VERBAL CODE, LOCALIZATION, AND BRAND RISK IN INTERCULTURAL ADVERTISING

Abstract

This paper examines the widely circulated Pepsi slogan case in the Chinese market, in which the English slogan “Come alive with the Pepsi generation” has often been reported as being rendered into Chinese in a way that suggested Pepsi could bring ancestors back from the grave. Because the official status of this reported rendering remains contested, the case is treated not as a verified historical record but as a durable case narrative in intercultural advertising discourse. Using qualitative case analysis and secondary market data, this paper investigates how verbal code, cultural resonance, audience interpretation, and media repetition interact in global brand messaging. The findings reveal three main conclusions. First, direct translation can preserve surface wording but weaken persuasive equivalence, especially when idiomatic expressions are moved into a different cultural system. Second, cultural resonance determines whether a translated slogan is received as natural, persuasive, or inappropriate; therefore, localization should be understood as a strategic risk-management process rather than a technical language task. Third, media repetition can extend the reputational life of an intercultural advertising error, turning even a contested case into a long-term cautionary narrative for global brands. Based on these findings, the paper proposes a practical framework that includes transcreation, local cultural review, audience testing, and post-launch monitoring. The study contributes to applied intercultural advertising by showing that translation is not the final stage of campaign execution, but a central process through which global brands negotiate meaning, credibility, and cultural trust in local markets.