Case study: =E2=80=9CPlunger=E2=80=9D vs. =E2=80=9CFrench =
Press=E2=80=9D
How do cage eggs, scones topped with clotted cream, toast spread with =
concentrated yeast extract, Digestives biscuits, and coffee pressed by a =
plunger=20
sound for breakfast? To an American, these items sound more like a =
lineup of FDA=20
rejects. Many Australians, however, gladly consume these products at =
brekkie.=20
They may even flashback to childhood while eating some of these comfort=20
foods.
USA: Glam it up.
Americans, instead, go for =E2=80=9Cfarm fresh eggs,=E2=80=9D =
=E2=80=9Cscones with =E2=80=9CDevonshire=20
cream,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9Cfiber wafers,=E2=80=9D and coffee made in a =
=E2=80=9CFrench press.=E2=80=9D Forget the=20
concentrated yeast extract (Vegemite) altogether. Accused of being =
superficial,=20
we want products to have pleasing connotations.
Remember, we=E2=80=99re talking about a country where the government =
has referred to=20
torture as =E2=80=9Cenhanced interrogation,=E2=80=9D and sports =
organizations admit that=20
athletes use =E2=80=9Cperformance enhancing drugs=E2=80=9D rather than =
steroids. We=20
definitely like things enhanced =E2=80=94 or at least glammed up a =
little. I once worked=20
for a temporary agency that offered me a =E2=80=9Cpaper =
manipulation=E2=80=9D gig. You mean=20
filing?
Australia: Tell it like it is.
While living in Australia for a year as an exchange teacher, I =
noticed=20
Australians, on the other hand, are direct and straightforward. They =
don=E2=80=99t=20
sugarcoat anything. After all, this is a nation that labelled Vegemite, =
its=20
favorite spread, as =E2=80=9Cconcentrated yeast extract,=E2=80=9D =
created boots called =E2=80=9CUggs,=E2=80=9D=20
named a popular discount retail outlet =E2=80=9CThe Reject =
Shop,=E2=80=9D and promoted train=20
safety with the hugely successful public service campaign =E2=80=9CDumb =
Ways to=20
Die.=E2=80=9D
You are what you market.
Essentially, the product names and the marketing messages of a =
specific=20
country tell us quite a bit about that nation=E2=80=99s personality. =
They often reflect=20
the tastes, attitudes, and values of a nation=E2=80=99s citizens.
For example, since Australians are typically direct and have adopted =
an=20
attitude of =E2=80=9Cno worries,=E2=80=9D those character traits =
influence their marketing=20
strategies. =E2=80=9CAustralians tell it like it is, and we =
don=E2=80=99t stand for bullshit,=E2=80=9D=20
says my Aussie friend Amy Frazier, a photographer and language arts =
teacher. =E2=80=9CWe=20
don=E2=80=99t beat around the bush.=E2=80=9D
Australia: Time to use the =E2=80=9Ctoilet.=E2=80=9D
Straightforward communication is just part of life in Australia =
where, daily,=20
I heard newscasters announcing which streets were hosting active speed =
cameras.=20
=E2=80=9CTake it easy driving on Cheltenham Parade today. The cameras =
are on.=E2=80=9D=20
Public service announcements warning about flu season show snot and =
mucus=20
spraying full on from convulsing noses and contorted mouths. =
Additionally, in=20
public places, people ask to use the =E2=80=9Ctoilet=E2=80=9D rather =
than the =E2=80=9Cbathroom=E2=80=9D or=20
=E2=80=9Crestroom.=E2=80=9D
USA: =E2=80=9CToilet=E2=80=9D =3D TMI.
While Americans appreciate the truth, we also cringe at too much =
information.=20
When I taught high school in Adelaide, I was somewhat stunned the first =
time a=20
student said: =E2=80=9CExcuse me, Miss, I need to use the =
toilet.=E2=80=9D Whoa, I don=E2=80=99t=20
really need specific details. For Americans, =
=E2=80=9Ctoilet=E2=80=9D already is implied in=20
=E2=80=9Cbathroom.=E2=80=9D On the contrary, according to Scott Hill, =
another one of my=20
Australian teacher friends, =E2=80=9CWhen some of my kids say, =
=E2=80=98Can I go to the=20
bathroom,=E2=80=99 I say, =E2=80=98What? Are you going to have a =
shower?=E2=80=9D
Truth in advertising?
As far as =E2=80=9Ccage eggs=E2=80=9D go, most American consumers =
don=E2=80=99t want to be reminded=20
that the chickens laying the eggs scrambled up before them are crammed =
into tiny=20
wire pens. Furthermore, a plunger coffee maker would never sell in the =
US,=20
because a =E2=80=9Cplunger=E2=80=9D is too closely associated with brown =
stuff that isn=E2=80=99t=20
actually coffee. And, while plunging occurs with this type of coffee =
maker,=20
pressing the grounds in a =E2=80=9CFrench=E2=80=9D way sounds so much =
better.
Australians regard =E2=80=9Cplunger=E2=80=9D as a practical label. =
The coffee maker plunges=20
the grounds, so you call it a =E2=80=9Ccoffee plunger.=E2=80=9D =
It=E2=80=99s reality. Likewise, when=20
Australian consumers shop at =E2=80=9CThe Reject Shop,=E2=80=9D they =
know what they=E2=80=99re in for.=20
It=E2=80=99s a dollar store, and occasionally, defective products are =
part of the=20
cheaply made mix. However, you can=E2=80=99t complain if a product falls =
apart after=20
buying it from The Reject Shop since you were warned about the =
quality up=20
front in huge neon letters.
Digestives biscuits, an import from the UK, are widely popular in =
Australia,=20
and Aussies who want regularity find them in the cracker/biscuit aisle =
of a=20
grocery store. In the United States, any product aiding in digestion is =
shelved=20
strictly in the antacid/laxative aisle. You only go there if necessary, =
and when=20
you arrive, the crackers will be called =E2=80=9Cfiber wafers,=E2=80=9D =
because =E2=80=9Cfiber=E2=80=9D is code=20
for =E2=80=9Ccolon cleanser.=E2=80=9D
But perhaps the US and Australia are beginning to meet more in the =
middle=20
with marketing messages. On a recent trip back to Oz, I noticed grocery =
stores=20
still stock =E2=80=9Ccage eggs,=E2=80=9D but now they come from chickens =
=E2=80=9Cfed fresh grains.=E2=80=9D=20
Then back in the US, we have made progress with =E2=80=9Cpimple=E2=80=9D =
products. For years,=20
American marketers have largely avoided using the term =
=E2=80=9Cpimples.=E2=80=9D And despite a=20
1982 Oxy 10 television commercial that maintained, =E2=80=9CLast night, =
while you slept,=20
the ZITS came out like stars,=E2=80=9D advertisers primarily have relied =
on =E2=80=9Cacne,=E2=80=9D=20
=E2=80=9Cbreakouts,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9Cblemishes,=E2=80=9D or =
=E2=80=9Cspots=E2=80=9D to describe the dreaded pimples. At=20
Walmart, however, I recently saw the package of a popular acne product =
claiming=20
it =E2=80=9Cvisibly reduces pimple size.=E2=80=9D
Ultimately, while =E2=80=9Cplunger coffee=E2=80=9D may never catch on =
in the US, perhaps=20
someday Americans will say we need to use the =E2=80=9Ctoilet,=E2=80=9D =
and Aussies will replace=20
the phrase =E2=80=9Cconcentrated yeast extract=E2=80=9D on a Vegemite =
label with =E2=80=9CAustralia=E2=80=99s=20
Favourite Spread.=E2=80=9D
=20
Get more stuff like this in your inbox!
Sign up for our newsletter and get emails of great stories like =
this.
A freelance writer, teacher, traveler and MatadorU alum Steph Glaser =
lives in=20
Colorado with her husband and two kids. Glaser particularly enjoys the =
humor in=20
life and writes about travel mishaps, misadventures and mess ups (mostly =
her=20
own). You can find these bloopers on Travel=20
Oops.
Most of these would be the same in the Uk or New Zealand. =
It=E2=80=99s not a=20
specific Aussie thing. Digestive biccies by the way, aren=E2=80=99t =
laxatives they=E2=80=99re=20
biscuits/ cookies!
Chris Harfeld =
=20
It=E2=80=99s the same for Denmark. I can=E2=80=99t imagine =
looking anywhere else for my=20
digestive crackers (which in Denmark is only considered a name, and =
NOT a=20
function) than the biscuit/cracker aisle..
=20
=20
Paul =
In the UK, we are typically less direct in our communication than =
in the=20
US. But, we would usually say =E2=80=9Ctoilet=E2=80=9D. To us, a =
bathroom is a room with a=20
bath in it (i.e. you only find them in houses) and rest room just =
sounds like=20
a euphemism.
Stephanie Schuck Glaser =
=20
Indeed! Thanks for reading and sharing a comment,=20
Paul.
=20
=20
sue =
I agree. I would not buy coffee made by a plunger.
Stephanie Schuck Glaser =
=20
It definitely takes you aback the first time, Sue! Thanks for the =
comment. Cheers.
=20
=20
Danielle =
Sorry, just had to giggle at this over my plunger coffee! I love =
our=20
honesty down under, my favourite being our former Prime Minister =
calling=20
Australia the =E2=80=9Carse end of the world=E2=80=9D, when the Earth =
is on its axis, we do=20
sit at the bottom. But I think our directness is pretty tip top=20
lol
Stephanie Schuck Glaser =
=20
Thanks for the comment, Danielle! Was it Julia who called =
Australia the=20
=E2=80=9Carse end?=E2=80=9D Gotta love the humor and the honesty. I =
definitely appreciated=20
that about Oz =E2=80=94 even if it was hard to get used to =
=E2=80=9Ctoilet.=E2=80=9D=20
Cheers!
=20
=20
Glenn Druery =
=20
Nice work Stephanie!
Stephanie Schuck Glaser =
=20
Thanks, Glenn!
=20
=20
Travelwanderings =
=20
I recently took a defensive driving course, and some of the videos =
the=20
instructor showed were Australian, and some were American (all of =
course=20
advertising for safe driving). I was very surprised and refreshed to =
see that=20
the Australian ones were very straight-up about the consequences of =
speeding,=20
inattention, etc. Much more effective in my opinion than the American=20
ones.
Stephanie Schuck Glaser =
=20
I=E2=80=99ve found that Aussies are always up front. Their public =
service=20
announcements tell it like it is, but they also have humor. I =
mentioned the=20
flu PSA being graphic. Well, while the cameras showed every detail =
of a=20
sneeze in slow motion, opera music was playing as a sound track. It =
was=20
funny and effective. I, indeed, got my flu =
shot.
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