SteveKemper.com

Guns N' Roses album title raises questions

Why did Axl Rose give Guns N' Roses' first studio album in 17 years a title that he had to know would damage sales in China—where GN'R has a legion of loyal fans—if not preclude them altogether? A snap decision made poorly perhaps? No; he chose the title more than a decade ago. Perhaps he simply doesn't care much about the market? Not true either.

GN'R developed a major following in China in the late 1980s, when the young Mr. Rose was recording early hit songs like "Welcome to the Jungle." China was in the throes of its own rebellious era, and heavy metal was its protest music. GN'R's popularity soared in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators. Learning the band's 1991 ballad "Don't Cry" was a rite of passage for a generation of Chinese guitarists.

And the affection has not gone unrequited. Mr. Rose in recent years has visited Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Xian... He now worries, though, that he won't be let back in.

The new album, Chinese Democracy, is unlikely to be released in China and the band's promoters in China have dropped plans for two shows there.

In reality, the lost ticket sales may be the only significant financial sacrifice. A press release from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) early this year asserts that more than 99 per cent of all music files distributed in the country are pirate and China’s total legitimate music market, at US$76 million, accounts for less than one per cent of global recorded music sales.

This was obviously a very deliberate decision by GN'R with some idea of the ramifications. Unfortunately, organizations make bad calls on product names, imagery, iconography, color and subject matter all the time that are not intentional and can prove much more costly. More often than not, they're probably not a big enough transgression to merit front-page coverage in the Wall Street Journal. In fact, some may be so subtle that they simply chip away a few percentage points of visitors to your website, dollars in sales or off-the-radar negative word of mouth. The only way to prevent this is to be sure everything you release is reviewed by someone who is not only an expert in the target-market language and culture, but preferably in the target industry, as well.

Stay tuned for more on this in future articles...

Guns N' Roses' New Album Is Up Against a Chinese Wall  |  Wall Street Journal

Home Depot launches Spanish language site

Watch for a lot more announcements like this one in coming months and years. Hispanics in the U.S. played a larger role than ever in both the pre-election dialogue, as well as the election itself. They will continue to play an ever greater role in the business sector, as well -- both as consumers and as business owners, professionals and a growing percentage of the work force.

A key component of my last company's business was multilingual U.S. ethnic marketing. We created not only localized versions of print material and websites, but completely custom versions, as well. Wells Fargo, Albertsons and Southwest Airlines are just some of the clients that have been doing U.S. ethnic marketing right for some time.

Launching a Spanish-language website is not a gamble for retailers like Home Depot. The numbers and survey data make it clear that the investment is a sound one:

The home-improvement retailer's Spanish site, which launches Monday, replicates its English language e-commerce site, with 12,000 products available to online shoppers.

Home Depot, like many other national retailers, views Hispanics as a lucrative growth opportunity. A study of English and Spanish-language consumers conducted last year by Forrester Research Inc. found that one-fourth of Hispanics must be served in Spanish if retailers want their business. More than half of Hispanics who shop online -- 7.1 million people, by Forrester's count -- prefer Spanish.

Home Depot's New Web Site Opens Door to Hispanics  |  Wall Street Journal

HomeDepot.com en Español

Wieden+Kennedy weathers global growing pains

There is no perfect path to international success, no matter who you are. Weiden+Kennedy, Adweek's reigning Global Agency of the Year, is learning that the hard way. Fortunately, they so far seem to be growing stronger for the struggle.

Their international expansion is the subject of a story in today's Oregonian newspaper. There are some nuggets of wisdom in the article instructive for anyone trying to make a go of it in today's globally connected but culturally and linguistically diverse world.

Wieden+Kennedy has been venturing abroad in cautious steps for 16 years. That may sound like a long time to remain cautious, but that approach has resulted in impressive gains: Almost half its annual revenue of about $165 million now comes from outside the United States. That's especially impressive when you consider the alternatives. In international business, first impressions make all the difference. If you botch your entry into a market, you risk not only the opportunities of that single market, but your worldwide reputation—including back on your home turf. A failed attempt or worse, an embarrassing gaffe, will echo around the world and likely affect potential partnerships, prospects, talent acquisition and financing in subsequent market entry attempts.

Wieden+Kennedy, [Gregory] Solman [Adweek's West Coast editor in Los Angeles] says, has "done a wonderful job at smartly expanding their network globally," always entering a new market for a good business reason. One secret, he says, is the agency's foreign-office recipe: mix one-third Wieden culture, one-third of the host city's DNA and one-third of the office managers' personalities -- then shake

Portland ad agency strives to maintain edgy yet understated hometown profile overseas
Wieden+Kennedy looks to continue expanding globally while retaining its irreverent Oregon attitude