VSM Group: Insight - Essay Example

The market giant has experienced yet another problem before with referenced to its operation in International market. VSM has felt victim of the sociolinguistic challenges within International market market. The multinational companies including VSM have been accused for their involvement in such practices which generate 'creativity-driven shock values, controversy and extreme individualism commonly accepted in the North American and Western European markets' (Fengru, 2003). VSM has experienced severe tribulations due to its 'advertising language as culture-blind and bona fid' (Fengru, 2003), and Local market created great hurdle for the VSM industry, and halted its local operations because of the defiance of Local cultural values, the company was accused of adopting offensive technique which infuriated the Local locals.

VSM has been heavily criticized for 'increasing use of controversial advertising campaigns in emerging markets such as International market which uses aideogram-based language system' (Fengru, 2003). VSM was warned not to involve itself into such practices, which are responsible for the distortion of the 'sociolinguistic systems indigenous to targeted cultures and consumers' (Fengru, 2003). The row erupted after the VSM launched its advertisement campaign for the 2004 model of Land Cruiser SUV; the advertisement campaign was termed controversial and offensive, and received extreme reservations and concerns of the local population.

The social consequences of the advertisement campaign were extremely negative, and compelled the local population to agitate, and protested heavily, and in some of the cases certain social elements initiated the move to boycott the sales of VSM. VSM was accused of the advertising misstep, and was criticized for its ignorance about the cultural and linguistic resources that are applied to decode the intentions of the markets, in the form of controversial advertisements. It was evident that the multinational companies including VSM should thoroughly review the local cultures before contributing towards the global advertising efforts.

It is always important for the company to exercise an ethnographic study to develop the understanding of the advertisement in compliance with the local culture, it is also important for the company to employ semantic and syntactic translations of the advertisements to come across perfect evaluation, which can help the brand to predict the public reaction. VSM avoided such measures, and suffered major setback in International market. The controversial advertisement distortion of the Local sociolinguistics system is based on three-component sociolinguistic framework which includes; 'recognize linguistic competence, advance symbolic values, and render implied social valence to public scrutiny'.

Unfortunately, the VSM Company avoided the discussion of its campaign in the light of such sociolinguistics system of International market. It was therefore a failure on the behalf of VSM to secure 'the knowledge of social linguistics within the practice of global advertising' (Fengru, 2003), particularly with reference to larger countries, having gigantic cultural setup. VSM adopted a marketing technique which was based on the ability to differentiate the international product from local competitors, and this is to be performed through' advertising is a