🌍 The geopolitics of ads
Plus: A wild plot in Venezuela
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Today’s briefing: |
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Good morning Intriguer. Today’s briefing on the geopolitics of ads finally gives me the excuse to share some of the funniest (if semi-apocryphal?) examples of brands that’ve failed spectacularly when translated into new markets and languages:
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It’s hard to beat KFC’s Finger-lickin’ good ending up as Eat your fingers off in China
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Mitsubishi wondered why its Pajero was selling so poorly in Latin America until someone pointed out it’s occasionally slang for tosser
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Tonic water flopped in Italy until Schweppes learned it was selling as toilet water
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A US airline tried to boost Mexico sales with its Fly in leather campaign, only to learn the hard way it was slang for fly naked
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And Clairol’s Mist Stick curling iron bombed in Germany until locals pointed out mist is slang for crap.
Ahhhhhh good times. Let’s dive in?
Remembrance of the day
2 years
That’s how long has now passed since the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel triggered a devastating war. Hamas today (7 October) celebrated what it called a “glorious day”, while Israel has scheduled its own official mourning for 16 October (after the High Holidays).
Corporates and consumers
Sometimes when riding the subway to work, you just need to take a break from all the ads on your phone and really look up so you can, you know, see all the ads on the subway.
Sure, they’re trying to sell you the burrito at the front-end, the gym membership at the back-end, and the booze and gambling to numb any pain in between.
But if you mute the noise, there are also some subtle signals about who we are, who we trust, and which version of the world we want to believe in.
So grab that passport and join us for a quick trip ‘round the world, starting in…
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Sweden, ja?
Countries are constantly hustling to rebrand themselves in hopes of carving out a bigger slice of that sweet sweet tourism market. But we’ve never quite seen a campaign like Sweden’s, pitching itself (with a wink) as the world’s first destination prescribed by doctors!
It’s a reference to Sweden’s famed saunas, ice baths, and wilderness, all now essential (and data-backed) routines for any 40-something who suddenly realised they’re mortal.
The deeper signals for our anxious and busy world?
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As our lives get more synthetic, there’s a premium on anything authentic
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As our world gets more hectic, there’s a premium on anything tranquil, and
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As Sweden’s neighbourhood grapples with Putin’s war, there’s a premium on emphasising at home and abroad that Sweden still carries on (even as Stockholm casually gives everyone a handy war preparedness guide).
The Swedes aren’t alone, of course: the Norwegians next door crushed it with last year’s ad highlighting Oslo’s calm, just as cities elsewhere were protesting against overtourism.
Anyway, let’s now head to…
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Germany and Indonesia!
If you ever find yourself hopping on a flight from Germany to Indonesia, that’s wild given there are no direct flights. But itineraries aside, you’ll feel military vibes at each end.
Ubering to Munich airport, you’ll notice young Bundeswehr recruits smiling down from billboards, calling on citizens to "Do something that really counts" (ie, enlist).
Then once you land 10,000km (6,200mi) away in Jakarta, grab a copy of Indonesia’s biggest daily paper and you’ll see the president himself (Prabowo) just took out a full page ad defending his growing use of the military for random tasks — from school lunches and medicine-making, to agricultural projects and palm oil operations.
Prabowo even dusted off his inner Don Draper via a crisp new slogan — No Longer Just Military: Indonesian-style People’s Defense.
The deeper signals for our rattled and gridlocked world?
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As our democracies get more gridlocked, populists like Prabowo will increasingly wheel the military out to get stuff done (or be seen to do so), but…
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The need to take out a full-page ad is a reminder that folks won’t just swallow it, particularly if they’re processing an authoritarian history. Speaking of which…
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Germany’s recruitment campaign aims to strike that balance, responding to the realities of Putin’s aggression without playing into Putin’s anti-West propaganda.
Anyway, time for our ‘Murican Intriguers to head home to…
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The US of A
Once you stagger through your front door and lunge for the Maxwell House coffee in your pantry, you’ll notice it just temporarily rebranded as Maxwell Apartment in a marketing stunt appealing to anyone struggling in the US housing market.
And you can chuckle to yourself about it later while waiting in line for your McDonald’s $5 Meal Deal, wearing those new low-cost Old Navy basics, watching Netflix’s cheaper ad-supported service, or engaging with any of the other countless brands now refreshing their value offerings as US households report feeling the pinch.
And that concludes our (free) trip.
Intrigue’s Take
Let’s conclude with a couple of reflections on what these ads have in common, shall we?
First, they’re all like a mirror reflecting our own fears back at us (then selling the cure). For Germans, the military’s ad reflects not only the obvious unease around Putin’s moves abroad, but also the youth’s aimlessness amid politico-economic uncertainty back home. For Indonesians, Prabowo’s ad hints at fears of an authoritarian reboot. And perhaps the Swedish ad’s emphasis on silence and tradition hints at how both are now under threat.
And second, these ads all hint at who we should trust in response. For the Swedes? The answer is nature and science. The Indonesians and Germans lean a little more on the state. As for those US ads? Just leave it to the market, y’all.
Anyway, enjoy the burrito and gym membership. And now a smooth and shameless segue to remind you that if you’d ever like to advertise with Intrigue and reach ~145k+ intriguing inboxes every day, just smash that reply button!
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
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🇺🇸 UNITED STATES – Missiles, maybe. Comment: The bigger hurdle might not be any yes from the White House, but the fact the White House was just briefing journalists that its own stockpiles are already pre-committed. This could be accurate, or it could be misdirection aimed at Moscow. |
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🇫🇷 FRANCE – Another one bites le dust. Comment: That’s three felled PMs in a row, including France’s two shortest-serving PMs in modern history (Barnier and now Lecornu). The continued gridlock benefits France’s populists, who’ll be the presumed beneficiaries as soon as President Macron calls another snap election (hence his repeated attempts to find new PMs first). |
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🇬🇧 UNITED KINGDOM – Pointing fingers. |
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🇯🇵 JAPAN – Link up. Comment: If true, it’d a) provide revenue to help finance Japan’s own defence ramp-up, b) cement Japan’s image as an alternative security partner to China, and c) partly offset rival China’s growing influence in Bangladesh. |
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🇸🇩 SUDAN – Convicted. Comment: The Janjaweed has now rebranded as the Rapid Support Forces, fighting Sudan’s military since 2023. It’s still facing allegations of atrocities, including in the same Darfur region where it’s now besieged the key city of Al Fashir for 500+ days. |
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🇻🇪 VENEZUELA – Just in time. Comment: This feels a tad implausible, leaving us to wonder if it’s a) propaganda to portray Maduro as a magnanimous and vigilant protector, b) a smear against conservative opponents (whom he blamed) to justify another crackdown, or c) a bit of mutual posturing to deter any more US moves in the region. |
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🇳🇿 NEW ZEALAND – Sorry about that. |
Extra Intrigue
Here’s what people around the world are googling
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Folks in the 🇦🇪 UAE looked up ‘AMD stock’ after the US chipmaker unveiled a multi-billion-dollar deal with OpenAI.
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🇦🇺 Australians searched for ‘Jilly Cooper’ after news broke about the famous British author’s death.
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And 🇮🇳 India’s traders googled ‘Tata Capital IPO’, as the conglomerate’s consumer finance arm gears up for India’s biggest IPO of the year.
Snafu of the day
Many assumed Putin was (again) to blame when airborne objects temporarily closed yet another European airport on Sunday.
But this latest incident in Lithuania’s capital of Vilnius was actually caused by weather balloons carrying crates of smuggled cigarettes from Belarus! Turns out it’s quite common, with the Lithuanians recovering 544 such balloons just this year.
Today’s poll
Do you think President Trump will send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine? |
Yesterday’s poll: Do you think Takaichi can save Japan?
🚀 Yes, she's got what it takes (48%)
😩 No, Japan's challenges transcend any one leader (51%)
✍️ Other (write in!) (1%)
Your two cents:
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😩 C.D: “Success in this case is to build stability and stimulate the economy in the near term so that over the long haul successors have a solid foundation on which to build.”
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✍️ T.W.L: “Does Japan need saving?”
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😩 W.H.H: “No, she’ll effectively get nothing done except for putting more restrictions on foreigners due to the likely necessity of allying with Sanseito and have a career-ending scandal in a year or two as is tradition.”