My son Dillon and I find ourselves unexpectedly in Brazil. Here is our list, created jointly, of 10 things to adapt more easily to another country: Ask questions. Dillon asks in English, he gets responses in Portuguese-not sure how it works, but accompanied by pointing and context, it does seem to work! Meet a guy…
DetailsWith the mix of internationally recognized celebrities (you’ll recognize at least one), the seamless change out of language (men-hombes-uomini vs. women-mujeres-donne) and liberal use of physical action over dialogue, 72andSunny creates a truly multicultural ad campaign that resonates across a wide range of ethnic groups and is readily adaptable to present in multiple global markets,…
DetailsOn the Daily Show earlier this week, Senior Black Correspondent (his formal title on the show) Larry Wilmore pointed out Jon Stewart’s implicit assumptions: “So what you’re saying is in these times the new face of criminality is now white.” “I’m glad you’re finally admitting that you thought it was black,” is Wilmore’s response. The…
DetailsVisit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy And I felt bad when I told the street vendor in Mexico I couldn’t buy a sweater from him because I didn’t love him (no ‘te’ quiero vs no ‘lo’ quiero). Take a look at this cross-cultural communication gaff on behalf of the…
DetailsMy husband brought home whole milk plain yogurt from the grocery store…again. Since there was still half a container festering in the fridge from the last time he shopped, I had to ask: “What were you thinking?” I tried to deliver the line with a sing-songy up-tone as though I really thought he had a…
DetailsIn less than 30 seconds on the Internet I can find what Casanova’s job was in 1798, what Darwin had for dinner on January 3, 1834, 1,500 recipes for banana cake and how to add water to a sub-pump. What I can’t find is how two judges could “choos(e) to treat children as commodities…
DetailsWith all of the emphasis in intercultural communications on recognizing and embracing one’s cultural identity, it’s important to remember that while acknowledging someone’s ethnicity may be natural, it also may have no connection whatsoever to the meaning of the interaction at hand, as with this playful ad by Wieden + Kennedy for Swagger by…
DetailsI love intercultural communications, and I love cookies, so I had to love this ad for oreos that connects two little girls from different cultural backgrounds by their common enjoyment of and manner of eating Oreos. For a strong diversity program to succeed, it’s important that internal programs and policies align with external communications. This seems to be the case for…
DetailsThe problem with stereotyping is that it presumes guilt before innocence, dictating that someone will behave a certain way because of their race or ethnicity. In the extreme, the results can be devastating, as they were for the late Timothy Cole, a young black man who was exonerated last week for a rape he didn’t…
DetailsCall me crazy, but if I owned a company that had as many discrimination lawsuits against it as Denny’s, I don’t know that I would lead with an ad that purposely uses ethnic stereotypes to relay its message. Over the years Denny’s has faced suits from groups of African Americans, Muslim Americans, employees, women…perhaps they…
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