How Marketing With Famous People Americans Don't Know Doesn't Work

Here is a very good blog article about this video which highlights one of the problems about trying to change your global image using advertising.

The chinese created an advertisement using famous Chinese people that very few Americans know.  In fact, Americans know very few celebrities from any country other than America because they have no real interest in knowing about celebrities from other countries that don't speak English.

Because they have no interest in finding out about other countries celebrities, trying to influence their feelings about a country this way is pointless.   It is the same thing as having a display at Disney.  Wow, look at all those Chinese.   It does nothing to give you an impression of how hard these famous people have worked in their fields, why they are famous or help change the Americans viewpoint on China.

Having lived in Asia, I would have loved something that focused on how old the country is and how that history is celebrated today and incorporated into modern China.   Americans can't understand China very well because they have no clue about Chinese history or how the Chinese think.   Most Americans are too ethnocentric to venture that deep into another countries culture and an advertisement in Times Square is not going to influence anyone's opinion except to maybe go have Chinese food for lunch.

If you want to change public opinion with Americans, you really need to hire Americans to help you with the marketing and ad campaign to ensure that your message is understood by those you are targeting.