You think you could die if you get in a car?
Each product launched to the global market has a unique name that reflects the local language and culture.
There may be cases where the names of products released in Korea are called differently in other countries, and there may also be products that are sold only in overseas markets as an overseas limited edition. For the most part, naming that reflects the linguistic/cultural context of that localized country will prevail.
Localization is the process of making a product or service in one market meet the requirements of another specific market or marketThis is it. Companies that do business with foreigners must consider cultural values that recognize the language or “differences” of the target country when working on localization. As an example Kia's K4 caseIt comes to mind.
K4 (can a.k.a die?)
The time was 2014. It reminds me of an episode where I was studying current affairs with newspaper clippings before I graduated from college.
It was about Kia Motors ambitiously targeting the Chinese market and announcing that one of the “K models” will be launched exclusively in the Chinese market. It was a shocking event for me, and I still haven't forgotten it.
In other words, they flatly announced that the K4, which is an intermediate model between Kia's K3 and K5, will be launched in the Chinese market.
Most people say, “Why is that?” I don't know if you think so, but if you understand China and the Chinese language at least a little bit, this is quite an astonishing issue. because The Chinese pronunciation of K4 can die (kěyēsfy) Because it is.
It means you can die: you can die 😱
At the time, it was estimated that the K4 was surprisingly promoted at the beginning of its launch, but the model name K4 was not changed until 2017. At the time, the average monthly sales volume was 600 units, and it is known that it has now been discontinued (as of 2021).
This is usually a very low figure compared to the average monthly sales volume of the top 10 cars in China, which average 30,000 cars or more.
Everyone will evaluate whether K4's performance was good or not, depending on the criteria, but it's a pity that we had a more in-depth discussion during the localized naming strategy phase at the beginning of the launch.
In this way, the product localization strategy
More than just translating languages
Multifaceted consideration of local cultural elements such as numbersYou have to do it.
What's your favorite number and why?
It has a big impact on localization numericalShall we learn a little more about?
There are numbers that are preferred or shunned by country. China is 8I like the number the most.
The reason for this is that the Chinese pronunciation of 8 (ba) is similar to the pronunciation of the Chinese character fa (fa). The letter contains the meaning of making (money), so if there is an 8 in the license plate, mobile phone number, or house lake, etc., you should buy it at a high price.
I heard the example of K4 earlier, but numbers 4In fact, not only in China, but also in Korea and Japan, which are Chinese characters, tend to be shunned for the same reason. Even if you just look at the elevator, it doesn't seem boring if the 4th floor is omitted from the F floor or the 3rd or 5th floor.
In the West, “lucky7“Ina”13Like “Friday at work,” they prefer the 7th and tend to avoid the 13th.
That's because they were both influenced by the religious background of Christianity.
What color do you like? No, not you, but “him.”
At the stage of entering localization curlerIt's also important to consider We will meet as we advance Their positionFrom exemplifies yellowsIn English-speaking countries (US, UK), it shows a bright and positive image, but in France, it is associated with images of jealousy, betrayal, and contradiction. Therefore, it is said that around the 10th century, French people painted the front doors of people who committed crimes yellow.
whiteWhich country do you prefer? Yes, that's right. It's the Republic of Korea.
Our people prefer white to the extent that it has an old nickname called the White Nation (Nation in White). Celebration envelopes for weddings etc. are also generally white.
In China, making the donation envelope white is a big deal. White is only used at funerals, etc., and usually for good things redI'm using it. Japan also recognizes white as the color of death.
blackIt is regarded as a symbol of death in many countries, and the prevailing theory is that it was influenced by religion.
In Germany greyishThere is a tendency to prefer Among German cars such as Benz, BMW, and Audi, the best-selling color is German grey.
Just as China also favors the “China red” color, I think products with a color that embodies a country's identity will have a slightly higher competitiveness in that country's market.
PurpleIn Japan, which is known to like it, bedding vacuum cleaners launched by LG Electronics in the late 90s became a hit, and it is estimated that the company's localization strategy considering color worked.
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Understanding and respecting local culture is paramount in localization strategies.
Questions about localization go back and forth, and eventually How to communicate with customersIt will return to the proposition of
OrionWe communicated using a strategy of hiring 99% of our employees from local people, with the exception of a few managers in China. The quality of the product is the same as in Korea, but most people recognize it as a local company.
Samsung ElectronicsThere is a positive example of communicating with the global consumer electronics market as a national discrimination strategy. In Europe, which emphasizes the environment, environmentally-friendly air conditioners, and in Australia, where there are many bronchial patients, bio-type air conditioners, and color marketing that adorns the TV exterior with the preferred colors of each country have achieved good results as measures for localization.
LG ElectronicsIn the Indian market, there are examples of small refrigerators that have been reduced in size and volume in consideration of vegetarian Indians, and washing machines using regional Hindi. It seems that the problem of how to communicate with customers in localization work is that it is necessary to understand culture and understand people beyond simple translation and interpretation tasks to succeed.
*This content has been transferred from Gicon Studio to Letterworks.
