Cultural Beliefs and Global Marketing by the Numbers

Companies that sell their products and services internationally often underestimate the importance of being familiar with the target culture. More often than not, what you don't know about a local market can hurt your brand. A lack of cultural awareness frequently becomes evident through mistranslations. Many companies innocently request a translation of a product name, tagline, or brand name, but fail to test the concept in the local market prior to launch.

In reality, cross-cultural misunderstandings are not limited to the realm of the linguistic. An unfortunate gesture, the wrong color, or even something as simple as a number can mean the failure of a campaign. Consider this example: you're booking a trip overseas with a foreign airline. Would you like to sit in row number 13 on flight 666? Probably not, if you live in the United States or many other Western societies. However, if you live in other parts of the world, you might not think twice about it. On the contrary, you might actually hang 666 above your doorway for good luck -- and you might consider 13 a lucky number too.

International product managers and global marketers are typically unaware of how big of a role numerical superstitions can play in the success -- or failure -- of a given campaign or product launch. However, some veterans proceed with caution where numbers are concerned. Consider these examples:

• Japanese camera maker Fuji typically skips the series 4 and jumps directly from series 3 to series 5, because the number 4 is considered bad luck in Japan.

To learn more about the diverse landscape of "bad luck numbers" throughout the world, check out the infographic below.