6**
Purchase Intention
2.41
2.86
219.8**
**p-value<.001
Culture and Disaster
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Vocabulary Equivalence An example is the Japanese response (or lack of) to the Potsdam Declaration in July 1945 which lead to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki The Japanese Premier announced that the Cabinet had taken a stance of “mokusatsu” which has no exact meaning in English It can be translated as “making no comment” or “ignoring”
The Japanese Cabinet intended the former meaning “making no comment” and not the latter “ignoring” they wanted more time to discuss and decide their response, which included a surrender…….
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Geocultural Edge (noun) (T.Edwards):
1.
• The tipping point at which a content element stretches the limits of the intended context, changing the content from “safe” to potentially “offensive”.
2.
• The panic zone in which a lack of time, knowledge, and/or process results in an unwanted content controversy.
3.
• A place of opportunity where various positive outcomes are possible, if proactive.
Discerning the Geocultural Edge
Product is “Safe”
Geocultural Edge
Product at Risk
High customer loyalty
Waning customer loyalty
Low customer loyalty
Strong revenue
Decreased revenue
Low/negative revenue
Positive image
Questionable image
Negative image
Consumer/gov’t support
Consumer/gov’t inquiry
Gov’t/punitive actions
Consequences - Going over the Geocultural Edge Loss of consumer trust in your delivery of a positive experience Brand erosion with negative PR and customer backlash Loss of revenue and market share Loss of political position, possible punitive legislation and litigation Punitive government actions against local subsidiary staff (Adapted: T. Edwards)
The key is finding the ‘tipping point’ at which any content type can remain marginally acceptable. It will be different for every product and every locale.
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Content to Avoid Graphics elements with text human body elements and body language humor, puns, and slang physical environments ethnic, racial, political, and religious environments gender-specific elements images of animals sexual and violent elements regional conventions, such as reading direction, date/time, and monetary elements
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Issues with Human Representation Use of 4 fingers with human figures in Japan
Exposed feet is a problem in the Middle East
Gestures are very contextdependent
A bit too revealing for some cultures
Retail Product Design and Marketing In 2002, Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirt designs caused much protest
Retail Product Design and Marketing In 2002, Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirt designs caused much protest. They were quickly discontinued.
Excite Japan: Devoted exclusively to women (www.excite.co.jp).
www.toshiba.co.jp
Executive Education Program
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Culturally Customized Website –PART II SESSION II: Hands-on cultural customization tool-kit November 5, 2009 12:00PM EST http://event.on24.com/r.htm?e=162134&s=1&k=E1F5F4F22C9C0D6 51E5D2248B6E28444 By attending Session Two, you will learn: How to read cultural maps The cultural customization tool kit Best practices and examples of culturally customized web content
Credits Few slides were adapted from Tom Edwards Principal Consultant/Founder, Englobe Inc Content was adapted from Prof Singh’s lecture notes All content is for non-commercial use only Company confidential – distribution prohibited without permission
Knowledge Center
Download White Papers • Building Stronger Brands Around the World: A Guide to Effective Global Marketing • Strengthening Global Brands: Key Steps for Meaningful Communications around the World • Building a Global Web Strategy: Best Practices for Developing your International Online Brand
View Webinars On-Demand • The Art and Science of Global Navigation • The Best Global Web Sites (and Why) • Mastering Multilingual Marketing
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Questions?
Dr. Nitish Singh Ncsingh72@gmail.com www.globalizationexecutive.com
Paula Shannon paula.shannon@lionbridge.com http://twitter.com/pbshanz
Lionbridge www.lionbridge.com http://blog.lionbridge.com http://twitter.com/Lionbridge Company confidential â&#x20AC;&#x201C; distribution prohibited without permission