Business Writing: The Perils of Miscommunication

•    “Always communicate clearly.”
•    “Keep your target audience in mind.”
•    “Think it through.”

We’ve heard this advice many times over.  So why do managers at top companies and experienced business owners make so many disastrous (and expensive) mistakes in their marketing communication?

A few classic examples from the global business file:

•    Executives at General Motors didn’t understand why the Chevy Nova wasn’t selling well in Latin America until they realized that in Spanish “no va” means “it doesn’t go.”
•    Ford marketed the Comet in Mexico as the Caliente, which literally means “hot.”  Colloquially, it means “horny” or “streetwalker.”
•    Perdue’s slogan, “It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken” was mistranslated into Spanish as “It takes a man to make a chicken aroused.”

We can’t get away with only considering how well we write something.

We must never lose sight of our audience.  How will they receive our message?