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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

This is the Double AA "sexy" commercial aired in the United States and Australia.  There is a difference in the two commercials as you will soon note. The ad notes the quality of the paper in comparison to the competition.  However this commercial takes a twist.  In the American version (bottom right), the young lady is on top of the copier reaching for copy paper when her knee hits the copy function on the printer.  The young man happens to be walking in, when he sees the whole thing.  He picks up the paper as it comes out of the machine, giving you the impression that the lady does not have on any clothing underneath her skirt.  They both have the moment of embarrassment as she realizes what has happened.  In the Australian version(top right), the same thing happens; only the lady in this commercial slap the gentleman in the same exact situation.  Advertisers understand that certain behaviors are acceptable in advertising, while some are not, (depending on where you are advertising). The exact same commercial in a different country can be perceived differently. Understanding the culture, what is and is not acceptable in advertising can help advertisers to avoid pitfalls that have befallen on others advertisers that did not understand that something simple as a single word can create problems when advertising a product because the way that word is perceived.  A word in America can have a negative meaning in China, Japan, or England, etc.  It is important to understand the codes of the various countries in order to realize success in terms of advertising.    

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