Intercultural Communication: An Intro

In 1972, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based company Procter and Gamble – noted producer of cleaning and personal care products like Dawn, Mr. Clean, and Crest toothpaste  – expanded its sales to Japan. Like any company, P&G produced marketing campaigns for the products it launched there, among them the women’s “beauty” soap, Camay. Unfortunately, the initial campaign failed miserably. 

In his article “Educator Insights: International Marketing Blunders by American Firms in Japan – Some Lessons for Management,” Gary A Knight recounts how the Camay ad featured a Japanese husband walking into the bathroom while his wife is taking a bath using Camay soap. She begins to tell him about how much she likes the soap, but he begins to stroke her naked shoulder and “reveals that it isn’t suds that’s on his mind” (Knight 114). Although the ad likely would have been a huge hit in America, in Japan it proved offensive in two major ways:

• It was considered rude for a husband to intrude on his wife while she was bathing and
• It spoke too openly about what in Japanese culture was considered very private – sexual matters. 

P&G’s second try also failed, as it breached cultural etiquette by showing men walking up to women they did not know to tell them how beautiful they looked.

The Camay debacle was only one of three that P&G suffered through during its initial entry into Japan, although it quickly rectified its mistakes and regained customers it had lost. (The other two involved Pampers and Cheer laundry detergent.)  And it was not the only company to make such mistakes. Knight recounts similar marketing mistakes made by General Mills, Avon Cosmetics, Simmons Mattress, and automotive giants GM, Ford, and Chrysler.

The errors Knight recounts in his article should serve as cautionary tales for anyone who wants to interact professionally with an international audience — whether such interaction involves entering into business deals, providing humanitarian assistance, or selling soap.

When you find yourself writing a proposal or a report for an international audience or even getting ready to meet members of an international business contingent, there are many things you must consider – from word choices to dress to etiquette at meals. This chapter is meant to introduce you to just some of those elements, but if you truly want to succeed interculturally, there is one more thing you must do: your research.