Globalisation Or Anglo Saxonisation?

An Anglo-Saxon man recently...

Just back from four days in Vietnam - my first time there. I played my part in a full day of an ideas fest on behalf of my Unilever client in Vietnam. The most provocative thing I heard all day - and I don't think it was intended to be provocative - was from Lowe's Global Creative Chief for Unilever, Fernando RV Olmos.

He introduced himself to the young crowd with the words, "I am not Anglo-Saxon." Fernando thinks and speak in Spanish, whilst creating advertising that moves people across the globe. Despite globalisation bringing us lower production costs, a freer flow of information and so on, Fernando argued that the ubiquity of the English language is proving to be a barrier or filter to the flow of insights and ideas, rather than a support.

An idea can come from anywhere right? But big ideas are only ever any use when they get executed? So how many big ideas are emerging from Vietnamese / Spanish / Kenyan / Sri Lankan brains, but not making it into the world stage - stymied by an Anglo-saxon decision maker? 

I would add that as brands become increasingly 'global' as new markets open - the guys that sign off the comms campaigns at a global level remain Anglo-Saxon either in physically or in mindset. Maybe the guy who gave him the job recognised Anglo-saxon qualties in the 'outsider' and gave him the keys.

There are a couple of things for us to keep an eye on.

1. If we are in this age of co-creation - people forming their own opinions of brands and now having the power to influence others with those opinions - what will happen to the axis of globalisation culturally? What happens to ideas when American guys stop signing them off?

2. How quickly will our traditional cultural creative hubs of London, New York, Tokyo shift as the Anglo-Saxon cultural leadership diminishes?

3. Are we going to see shifts in the creative processes in our trade, borne out by Hispanic, Chinese or Japanese creatives ? Where is our modern day David Ogilvy / Rosser Reeves? Wouldn't it be great if we addressed him -san or Signor?

Comments

[CommunicateAsia]

Jim, this is a very interesting update. I have been thinking all morning about your comments. Thanks for sending my thoughts in a new direction...I have never thought of English as Lingua Franca becoming a barrier. Certainly there is a lot to consider here.

Two other ideas come to mind, as well. First, and as you suggest in your update, the problem is at least partially about execution. Someone somewhere had a good idea but perhaps failed to execute in the sense that they could not present their idea effectively in a language that other audiences could understand (and I add, this is a two-way street imapcting all of us!).

Second, I cannot help but wonder about pandering. Is it pandering to begin a presentation by saying "I am not Anglo-Saxon"? setting up the straw man seems like a move in the same direction or flavor as America's sometimes mindless chatter about the bad French or a Singaporean's simplistic criticism of the ugly Australians. There has to be better ways of making our points and differentiating ourselves than by setting up straw man arguments that appear ideal for audiences willing to engage in "ist" thinking (e.g., nationalist, culturalist, etc).

I was not there, so I cannot really draw a solid conclusion. It might be interesting to hear more of your thoughts.

Anyway, thanks for the great entry. Keep up the good work. You have given me plenty to think about today.

Michael