A study by the Spanish Academy of Advertising analyzed the reaction of consumers to different brand slogans using neuromarketing techniques and the results are surprising.
One of the conclusions says that slogans in Spanish generate an immediate reaction in the brains of recipients 60 percent greater than if they are written in English.
That is to say, although it is not usual among the big international brands, translating (or adapting) the slogans of the parent companies can be a good idea.
international slogans
There are many examples of slogans written in English that have been successful in markets where consumers speak other languages.
The best known: “Just Do It”of Nike. The iconic slogan “Just do it” has become synonymous with the brand’s spirit of perseverance and determination. Originally launched in 1988 as part of a campaign aimed at amateur athletes, the slogan has since been translated into numerous languages and used in markets around the world.
In China, for case, it was translated as “Jiǎn jiǎn dà shèng”which literally means “Simplicity wins”.
Another example is “Think Different”of Apple. The slogan “Think Different” was first published in 1997 and has been used to convey the innovative spirit of the brand and its focus on pushing the boundaries of technology.
In Japan, for example, it was translated as “Igokochi wo tsukuru”which means something like “Create a comfortable feeling”.
Another case is “I’m Lovin’ It” (“I love it”), by McDonald’s, an indivisible part of the company’s successful advertising campaigns. It originated in 2003 and has been translated into dozens of languages.
The slogan: in Spanish or in English?
The investigation of the Spanish Advertising Academy, called “The response to brand slogans in native and non-native languages”, sought to analyze the impact of language on the perceptions of slogans based on the tendency of many multinational companies to use texts in English in their advertisements.
The qualitative research was carried out with a sample of 30 bilingual students (Spanish and English) of economics, marketing and advertising from the Nebrija University and the Autonomous University of Madrid.
Neuromarketing techniques were used to analyze how students’ brains reacted to seeing slogans in their native (Spanish) and non-native (English or German) languages.
The main conclusion of the study is that when a slogan is seen in Spanish, the brain’s reaction is between 60 and 84.5 percent greater than if the same text is offered in English.
In a statement, the Advertising Academy says that this “openly contradicts the strategies of numerous brands and advertisers who use slogans and advertisements in English and other languages in Spain.”
The study results also suggest that the native language tagline facilitates an information processing cascade and enhanced activation of attention and memory mechanisms that influence brand recall and its association with the message.
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