Working with German Students

I am fortunate to not have any horror stories to report about working in groups with the German IMK students. During the first week when our client was the Berlin Welcome Card I was very sick and both members of my group were very understanding and sympathetic. We were all able to get long, get our project complete with time to spare, and we presented first and thought we did well.

The second week I worked with a German student whom I semi-knew from some nighttime outings. We were able to communicate effectively and without conflict. My other group member from the second week was a little quiet but did all the tasks designated to her and we also got our campaign done in a timely matter. The only issue I may have had was the lack of collaboration with the handout, which seems only natural because they are not graded on this part.

The final project I feel went by the smoothest. My two partners and I got off to a smooth start and we worked together efficiently to have an amazing final project. Their attitudes were some of the best at the IMK and Germany as a whole. I was also the happiest with this end result. I may have just simply gotten into the swing of things, but I think I can thank two easy-going partners for the wonderful third experience.

All in all, I can say my expectations for the group work were exceeded. I knew that we would be coming from totally different backgrounds and so I am pleasantly surprised that I did not have any truly terrible experience with language, and the differences between high and low context cultures. If I had to change anything about the way the German and American students collaborate I think it would be best to not tell the students who is getting graded on what. This way the Germans will care more about the handout and the Americans will care more about the PowerPoint. Other than that small critique I think the system works beautifully and that the two programs are compatible and I wish anyone else studying abroad in Berlin a great experience.

Globalization vs Westerization

In multicultural class one day we were having a discussion on Globalization and what it means. My thoughts are that Globalization is both negative and positive. The reason I think globalization is negative is because in most cases I believe this word is synonymous with westernization. There are countries where the natives are not being taught how to properly cultivate their land, or to build better education systems through infusion. In these cases I think we are not globalizing but westernizing by only pumping in our forms of media and entertainment. What I find so detrimental about this practice is that media and entertainment is so persuasive that we basically push the western way of doing things into these cultures. The effect is that they start looking at western practices as mainstream and the cultures of their country become sub culture.

To back this argument I will share personal experiences. When I was a little girl visiting Jamaica it always seemed like I was going to another country. As a grown woman visiting Jamaica, I feel like the island is more of an extension of the United States. I know a bias playing into my observation is that I grew accustomed to the Jamaican way of life but I feel I am watching as western mainstream media and entertainment slowly takes over the little island. As a girl I visited Jamaica and watched Jamaican plays on television with an antenna, the phone was shared between two residences, and people just seemed more proud of the island’s authenticity. As a woman visiting Jamaica, I watch what I want to watch on television via Dish Network, all my friends have BlackBerry’s and can’t tell me who sings a reggae song because “they only listen to American music.”

Some positive effects of globalization is that countries (including Jamaica) are more connected with other parts of the world, they become technologically advanced, and may also find themselves being introduced to things that may not have been possible leading to what some would call a better life.

There is no regulation for globalizing or westernizing other countries so if people don’t realize what is happening I fear customs, morals, and ethics will soon submerge into one meaning. The only way I see globalization not turning into westernization is through the people of developing countries. The people need to realize that their frame of reference is what makes them unique. That the things their country has to offer do not come second to anything the west has to offer.

I propose Public Service Announcements be disbursed through the countries media. They can be simple spots about loving where you come from, pride and patriotism. The purpose of the PSA’s will be to remind the younger generations of where they come from, and to not let their culture die with their generation. There will also be a call to action, A simple question at the end. (I will continue to use Jamaica as the example) Will you let Jamaica die with you? Or even a statement: Don’t let Jamaica die. I think it is important to keep the identity of every country so that history is not lost and people can maintain a sense of who they really are. With that said LONG LIVE JAMAICA!

Music in Berlin daily life

The music scene in Berlin is different but does share similarities to what I am used to in South Florida. In this blog when I write music scene, I am referring to the music that is played in the nightclubs I have visited. So far I have visited Carambar, the Palm Beach Club and Adigio.

I visited Carambar with Nadia (as seen above) and we both did not know what to expect. This was both of our first time in a Berlin club and we were shocked and pleasantly surprised to hear them playing the mixture they did. When we first walked to the dance floor they were playing the Black Eyed Peas so we knew that this DJ was at least playing some American music. Then he went on to play Jamaican music and Indian music, and of course topped if off with German chart-toppers.

I think it is a good strategy to play music from all over the world especially at Carambar because it is in a central tourist location (Alexanderplatz). It is a great strategy to keep the customers in a comfortable environment as well as leaving them open to party with all different cultures.

The Palm Beach club was more of a bar, but the night we went was Karaoke night. All the Germans in the establishment were singing American songs. The songs were not exactly recent but we were able to recognize them. This club was also located in Alexanderplatz so I wondered if all the nightclubs in the area have the same marketing strategy. Again the group I went with and myself were comfortable and were able to party alongside the locals.

The latest nightclub I’ve visited was Adigio. Walking into Adigio was like walking into one of the finer clubs in South Beach for a quarter of the price. The music here was a world mix but the American music played was very recent. I heard a song in Adigio that I hadn’t heard in the American clubs yet. The music played also reflected the crowd that was there as there were many different, shapes, colors, and orientations.

Of the nightclubs I visited it seems as if the strategy is to make everyone feel welcome and play music that agrees with the crowd. The Berlin DJ’s seem aware that there are tourists present in the crowd and they play music to keep everyone happy and moving their feet.

Advertising through non-traditional media

Berlin and South Florida have some of the same advertising mediums like billboards, posters, flyers, magazine ads, and more. Since I have been in Berlin however, I have been introduced to new forms of advertising. In my first impressions on advertising in Berlin blog I introduced the LED screen and interchanging posters with a backlight. Since those first impressions I have only seen one other form of advertising grasp my attention.

The strategy behind the placement for the running Oakley campaign is nothing short of spectacular. I am not the target audience for the campaign but I do think it catches the attention of women because of the models. The first time I noticed the ad I was in the Potsdamer Platz train station. I was walking by and I just saw an extremely handsome man. I walked a little further and I saw the same handsome man doing an extreme sport. Still walking, a close up of the same gorgeous man wearing Oakley shades. And as I walked further there was the last billboard of the handsome mans face in the background the Oakley logo with the advertised glasses and the word confident.

The next time I saw ads from this campaign I was in another train station. I noticed a strip of something on the steps while I was walking up them. I realized later that what I was seeing were little strips of an Oakley layout on the actual steps of the station (as seen above). The station walls were also plastered wit the Oakley campaigns.

What I like so much about the placement of the ads is that they are not in every train station. The train stations they are in however, the ads are all over. What I take away from this campaign is Extreme. All the “models” in the ads are from different extreme sports backgrounds and the placements of the ads in my opinion were very extreme. I mean you go from no Oakley ads to a station full of theme. That is extreme.

I think this tactic could be successful on a global scale. A campaign such as this could be successful in busy stations in New York, New York and all over the world just for raising awareness alone. This is an ad campaign that strategically went above and beyond the rest. This will be relevant for a long time and other marketers looking to show the general public their brand should copy this strategy.

Images of minorities in advertising

I have not seen many advertisements that I think portray minorities in a positive way. The only advertisement I saw that I felt called out to me was a large billboard in Alexanderplatz for the United Colors on Benetton. The rest of the advertisements with African or Black models seem stereotypical and borderline offensive. For example on the U bahn there was an advertisement with a dark skinned cartoon character, who had what looked like were African tattoo’s, huge lips, huge nose, and very closely resembling a monkey. Whatever the product was being advertised I would never buy, but then I thought maybe I am not in the target audience for that specific product.

After learning about marketing on a global, regional, and niche scale I can safely conclude there is no marketing targeted towards me in Berlin. I have seen people pf my color walking around this city, but I could probably count them on two hands. This is significant because in two weeks to see less than ten black people is a huge change from what I am used to. Suffice to say that the niche market (of black people) in Berlin is non-existent and because of this we are not marketed to.

Because the majority of Berlin’s population is fair skinned with blond hair it is most practical that ad campaigns are targeted to people who fit this description. Targeting specific physical features will be effective to native Berliners because they feel as if the ad is speaking directly to them. It is much more effective to sell clothing to a fair skinned, blonde haired girl when the girl in the advertisement has her same physical attributes.

Even on the plane from Duesseldorf to Berlin, I was flipping through a magazine and came across a four page spread for Jon Frieda. The first page is text only and it reads “Blond is nicht gleich blond.” The next pages are of a blonde woman and then different pictures of blonde hair and blonder hair. The third page in English it says “Go lighter. Go brighter. You’re a blonde. You can do anything you want.” This is a regional campaign because the magazine it was in (Joy) is not only published in Berlin. It is my guess that this ad will get a lot of attention and interest as well as desire from the group of women in this specific it is marketed to.

The strategy with this particular John Frieda (as seen above) campaign is the same as the various campaigns around Berlin. There is no market for minorities in this area so there is no immediate need to market to this niche. My suggestion however is to keep in mind that though there are few minorities that does not mean there are none. Models of color can easily be placed with “mainstream models” and then you can have a campaign that speaks to more than one target group and that also has the potential to be global.

Reflections on Language Barriers

So far while gallivanting around Berlin most of the people I have come across speak at least a little bit of English. The little bit of English they know combined with the little bit of German I know has helped in situations where I have wanted to order food, get directions or work on assignments. Instances where language really plays a big barrier are in the area named Wedding. Wedding is where our hostel is located. This area also has a large Turkish population. The Turkish immigrants speak only Turkish, German, and just enough English to let you know they don’t speak English.

The pictures above are of Lorenzo (110% Italian) and myself trying to order food from a Turkish restaurant one particularly cold day in Wedding. When we walked in the restaurant the menu was on the wall and it was all pictures. In my mind I knew that if we didn’t communicate verbally we would at least be able to point at the item we wanted on the menu. We tried to order in English like the pure tourists we were and that did not work. Lorenzo then tried ordering in Italian, this also did not work. What we tried next was implementing the little German we knew with a lot of hand movements. In the end we walked out of the restaurant with exactly what we wanted and with no one feeling offended.

In instances where I needed directions, I almost always had the name if the street I wanted to go written down. In these cases I could just point at the road name or someone could help me in English. I am also happy to say I have never been lost in Berlin. Surprisingly I was working on a campaign for the Berlin Welcome Card and this is where I noticed the language barrier. The Berlin Welcome Card is a product for tourists that offer discounts on the many different attractions in Berlin over the period of up to five days. My assignment was to go up to several different kiosks and see if they offered this product or its competitor or both. I must admit this is where I thought I would find the most English speakers. On the contrary, it is where I found the least. It seemed when I went up to the desks they were upset when I asked if they spoke English. So what I found regarding the language barrier is in an instance where I most need an English speaker I was not able to find one. I also noticed that most of the English speakers were younger and in this case acculturated. Then I thought, well I am in their country- so shouldn’t it be I speaking the native language and not expecting special treatment?

It is with the above points that I sum up this entry. I didn’t expect to come to German and run into handfuls of English speakers, that they are here is acceptable but that is not something I should think is owed to me. I feel like Americans always think we are owed a big favor and I am not sure why, maybe its because slowly but surly we are trying to westernize the globe instead of globalize it (thoughts of mine you will read in another blog). There is an old alliteration: proper, preparation, prevents, poor, performance- I think it is best that when you go to another country, especially if you plan to stay for an extended period you should learn the language. Or at least learn key phrases so the language barrier is not so large.

First Impressions of Berlin Advertising

Upon first, second, and third glance I conclude that Berlin’s advertising is more technologically advanced than advertising in South Florida. All the major crossings and their corresponding subway stations have advertisements on LED Screens, and there are also inter-changing medium sized posters. The main advertisements I’ve seen on the LED screens are what seem to be local advertisements and breaking news. All the inter-changeable posters have been for the iPad and Dolce & Gabbana watches.

Advertising on an LED screen is attention grabbing for the simple fact that the picture is so crisp and clear. I was not able to understand the ads because they were written and produced in German. I did notice that people took notice to the LED screens especially when a broadcast was on. From this observation it can be concluded that advertisements displayed on LED screen may have a higher probability of being seen. Even in the heavily crowded stations packed with advertising the LED screen had a way of breaking up the clutter. I believe that if a campaign was measured that used this method of advertising the results would show that it was very effective.

Another advanced medium used for advertising that I have seen here are what I would call “interchangeable medium sized posters.” They are posters in a stand that have backlighting and every 15 seconds or so the image changes. I have seen these stands throughout central Berlin but have only seen them encompass iPad and D&G ads. I also find this medium to be an attention grabber because the posters images are already very crisp and the backlight definitely makes them pop out even more.

What I find interesting about the interchangeable posters is that both ad campaigns have no call to action. I would say that the purpose of them both is to attract attention and ignite interest. Putting an ad like this atop a backlight is a great tactic it’s like adding another element to “illuminate” the ad.

Both the LED screens and the interchangeable posters would be great for local and global campaigns, as well as new and old brands. As I mentioned both mediums received great attention from consumers so older brands can remain relevant and newer brands would be able to gain an identity. In South Florida with the cluster of all different shapes, sizes, and mediums of advertising campaigns would benefit from using these two strategies. LED screens and interchangeable posters are attractive, innovative, cost effective and are definitely advertising for the 21^st century. The above photo was taken at a train station, you may not be able to make out what’s on the screen but you can tell how effective a campaign might be using this medium.

First Impressions of cultural differences between German and my own

Because I have such a diverse background and have studied Inter-cultural communications, multi-cultural marketing, and more I was prepared for the differences I have found in Berlin. I expected it to be less diverse, for facial expressions to be mundane, for the weather to be colder, even for the architecture to mirror a communistic past. However, I was not prepared for two and three inch heels! Fashion is one thing that I thought would be universal.

I took the above picture in the subway station after a few days of being baffled by the choice of such low heels. In an area with Sex and The City posters plastered everywhere I thought the median heel height would be around four inches. In my experiences the power of Sex and the City could coerce a straight man into five-inch, five hundred plus dollar Manolo’s. Shockingly when I saw the masterpiece (Sex and The City) in Germany’s capitol I thought I might see stiletto heels, but I was wrong. I saw more two and three inch heels in the theater than an Episcopalian Senior’s Bingo mixer.

This is a great culture shock to me because when the first Sex and the City movie came out I went to see it in New York, New York and every person in the theater had on four-inch heels or higher. I was one of the women wearing five-inch heels in New York. I wore the heels because of the many American sub-cultures I identify with “pop-culture” is one of them. In an attempt to understand how German’s identify with popular media, I did something we’ve been doing since the days of clogs and moccasins- I asked them.

My new German friends told me they were not so much influenced by Pop-culture but did enjoy it. I asked one if she was a Fan of Sex and the City and what she thought about heels. She said she only has two pairs of heels although she loves all heels, she can’t walk in all of them. (Interesting, her response was very logical, but what’s logical about Fashion?). An American woman in her twenties would spend her lunch money, accrue credit card debt, and even wait in a line in the cold for a pair of shoes, that squeeze her toes, hurt her soles, and twist her ankles all in the name of fashion.

What sticks out from my observation of German and American pop-culture as it relates to shoes is logic. I think in every country in every continent a killer pair of pumps is a killer pair of pumps, is a killer pair of pumps. However in a city with cobblestone sidewalks and a history like Berlin’s, prancing around in the come “f” me’s is quite illogical. In America, well it’s still illogical but its just one more price we pay in the name of fashion.