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It’s a fundamental tenet of depth psychology that we project our own views, desires and passions on other individuals. After all, in projection is where love begins. We also project our values on other countries. In its most raw form this can be little more than shipping cultural stereotypes overseas, such as when a consumer marketing whiz spoke a few years ago about the China market as a nation of one billion armpits—he even got the math wrong. We often forget what S.I. Hayakawa, the semanticist and senator observed: “the map is not the territory.” We do know that usually the more distant, “foreign” and exotic a country is, the easier it is load it with our projections. With familiarity we don’t always get understanding. After reading the December 2008 issue of the Journal of Advertising Research from the Advertising Research Foundation, I have no more excuses for cultural pratfalls, especially in regard to China.
I was chatting with a friend recently about what the West in general, and Americans in particular, seem to get right (and wrong) about China. The NBC Olympic coverage provides a good starting point for this conversation. You recall the initial concern from the network and many Western news outlets was that the government would pull the television plug if there was some off-putting protest during the Games. That never happened. And then there was concern about filming from touchy locations, such as Tiananmen Square. That also proved not to be a problem.
I was in China for Scientific American in 2001 when an American spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet, killing the Chinese pilot Read more
The post-Olympic drumbeat of expectations has already started. Now that China has produced a brilliant Olympics, allowed 3,000 foreign journalists Read more
Given all the Western news reports charting the run-up to the Beijing Olympics, one would think the place is awash in useful information. Read more
From a marketing point of view the Beijing Olympic organizing committee so far seems brilliant in its positioning of the Games. Read more
MPA's Chuck McCullagh analyzes the 36th FIPP World Magazine Congress in Beijing. Read more
Mark Traphagen discusses the importance of trademark rights in China for international publishers. Read more
When it comes to most businesses, China seems ready, willing and eager for investments. The media, however, are another matter... Read more
Mexico, we are told by the experts, should most appropriately be compared to Spain from a publishing perspective, rather than strictly a country... Read more
Some images seem to transcend countries and cultures. The parable of the blind men in a room with an elephant is often invoked by writers on China to Read more
