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| Author: Jitendra Madhav Ramchandani |
Since they were dropped to the
earth humans have developed local languages, cultures and societies unique to
their part of the world. These cultures influence (and define) the way they
express themselves. Different cultures express the same thing differently. A
smile is the best example of global communication which is received equally and
similarly by all cultures wherever you travel and live.
Here I will use the word 'communication'
to refer not only the human-to-human direct communication but also in the form
of products, services, forms of arts and sciences each culture has to offer the
other.
In today's connected world it is
easy to interact with consumers around the world but the consumer should be
able to access and perceive the context and purpose of this communication.
Communication can be made global if
we consider the following traits which define human values; these traits drive
the message across cultures.
Few examples of global
communication (as products, services, arts, sciences and everything)
♦ Indian curry, Italian pizza,
Chinese noodles or Coca Cola: These foods & beverages are typically local
but are loved globally.
♦ Yoga: Originated in India but
is practiced around the world.
♦ Ford's cheap black cars
introduced in 1900s: The cheap cars made by Ford were so good and affordable
by common American that it took no time for this company to quadruple their
profits.
♦ Movies, like, Titanic don’t
necessarily need translation. Charlie Chaplin’s movies were very well connected
to the masses. These were silent movies but depicted the joys and sorrows of
the common man.
♦ Van Gough’s paintings have
lovers around the world
♦ James Bond: The British
fictional character's style impresses everybody.
♦ WhatsApp: Who imagined a simple
chat messenger will do so much better than any other messenger in the Internet
history!
♦ Google: Can you live a day
without Google?
♦ iPad: Microsoft and HP were
ahead of Apple and already had tablet products but iPad was a classic success.
Every example discussed above is
communicating something to the end user–the consumer. Food is communicating
taste, Yoga is communicating wellness, car is communicating comfort of travel,
a movie or painting is communicating a dream/memories/fiction/reality that
people can relate to, James Bond is communicating style and determination,
WhatsApp is communicating easy communication.
These examples influence the global
consumer because of some common traits:
♦ Aesthetic: How ‘usable’ the product is,
i.e., how obvious is the product’s usage with respect to global user.
♦ Simplicity: Industrial design is embracing simplicity, the software screens are becoming
simpler.
♦ Purposeful: There should be a purpose of the communication and it should be visible.
♦ Attractiveness: Style attracts consumer.
♦ Reachability: The communication channel should be capable of spreading the message to the
masses.
♦ Joy: The
consumer should feel happy.
♦ Honest: As Dieter Rams said “It does not make a product appear more innovative,
powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the
consumer with promises that cannot be kept”
Local communication requires wings
of these qualities to be able to take a global flight.
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