The Appealing Resonances and Conflicts in the Chinese and English Commercials through a Cultural Analysis

Zhang Yansheng 张彦生

摘 要：眾所周知，语言是文化的载体。伴随经济全球化的广泛性、深入性和渗透性，广告借助丰富多彩的语言优势，高举文化大旗，高姿态全方位地影响着人们的视线。任何广告最终目的都是为了得到受众的认可。本文旨在就中英文商业广告语言中的文化诉求这一层面进行对比分析，目的是通过分析诉求共鸣与冲突，探究从冲突到共鸣的转换策略。

关键词：中英文商业广告；文化视角；诉求共鸣；诉求冲突；转换策略

1 Introduction the Relationship between Advertising and Culture

The English word advertisement comes from the ancient Latin Adverture and after the Middle English （about 1300-1475）it became Adventure， initially meaning to make somebody note something. In the late 17th century， the British began large-scale commercial activities， thus causing the gradual popularization of advertising（何修猛，2002：1，2）. The Father of advertising education Charcles H. Sandage ever mentioned the basic purpose of advertising ，which is to provide information of products to the members of society， to convince them and， at the same time， to develop their abilities of shopping judgements（鲁曙明 洪浚浩， 2007：329）.

The British scholar Taylor defines culture as follows： the so-called culture or civilization is an overall system， including knowledge， beliefs， arts， ethics， laws， customs， as well as other capabilities and habits to which members of society have access（刘宓庆，2007：1）. In the field of ideology， culture represents a nation， and reflects different national spirits， state of mind， ways of thinking and value orientation. Culture objectively exists in different ethnic groups， and shows itself through the language as the carrier.Therefore， Culture is what we should value.

In conclusion， language is the carrier of culture， advertising is also inseparable from language， and advertising and culture is closely linked by language. So advertising should reflect culture， and culture should modify advertising in the process of realising good social and economic effects. With the economic globalization in the world， commercial economics and commercial advertising are increasingly integrated， and meanwhile， different cultures hidden in different ethnics and national backgrounds are faced with fierce conflicts. In view of the important role of advertising in international business， the author here intends the article to emphasize the appealing points in the Chinese and English commercials through a cultural analysis.

2 The appealing resonances and features

Simon，the winner of the Nobel Prize， once said， with the social development， what is more valuable is not information but attention（何修猛，2002：19）. The realisation of the appealing resonances shows that businessmen successfully grasp consumers psychology， cultural backgrounds， and combine culture with products selling points.The features of ads that are successfully reflected in cultural appealing resonances as as follows.

2.1 Attaching importance to custom cultures

In order to attract the market， we must learn to do as the Romans do， and pay much attention to the field of culture. Because of different ethnic values， ways of thinking， ways of life， religions and so on， when individuals from different cultural backgrounds meet other cultural backgrounds， some adjustments must be made， otherwise they will help nothing. For example， the shampoo made by P & G（US）， is called Pert-plus in America， while in the Asian region it has been adjusted to Rejoice， and specifically for the Chinese users， Rejoice has been translated as “飘柔” which is a popular name（张蓉，1997：46）.

2.2 Emphasizing scientific and technological factors

After World War II， every country makes the development of the national economy a focus， and has promoted the rapid development of economic globalization， at the same time， the globalization of science and technology has also appeared as a strong momentum with time going on. In this background， culture representing science and technology is quietly emerging in a variety of advertising language， and becoming a most important medium and a new appealing point for enterprises to promote their products.For example， “Man comes first before tech.”（Nokia）（科技以人为本）（诺基亚） （农时敏，2001：33）.The case of the product is trying to passing the information to consumers that the high-tech product can satisfay you. On the one hand， it meets the quality requirements of the consumers psychology， on the other hand also realises the purpose of pursuing the enterprise culture， and therefore achieving the appealing resonance. Again， “Tech creates freedom.”（Lenovo）（科技创造自由）（联想）， which makes “technology” and “freedom” the appealing point， and has attracted numerous consumers to buy Lenovo because they take delight in the pursuit of technology and freedom.

2.3 Containing emotional elements

The Chinese people is one who respect rites which are， in the Confucian culture， deeply rooted in people's hearts and thinking， and Chinese-style advertising often exaggerates the emotions in a heavy way. For example， “Confucian homely liquor makes you homesick”（孔府家酒） and “Love is dedicated to Mother”（威力洗衣機） （徐德珍，2003：46）. Such ads can make consumers first love them becauese they can bring good emotions and then prepare a desire for them to purchase the products which are sure to sell well. In English world， we can also find many successful ads which contain friendship and emotions. For example， “If you love her， take her to eat Haagen-Dazs.”（爱她，就请她吃哈根达斯）（Haagen Dazs冰淇淋）. Such description close to the lives of the ordinary people can easily cause emotional resonance， very naturally making the consumers to focus their attention on the merchandise.

2.4 Describing products simply and truly

As the saying goes， where there is truth， there is life. Truth means that the advertised product itself has a high quality and credibility， and it can make people convinced. For example， “Obey your thirst.”（Sprite）（服从你的渴望）（雪碧）and “The taste is great.”（味道好极了）（雀巢咖啡）.The appealing point is simple， true， and convincing.

3 The conflicts and reasons

3.1 Definition

The appealing conflicts means that when merchants operate their ads，they sometimes ignore the national mentality， cultural background， and views of value of the customers， which results in the consumers misunderstanding of the content of the ads， thus the appealing resonances fail and the enterprises suffer a loss.

3.2 The reasons for the conflicts

Different ethnic backgrounds contain cultural differences. When the enterprises plan their ads， if they ignore the consumers national psychology， cultural backgrounds and values， causing the consumers to misunderstand the content of the advertisement， they will have to face the cultural conflicts. Therefore， the enterprises have to take the different cultures into consideration when they plan their ads，otherwise， their sales will go to the opposite.The reasons for the conflicts can be analysed from the following five aspects.

3.2.1 Differences in knowledge of language

Local dialects， slangs， customs and other cultural differences will affect resonance. If an export company does not understand target consumers local culture backgrounds， then the well-sold goods in the home country will become unsalable goods abroad. For example， in China， a famous brand of dry battery called “白象”is in great demand in the domestic market， but “White Elephant”in English is a set phrase which means “a burdensome possession； something useless”. Maybe no one want to spend money buying “rubbish（汪滔，2003：94，95）.” Again， a brand of soap named “蜜蜂”in Chinese is literally translated into “Bees” in English，which seems to be corresponding，but “Bees” are not welcome in English-speaking countries because bees have stings which make people feel uncomfortable when they use the soap to wash their hands or faces. The following example comes from an English ad.“At KFC， we do chicken right.”is an ad of KFC.An ad like this that appears in Chinas KFC is sure to trigger a lot of associations.There spread no less than 20 kinds of Chinese translations on the Internet：“在肯德基，我們做鸡很好”；“在肯德基，我们做正点的鸡”；“在肯德基，我们做鸡是对的”；“在肯德基，我们有做鸡的权利。” We think the possible versin should be “美味炸鸡，尽在肯德基！”

It is obvious that cultural communication plays a significant role in the commercials.If a company would like to open the international market， it has to obey the counterparts cultural habits， otherwisw it will suffer a lot.

3.2.2 Differences in associative meaning of animals

The pet in a country may be regarded as a monster in another country. For example， Duck： In western countries， “Fortune duck” is a TM，which stands for a rather favorable leather goods.When it was first introduced into China，it was translated into “科春得”instead of “幸运鸭” just because “鸭”in Chinese culture refers to “those men who make a living by depending on rich women（吃软饭的男人） （徐莉林，2005：第4期）.” Another example， Dragon：In western countries， “dragon”is associated with terrible monsters while in China “dragon”is a token of the Han Nationality，which stands for the prosperity and power and the Chinese people are proud of being the descendants of dragon.Again， the product camphor（樟脑） is in great demand in Australia， but Chinas “Rabbit”（兔牌）doest sell well， the main reason of which is that on the grassland in Australia， rabbits， lacking natural enemies， breeding very quickly and eating large pasture， has become a hazard. In this case， “Rabbit” makes the Autralian consumers reminiscent of the bad animal—the rabbit ， therefore， the product is not welcome to the locals.

If people take the incompatible animals with different meanings as the appealing point for their products， it is doomed to face failure.

3.2.3 Differences in the consuming psychological tendencies

3.2.3.1 Chinese ads emphasize the authority

Historically， China is a large traditioanl agriculturally-based feudal country， the political powers of various dynasties took their turns respectively， and the idea of sovereign worship is deeply rooted in the Chinese society， which makes the Chinese ordinary folks adore the authority and believe firmly in what the so-called authority promises.As a result， in Chinese ads， many products are often entitled by “The High Quality（優质） ” authorized by the authoritative sections of the nation， ministry or province. Besides this， there are many other entitles such as “The Products Recommended by the Chinese Consumers Association”（中国消费者协会推荐产品）， “The Products Especially Appointed by The National Field and Track Team（国家田径队指定产品）” etc. Some ads even label on their products the powerful， striking and unique terms like “Emperor， King， Tyranny， Monarch or Dignity”.Here are some typical examples， “TCL， 王牌彩电（电视） （张蓉，1997：47）”， “小霸王果奶，孕育小天才（饮料）”， “至尊至贵，王者气派（房地产）”， etc.It appears that these products are superior to others， but when they are introduced to the English market， they are sure to fail because the westerners pay much attention to the effective products instead of so-called artificially exaggerated ones.Such publicity will surely cause the appealing resonance missing （张蓉，1997：47）.

3.2.3.2 Western ads focus on the quality

In the 18th century， the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain heralded the age of industry of the whole western nations. As time goes on， the western industrial products are being upgraded by science and technology， in which case， western ads more and more take science and technology as the appealing points and emphasize the high quality. Please look at the following examples， “Tech comes before man. （科技以人为本）” （诺基亚Nokia） ， “Philips， the symbol of high-tech. （菲利浦：高科技的象征）” （Philips ）and “The new digital era（数码新时代）.”（ Sony索尼 DVD）

In the scientifically and technologically developing times， the enterprises should pay much more attention to the contents of science and technology in their products when they develop new products， which can satisfy the consumers great needs of high-quality products and only by doing so can the appealing points be realised and can the enterprises create much more wealth than before.

3.2.4 Differences in the attitudes of the ads

3.2.4.1 Chinese ads reflect introversion.

In the Chinese civilized history of thousands of years， the Confucianism represented by Confuciusis the mainstream of Chinese traditional culture.The Confucianism focus on benevolence and virtues and emphasizes mans values through introspection， so， deeply influenced by the Confucianism， Chinese culture cherishes implicit beauty and hides something controversial deeply in the backgrounds.Such idea makes Chinese ads simple aiming at gentle appealing. For example， “南方黑芝麻糊，一缕温馨，一缕香甜。”Such poetic words make a vivid picture for the customers， send off warmth and sweetness to the customers and more important， forms a resonance with the customers. Another successful ad is from “Chunlan（春兰）” （air conditioner）： “奉献一片爱心，均匀人间冷暖。”This ad makes us feel the kindness and generosity from “Chunlan” and feel quite comfortable.

3.2.4.2 Western ads reflect extroversion

Western philosophy puts stress on the exploration of the nature of the world， encourages people to make progress and insists on conquering the world constantly， so once this extroversion is combined with ads， a momentum will appear. Look at the following examples， “Give me 20 minutes， and I will give you the whole world. （WNS Broadcasting Company） ”， “Cover the world（Paint油漆） ”， “Rent the USA（House & Estate Property房地產公司）”， and “If Whorf cant change your appearance， youd better have nothing on in the street. （Whorf服装） ”

Although these ads above are ambitious and show a kind of spirit of exploration， such an absolute attitude of assertions goes against the introversion of Chinese culture and will not achieve a resonance in China because this idea of “I am the number one”is unpopular here（张蓉，1997：46，47）.

3.2.5 Differences in the worldview

The Chinese people advocate collectivism， and emphasize the importance of the harmony between the individual and collective， therefore， the Chinses ads often pay attention to the public psychology， attracting the possible consumers with the terms such as “Suitable to both the aged and the young（老少皆宜）”， “Deeply loved by the public（深受大眾喜爱）”. For example： “Changhong takes the nation's prosperity as its responsibility（长虹以民族昌盛为己任）” which win can win the acceptance of the consumers because people feel that Changhong Group is responsible and worth depending on； Another example， “Everyone feels happy， then thats really happy（广州好迪）.” This ad can make the consumers believe in the services provided by this enterprise.Western Philosophy respects individualism， stressing the development of the human personality and individual success. Under its influence， English advertising reflects peoples optimistic spirits whenl looking to the future as well as Kings ambition to conquer the world. For example， “Not you would.But you could （不是有可能，而是肯定行）”； “We lead.Others copy （我们领先，他人效仿）” （刘芳 刘雨 闫继芬，2007：183）. Confidence will be advertised in ads to attract confident consumers.

4 The strategies to transform the existing conflicts into resonances

4.1 Respect cultural differences in different backgrounds

Language reflect different concepts， meaningful systems， systems of value and ways of thinkings（潘文国，1997：27-35）.It is an indisputable fact that objectively there exist cultural differences among different geographical surroundings， so， only when advertisements are combined with the regional cultures， will they receive satisfactory market results， and achieve resonances with consumers. For example： Chinas “Junk”（an English TM for a kind of Chinese carpet：“帆船”牌地毯） was introduced to the United States， it still kept the corresponding English word “junk” but “junk” in English also has another meaning “垃圾”. The phenomenon that one word has more than one meaning in English makes “junk” a derogatory word， which inevitably caused low “Junk” carpet sales， and it is not difficult for one to imagine this bad result. Therefore， in order to avoid the unnecessary loss or contradictions， we should make Chinese ads have English flavors and make English ads have Chinese characteristics， and only in this case， can we find a way out for such products. Here is another example： when “Simmons” （the name of a US bed） entered the Chinese market， it was translated “席梦思”， which makes countless possible Chinese consumers conceive the deep warmth that the term “席梦思” has brought； Once again for example， “才子”衬衫 （a kind of shirt made in Fuzhou in China） was given an English name “Tries” when it was introduced to the English world ， and its English pronunciation is quite similar to “才子” in Chinese pronunciation， which， to a large extent， satisfies the Chinese people who long for a better future， and “tries” in English means “to spare no efforts to do sth.” on the other hand satisfies the English and American people who live a positive and uplifting life.So “才子” or “Tries” exerts its social functions both at home and abroad and such ads truly manage to find the resonances based on the cultural differences（邱立珍，2002：70，71）.

4.2 Emphasize gentle reminding

Because reminding with goodwill carry many factors of human beings love， it can quickly eliminate a kind of subtle inherent confrontation between consumers and merchants . For example， “Fresh-up with Seven-up. ” （Seven-up） This ad implies that when you are tired and want to refresh your mind， you can try Seven-up（七喜飲料）. Another example is from China， “In fact， men need more care” （丽珠得乐：其实男人更需要关怀）， this sentence is just like a homely chat （唠嗑） with a rich atmosphere of family. It reminds that we should care more for men because they are bearing more and more pressures in this world than women especially in Chinese traditions. As a result， this ad moves many men to tears and persudes more wives to buy this medicine for stomach for their hard-working husbands. So gentle reminding can arouse the resonances from the depth of consumers inner hearts.

4.3 Add encouraging elements

With rapid economic and social development， peoples material life has becoming richer and richer.Chinese and Western cultures intertwine with each other accompanied by many collisions， in which case， there more or less occurs some deviation（偏差） in the inner world of social people， so we have to add positive things particularly to peoples spiritual life in order to avoid inertia（惰性）.If ad culture carries encouraging elements， people will definitely perceive a special kind of moving， thus， the ad is sure to win customers resonances quickly. For example， in the United States， Jordan（乔丹） confides in the English ad “Failure”， for Nike（耐克） ， “In my career， I missed more than 9，000 balls， lost nearly 300 games. Because of my teammates trust， I had 26 times to throw the crucial ball for victory but failed. In my life I experienced failures one after another，but it is also the reason why I succeed.”this advertisement makes the audience not only recognize Jordan's frankness， but also accept Nike（耐克） and at the same time they acquire a new force from what Jordan says frankly. Here Id like to share a Chinese ad with you. In July 2004， China Mobile launched the advertising series named “I can”， among which there is such an ad， “Everyone is a mountain， and the mountain that is the most difficult for people to conquer in the world is actually themselves. Going up even a small step also means a new height. Do my best， because I can.” This wonderful colloquial ad narrows the distance between the merchants and the consumers by encouraging the latter to believe their own abilities and constantly surpass themselves.

4.4 Use famous aphorism cleverly

Famous aphorism is popular with people because it serves the function of guiding. For example， “Not all cars are created equal.”（Not all cars have the same good quality：并非所有的车都有好品质）. In this ad， the car advertiser uses one sentence from the Bible， “All men are created equal” （Human beings are born equal：人人生而平等）.In the ad， only using a negative word “not” can make people believe that such a car has an outstanding quality. The following ad from China is about a kind of 花露水（made in Shanghai）， “To choose it or not？ This is the time to decide.” （买还是不买？现在是做决定的时候了。）The sentence means， “To buy or not to buy？ Now it is time to make a decision.” This ad quotes the sentence from Shakespeares famous tragedy “Hamlet”.The hero（主人公）Hamlet （哈姆雷特） says，“To be or not to be， thats a question.”，which means “To survive or to destroy？ This is a problem.” （生存还是毁灭？这是个问题。）This is Hamlets classic soliloquy. In the tragedy， when Hamlet （Prince of Denmark） faces his fathers sudden death， his mothers remarring to his bad uncle and his uncles rebellion， his heart is full of suspicion， contradictions， hesitation and pain. This English translation of the ad clearly shows that the consumers have experienced the inner heated struggle before they decide to choose the product when they face the powerful temptation produced by “Bili”（碧丽）.

5 Conclusion

This paper aims at the appealing points in Chinese and English commercials through a cultural analysis. First， we observe resonances and conflicts in both Chinese and English commercials produced by the appealing points； Second， we analyze the causes； Last， we try to find the strategies to settle the conflicts and to transform the existing conflicts into resonances. To proceed the comparative study of the appealing points in Chinese and English commercials through a cultural analysis is a complex and arduous process， because it involves many aspects， such as the advertising industry in both Chinese and English， Chinese and English deep-level cultures， ethnic and cultural differences concerning philosophy， psychology， linguistics， and other disciplines， etc. so， there is a long way to go before we achieve a better result of study.

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作者简介：

张彦生（1967～），男，湖北襄阳人，华中师范大學武汉传媒学院，研究方向：英汉对比与翻译。