Swedish Models in Africa or Turkish models in Berlin?

Minorities in advertising was a hot-topic for debate during our lectures at the IMK. Some said there wasn't enough representation of minorities in advertising in Berlin, others said it depended, and others said there was enough representation considering that advertisements were translated to their language. Regardless of the “correct” answer, it's apparent that in an increasingly connected global society and cultures, advertising has found it's hardships in trying to communicate and identify with them.


From what I gathered in Berlin, there was minimal representation of minorities in advertising. I found one ad where the model seemed to me a minority based on the skin-color, but I could be wrong. Besides, you can't even see her face. I also found another ad for Base that had a minority. Otherwise, I really can't recall seeing minorities in advertising. In fact, most of the full-scaled print ads around the city didn't even have models. They were just words and the product such as the beer ads, the VW ad, the one ad with the rubber ducky and even the Ipad ad that had people wasn't even obvious.


During the lectures, there was a pair of students who did the H&M campaign. According to them, H&M only use Swedish models in the advertising. I must admit, I hadn't seen an H&M ad (not in N.Y, the UK or Germany) that proved otherwise. Despite their monochromatic advertising, H&M sales still sore. A theory supporting their success would be the masses want to identify with this stereotype of beauty – as in blonde hair, blue eyes, thin and fair skin. Customers are supposed to flock to H&M and purchase their products in an attempt to be more mainstream or identifiable with the Swedish models. Of course, there is the counterargument which holds that H&M will be hurt by such advertising if they are trying to sell the same products in Africa, for example. Therefore, there should be a model or models who are representative of the local target audience. This obviously overlaps with the theory of localizing advertising as opposed to standardizing. Apparently, this strategy works for H&M. Perhaps the company is not interested in appealing to the general public. Perhaps their clothes are fitted to flatter blonde, light eyed women around the world. Is then their advertising misread as being offensive to minorities? Should they be concerned that the lack of minorities in their advertising will eventually hurt their image as opposed to helping it? Will including minorities in their advertising hurt H&M's image in the eyes of existing customers? Regardless of the sentiment; money talks. H&M is clearly a success in Europe and America. Again, I haven't done extensive research on the subject or their campaign so I'm not 100 percent sure that H&M hasn't once advertised to minorities.

Aside from the H&M campaign, it's safe to say that many successful global campaigns include minorities such as Coca-cola, McDonalds and Levi. Even Apple launched a commercial once which included silhouettes of minorities. I believe the text-book politically correct answer would be to feature minorities present in the local target market you wish to launch your campaign in. The thought behind this is to make your brand identifiable with them; to make the advertisement more personal and direct to them. Essentially, when using mediums such as broadcast television which reaches thousands, you want to personalize the message as much as you can. Clearly there are set-backs.

However, this text-book correct answer doesn't necessarily mean that those who do otherwise will ultimately fail. In fact, many times when ads try to include a certain “quota” of minorities in their ads they risk the chance of stereotyping that group of people instead of communicating with them. But then, how do you communicate with them if you don't generalize the likes and dislikes of the people you are communicating to? Personally, when I see commercials targeted to the Hispanic population with the loud Spanish music, and bright yellows, pinks and purples or with balloons and confetti and that thick Taco-Bell-like font used to spell out stereotypical words such as “fiesta” or “hola”– it makes me want to gag. There was an IMK student who brought to class an ad directed to Spaniards which illustrated the typical “Spanish” hair bun, and the huge red rose behind the ear with words such as “Lolita.” I'm pretty sure the ad agency responsible for such an ad didn't think about offending anyone during brainstorming. Nor is the ad necessarily offending EVERY Spaniard that sees the ad – but it did make me laugh a bit (but then again I don't consider myself part of their target market.)

In essence, as communicators we need to tread carefully when including minorities or not include them in campaigns.

The Sounds and Sights of the City

Ads are not the only forms of artwork draped across train station walls and billboards. Graffiti is an unmistakably large aspect of the art and culture scene in Berlin – it's ubiquitous. Even the Bundestag showcased graffiti in the form of primitive Soviet writing on stone walls (as seen below.) If I were to associate a kind of art to the city of Berlin – I would quickly answer graffiti (although there seems to be a Dali exposition which seems to be quite the eye-catcher.) Unlike graffiti that I have seen in Miami, graffiti in Berlin is extremely large, visible and artistic. It's not just letters and symbols. There are actual drawings of people, cartoons, monsters etc. There's no way around graffiti, unless you close your eyes while you're on the train. Additionally this kind of modern street art is showcased using the remnants of the Berlin wall as a canvas. To me, street art is the voice of the people, of the masses. Of course, one will encounter senseless graffiti such as the word “penis” across walls which I personally don't consider artistic or reflections on that society.



During the bike tour I also encountered some interesting forms of art. I remember this random huge, colored ball-statue near Check Point Charlie. Apparently, this statue represents a sack of goods immigrants brought. I believe it was a statue commemorating immigrants that have left or arrived to the city. I honestly don't remember.



In all, art as well as advertising, has a cutting edge and spunk that other cities don't have. Even when we visited WallAG, their showcase room was avant-garde. The way the information was presented was totally in depth – literally. The WallAG “wall” moved back revealing more information and artwork of the agency. It was refreshing to see artwork presented in such a fashion.

Music is another part of life in Berlin. Street musicians are spread out across the city (with a concentration in the tourist centres.) In the U and S-bahn's, musicians walk across the train serenading passengers (but most of the time also pestering them for money.) I recall the first day we were in Berlin, when we did a short walking tour of the Brandenburg Tor area. It was there where I first encountered a Berlin musician. It was a German man playing a keyboard, but he didn't catch our attention until a group of Turkish young men crowded around him and took over the keyboard. The Turkish seemed to have been playing traditional Turkish music. While one of them enthusiastically played, the rest made a circle (which we later joined) and started to show off the Turkish dance moves. It was pretty nice to see how other cultures express themselves in music and dance. I must admit it was completely foreign to me, but entertaining to listen to and watch. Overall, it was nice to see street musicians from different cultures interacting and expressing themselves.

From my experience, however, although there are musicians in Berlin, they don't seem to saturate the city as other European capitals including Paris, London and Prague. In those cities, it seems everywhere you turn there's a musician, especially in the underground train stations. In fact, there are so many musicians in London for example, that the city has actually designated areas for them in the underground stations to play their music. Maybe I was at the wrong place at the wrong time, but I really didn't get the impression that street music was native to the city. I also got the impression that Western music, especially from the US, had really made it's mark in the city considering the music that was played in the clubs. I remember in London there was more Middle Eastern music because of all the Arabs living in the city. Despite the abundance of Turkish immigrants in Berlin, I didn't see “their” style of music or songs played in any location in Berlin (except perhaps local restaurants and pubs in Wedding, for example.)

Kenn Dein Limit

Social marketing campaigns are also making their marks in Berlin. There are reoccurring ads about alcohol tolerance at the train stations. Before I had the opportunity to translate the ad word for word, I assumed the layout of the ad and the body language of the subjects seem to illustrate a scenario where each person has a different reaction to alcohol and hence a different alcohol tolerance. They each know when to stop. I originally thought it was somewhat funny, because it seems that they each have their own “personality” that comes out when they are a tipsy or intoxicated, such as a girl who is extremely smiley. What the campaign says to me is to know your limit and to know when to stop. It's a great approach to a social marketing campaign. The ad layout is quite creative and trendy and it is something that our age group could relate to. Each person has their own personality when they've had a couple of drinks. Some may get giggly, others belligerent, some talkative others quiet and sleepy. I thought it was a great approach to find something in common with your target audience and communicate with them in a way they would understand. I don't speak German, but I believed I got the gist of the campaign.

I actually translated the ad and the aim of the ad is to communicate that “Alcohol destroys more than you think.” I visited the http://www.kenn-dein-limit.info Web site and there was a commercial for the print ad I had seen in Berlin. The ad actually doesn't have a funny tone at all, it's actually rather serious. The commercial takes place in a party and the follow a couple of young adults saying what their going to end up at the end of the night. One is a guy that just party's until he ends up in intensive care. Another one was a girl that ends up drunk on pictures. The whole campaign isn't just about the “personality” that comes out when they drink, but how drinking in excess can mess up more in your life than you think such as your reputation. This is a new approach to explaining the dangers of alcohol. It's not just about the physical damage you can experience but other social and psychological effects. The Web site also has nice widgets that a young audience can enjoy.

I can't think of a campaign off the top of my head that would compare to a social campaign in the U.S. but I'm sure there are many with a similar approach. I don't consider this approach something totally innovative. For example, the Truth campaigns have a trendy fun approach to them. Although they discuss a serious topic their approach to informing the public is somewhat fun, provocative and shocking. Also the target audience of this campaign calls for a trendy approach for communicating such a topic.

This social campaign is sponsored by two non-profit organizations. They also use social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, StudiVZ, Myspace, Digg like many social campaigns in the U.S. On the Web site the also include an “Alkohol-Bodymap” where you can estimate how much alcohol your body can tolerate.

I believe the campaign is great overall except for one point. The print Ad I saw in Berlin was targeted to young adults in Germany. The models used in the print ad, Web site and commercial are all “typical” Germans. No minorities, such as Turks were included in the ad. The print ad in Berlin should have at least included a Turk, being that the Turkish population is so large in Berlin. It had also been pointed out that Berlin has one of the largest populations of young adults since there are so many Universities and schools in the city. One can assume that a large percentage of that student population is Turkish but the ad does not seem to communicate to them. The campaign would be more successful in Berlin if they tweaked it a bit.

Out-of-the-Box German Advertising

In Europe, it seems the bathroom is an ideal location for advertising. I was drying my hands with paper towels at a local restaurant in Prague, and I got hit with an ad. I paused drying my hands, and took out another sheet of paper to see what it had said before I had used the previous sheet of paper towel. It seemed to have been ads for upcoming events in Prague for the weekend. I thought it was a Czech thing, when I saw the same non-traditional advertising strategy in a bathroom at a public viewing site in Berlin near the Haupbahnhauf. Despite the ingenuity yet simplicity of the medium, I felt it was a great way to draw awareness, but not to get the message across. It seems the only color they can print on paper towels is blue which hadn't really drawn my attention. Additionally, it's not like I saw people analyzing the paper towels before they trashed it. Regardless of the effectiveness of this strategy, I'm assuming it is a cost-effective way of getting a companies name seen.

Because Berlin is such a bike friendly city, there are also ads on the bikes. I believe the bikes that carry ads are those available for renting. During the IMK German Friday presentation that we listened to, there was a company trying to do just that – bicycle advertising. It's a great way of literally mobilizing your campaign. It moves slower so people have more time to analyze it.

Bikes and paper towels weren't all, stairs are also a canvas for ads. As mentioned in my previous blog, I had seen an Oakly campaign on one of the staircases exiting Alexnder Platz. Recently, I saw a similar ad in the Friedrich Strasse station. Quite frankly, I can't really remember the company (although I passed by it various times.) All I remember is a kind of super hero character in a blue suite with a red cape I believe. Regardless, the medium was definitely eye catching.

At the Tegel airport I also so TV positioned around the terminal with ads. Usually, TV screens in the airports air around-the-clock news with the occasional ad. These smaller TV screens were ONLY repeating ads. Other than the above mentioned mediums, everything else seems pretty much standard.

Lacking Language

Bonjour, Halo, Hola, Hello. Another major aspect of culture is of course the symbols and verbal communication we use to translate information to one another, or simply put, language. Obviously the language barrier has been an interesting one to experience--although it hasn't been a major issue for me (my major issue is the lack of WIFi.) I have noticed, however, that many Germans speak English so it's not so bad. Additionally, even though their English may be broken, I don't find it annoying to understand them since so many people in Miami have broken English anyway. It truly doesn't bother me, and I guess that's because I'm from Miami as opposed to some other area of the United States. Yet, there have been times where I had to really slow down or use another term to describe an idea or object. The funniest expression to explain was “corny”. I didn't realize how much I used it. I used the term “corny” to refer to a sappy love song, and all I got in return were blank stares. How can a love song be full of corn? To explain myself, I used the next logical expression – “cheesy.” So the love song is full of corn AND cheese? I had to force myself to find another expression altogether. From now on, I'm using “overused,” “lame” and “cliche.” They still don't have the same meaning to me as good 'ole “corny,” but it will have to suffice.

From an international Marketing point of view, language should always be something taken into consideration when launching a campaign. Slang and dialects can affect the way the receiver understands or deciphers the message via the Message Channel. Ironically, large companies neglect to test their campaigns for language compatibility.



For example, American Airlines wanted to pitch their new leather seats in first class and translated the slogan "Fly in leather" to "Vuela en cuero" as seen above. They also launched an ad in Brazil featuring a stewardess making the “OK” sign with her fingers – which in Brazil is understood as a “fuck-off” or something of that nature. Living in this region of Germany has given me a deeper understanding of the slight differences between language, a cultures overall personality and word choice and pronunciation. It seems Bavarian German is not quite the exemplary regional language. This was a common theme that I heard from various German students (not only from IMK but from the south of Germany as well.)

This topic in turn, raises the question should campaigns be standardized or localized. The recurring “right” answers seems to dictate that messages should be tailored to a local audience while maintaining the same brand image and overall message in the rest of the world. But then this leads to another question, how localized can once get? Should and international brand, such as T-Mobile, tailor their campaign for the northern region of Germany, just one state of Germany, a smaller region of Germany, just Berlin or just the native German speaking people of Berlin. Even within Berlin, one finds diverse populations ranging from Germans, to Eastern Europeans to Turks and Russians. So how much should you take language into consideration. As always, it depends. It depends on the target market, your audience, your message etc. A campaign which is always perceived as being the pinnacle of success would be the Apple campaigns. I think the reason the Apple campaigns have been so successful is because they don't say anything with words. They say it with body language, symbols, and pictures etc. This eliminates the possibility of a Turk misreading a slogan and interpreting it as silly or insulting. Then again, as discussed in the McCann Erickson agency visit, Asian communities really read into color and gestures so there also has to be some significant thought invested in such a plain and simple campaign.

Overall, language can put up barriers between people and messages. Our job is to overcome those language barriers and use all forms of communication to get a message across.

At First Glance

In addition to the different approach to advertisement in Berlin, I have also noticed subtle cultural differences between Germany and my own (various) cultures. For one thing, men don't "hound" you at the clubs compared to Miami. They seem to be a bit for restrained. In terms of music, it's safe to say they listen to the same music we do (although they may call certain genres by different names, such as hip-hop and rap being classified as “black” music.) I recognized all but one or two songs being played at the E4 club. The music combination may not be something played in a typical club in Miami, but I definitely recognized all the songs. It's safe to say that we both listen to similar kinds of pop music and artists (Latin music is a whole other animal.) I know from previous experience, that although regeatton may not be popular in Germany, they DO listen to it.

In terms of character, it was interesting that Americans are described as being overwhelmingly friendly. During one of our lectures a German girl had pointed out that Americans are perceived as being too open and friendly. I never thought of looking at our friendliness in that light. So while I looked at the Germans as being stereotypically unfriendly, they were probably looking at me and thinking I was way too bubbly and in-their-face! I thought that was pretty ironic. The greatest irony though, is the fact that the Germans were one of the friendliest people I have ever met. They were pretty quick to open up their circle and invite us to hang-out with them. This may also be because although we live on two different continents, we are all young people in our early twenties living in a Western society, with higher education. We do have a shared culture which brings us together.

Naturally, there are differences from one country to another but with globalization we can share common ground in music, movies and TV and we can talk about events relevant to each culture which we have seen or heard of via media. I don't think there are as many pronounced differences as I would have once expected. I believe our approach towards advertising and culture are different but not so different that we cannot understand, relate to or enjoy. For example, the “Rubber Ducky” song from the children's show, Sesame Street, was also aired in German. Movies featured at the cinema were Hollywood movies in German. In fact, Sex and the City aired in Germany and some of the girls from our programme went to go watch it! Go figure, you travel to a different continent and you're favorite movie is also being played. In essence, media has really brought the world a little bit closer together, at least those Western societies whose values mirror those features in this kind of global media.

also had a mix of people. The neighborhood we were living in for example, was full of Muslims and Turkish residents. The IMK, had students from Afghanistan and Turkey and different cities in Germany. So even though Germany may not be as mixed as the United States or Miami, it still has it's share of cultural mixes which I thought was pretty neat.

As one can probably figure, food is also different. Pork and potatoes dominate the food scene (although Doner dominates our quaint little neighborHOOD of Wedding.) There are different food varieties and spices. I bet I won't find "Cumin" at the Lidl or "Platanos" at the Penny Mart or a bottle of "Mojo" at the Aldi. However I won't find such a grand variety of mustard in Miami. The french fries or (pommes) even have a different taste (maybe because they're actually made out of potatoes.) Even the vending machines have different brands and foods. But of course, I can always spot a Subway, Starbucks or McDonalds that have seeped into Berlin. So despite the differences these companies form a kind of "food bridge" for me and the Germans. They are foods we both find familiar. Media and food are two very important aspects of one's individual culture and they are ones that I feel we share with people our age in Berlin. I feel that because of this, our cultures aren't as different as the cultural differences that our great-grand-parents and their generation had with each other.


It's just another point of view, a different way of doing the things humans do.

A Different Point of View

It's been nearly a week since I boarded the plane to Berlin. So far it's been quite the ride, specifically when comparing and contrasting myself, my culture and my city to that of Berlin. Advertising in Berlin is not simply restricted to traditional print in the form of posters and flyers and subway ads. The first day I arrived, we took the S-bahn to Alexander Platz where a huge building facade and "billboard" left me in awe. I had never seen an real advertisement on a fake billboard on a fake building -- it was absolutely fascinating. Based on my observations, advertising in the Berlin is fun and imaginative. They have managed to balance creativity and fun while still being traditional enough to get the message across and generate sales. As you exit the the Alexander Platz underground station, for example, the steps form an ad for Oakly's sunglasses. Like many big cities, ads in Berlin are massive. They are huge, in-your-face billboards spread across the city (as the aforementioned fake billboard ad in Alexander Platz) and a huge beer ad draped across the side of a skyscraper when exiting the Alexander Platz station. I also noticed many ads simply painted on the side of old buildings so you can see them when you pass them on the metro. The size of the ads are similar to those found in New York, with the exception of the bright neon and blinding lights. Advertisement in Berlin is also not limited to print. Friedriech Strasse station, for example, features a large TV-like screen with advertising and information such as weather and news.

Aside from advertising in New York, I can't think of such massive billboards in Miami. It seems to me, that advertising in Berlin does a great job in capturing one's attention which is the first and vital step in getting a message across to an audience. On the other side, advertising in Berlin such as the ad in the image above, is quite invasive. It's not the kind of ad that one could chose not to look at or ignore. It dominates the landscape before you so you really don't have the option to look away from it. Of course, as in any advertisement, you have the choice to digest the information and take an action to purchase the item.

As for the content of advertising, I feel the style is quite the same – short, simple and straight to the point. At least that's what the layout of the ads imply. Regarding nudity, I was told advertising in Europe was more provocative, but I haven't seen anything of that nature just yet. I have been in Europe before, and the only city I saw a great deal of provocative advertising in was in Paris. Berlin hasn't shocked me just yet.

I did notice, however, that there are virtually no ads inside of public transportation vehicles. For example, in New York and Miami there are ads across the roof or upper sides of the bus and Metro Rail. I wonder why they don't include ads INSIDE these transportation vehicles? People on the bus or train have plenty of time to read ads and digest information. I really wonder why there aren't any ads inside. Are there laws prohibiting it? Maybe the city doesn't want people to feel overwhelmed with advertising? That would be an interesting point to investigate.
As for the companies responsible or the massive billboards, they are pretty much the same as those dominating the ad scene in Miami. Those companies would be beer companies, well-known car manufacturers, electronics companies (such as Apple,) and clothing stores. Because I don't understand German, I can't really think of a massive billboard having a very local audience. I didn't see a brand I didn't recognize. Perhaps I only recall what I am familiar with and disregarded all those messages that I felt didn't relate to me. That's also a dynamic that we find in people. When a message or brand does not share the same values or the person does not identify with the individual, they completely ignore it. That might also explain why I took a picture of the large Volkswagen billboard as opposed to another one – is it because I actually own a Volkswagen?

Essentially, my greatest impression of advertisement in Berlin is it's location and size. I bet if I understood what the ads actually said I would be able to make additional comments.