Translated creative ads could fail to capture the humour from the original narrative and thereby lower its effectiveness.
Brands and agencies that rely on translation strategies to serve ads to diverse audiences and save money and time may wind up compromising on effectiveness. Translating ads designed for one market but served to another would be unwise, as most translations reflect the environment of the target market.
For example, most ads created in America are produced by and for Anglo Caucasian people and would not transfer well to other languages. Moreover, the gap between diverse consumers' experiences and marketing messaging may give the impression that the brand is oblivious to the audiences’ needs.
Additionally, marketing to various segments provides different business opportunities, and the translated creative ads may not account for those potentials. Translating ad creatives for diverse segments may forgo the cultural nuances and could possibly trigger negative responses. In addition, according to many market studies by Nielsen and ANA/AIMM, commercials translated from the general market to other segments are three to four times less effective than the original ads.
[4 minute read]
