First Impressions of Advertising in Berlin

Funky. Hip. Innovative. Creative. Unique. These are only just a few words that describe the distinctive advertising techniques that are scattered all around the city of Berlin. I have never been to a city that was open to self expression and appreciative of creative ideas and concepts. As you can see with the picture above, advertisements in Berlin hold no barriers! The ad is taken from the clothing store called the United Colors of Bentton. It was located in an area of Berlin called Krusfadamm and it was centered in the middle of a busy shopping center. I was actually shocked to see the ad because in America I would never expect to see an ad portraying a woman’s breast in the middle of a shopping center! I sincerely respect the honesty of the advertisements because the images that the ads might display may be taboo but they acknowledge that its apart of life and the ads in Berlin don’t shy from them.
Throughout the whole city you can’t help but notice all of the many creative advertisements! The ads are extremely interesting but more so are the different techniques of how they are displayed throughout the city. For instance, I saw one advertisement for Ray Ban featuring Shaun White that was depicted on the stair case that can only be noticed when you’re standing directly in front of the steps. I also saw a unique advertisement that looked as though it was being painted on by an actual person when in actuality it was only a dummy standing on the latter. Berlin is so busy and overcrowded that advertises have to use different techniques to get people to notice them. Also, I noticed that many of the advertisements are featured all over the city continuously. The ads that were repetitive were the Sex in the City movie poster, Red Dead Redemption X-Box game, and the Macintosh Ipad. With these three ads being most predominant among others, I would assume that advertisers view Berlin as a city full of a younger, “electronic- friendly” demographic and are trying to specifically target this age group.
Compared to Miami, I believe that the advertisements in Berlin are made for a mass audience rather than localized. The ads are more standardized and can be used in any other part of the world. But in Miami there are many ads that can only be decoded by the people who are from the area. For example, IKEA developed billboard advertisements that made reference to the different parts areas that are in Miami. One ad said “IKEA is to Miami just like dominos are to Calle Ocho.” This technique is a great strategy because it allows the consumers of the location to feel that the advertisement is talking to the individual personally.
Overall, I found the advertisements in Berlin to be very innovative and inspiring. I notice myself developing new ideas of how I would advertise different products. The advisement images and messages were very forward and “in-your-face.” Also the techniques used to deliver the messages are more advanced than in America. The only thing I would recommend is for the advertisers to localize their advertisements to attract more residents in the city. Berlin is an amazing city and the advertisements just add to its charm!

Cultural Differences

Cultural differences
All over the world people have different cultures that make up who they are as an individual. Culture is defined as values, norms, traditions, etc that are shared with a particular group. Within America, there are many different people that come from numerous amount of cultures but there are many similar commonalities that they all share. But when you compare America culture to the city of Berlin there are many cultural differences that stand out. The cultural differences that stand out the most to me are the fashion, food, and music.
For some reason I had imagined the fashion in Europe to be very trendy, stylish, and very fashion-forward. I pictured people in Hugo Boss business suits, Gucci pumps, and Chanel handbags but I found out that it was the complete opposite. In Berlin, it seems that they don’t stress on their images and are not interested in flashy labels. In America, image is so important and people will go to extreme measures to create a certain persona. As you see in the picture below, their style is very hipster-mixing colorful scarf’s, black tights, boots, and topping it off with a bright jacket! Also, there is a huge Turkish community and their style is reflective of their religious beliefs.
The food in Berlin is also very reflective of their culture as a whole. I noticed that many of the restaurants in the city are all influences from other countries around the world. For example, there are Italian restaurants in almost every street corner! I have also seen many restaurants/stands that sell different Turkish food such as lamb kabobs, donors, and currywarst.
There were also many American fast food chain restaurants such as Burger King, McDonalds, KFC, and Subway. This actually made me feel relieved to know that if I didn’t find anything I liked to eat, I could always find something that I’m familiar with. Now although there are many different styles of food in Berlin, there were still an abundance of restaurants that had German cuisine. The foods that are known as staples in the German culture are shnizles, spezli, and wursts.
While being in Berlin, I realized that music and art are huge staple in the German culture. The music in Berlin is a lifestyle in the sense of how it influences the clothing, atmosphere, and attitudes of the people here. I have been to many clubs in America but the vibe and the mood is completely different. He night clubs in Miami are more for trying to impress other people and trying to convey this high society status quo but in Berlin it doesn’t matter how you dress or what you look like- its about being in a space where the music connects you with one another. Also, throughout the city there is tons of graffiti all over the sidewalks, walls, train stations, everywhere! The graffiti here is different than anywhere else because it’s a form of expression and a movement to say this is my city and ill express myself anyway I please.
Overall, as I mentioned above there are many cultural differences between America and Berlin. The clothing style in Berlin is more about inner expression rather to please the people around you or mold into a popular image. The food in Berlin is continuing with its traditional recipes but is also incorporating other cuisines as well. Lastly, the music and art scene in Berlin is appreciative of the statement and the history that are associated with them. Berlin is an amazing city full of life and I’m grateful to be invited into their culture and lifestyle.

Reflections On Language Barriers!

Language! Lenguaje! Sprache! Before coming to Berlin, I was most anxious about how I was going to get around the city without being able to speak German. The picture that I have chosen was a street sign called "Potsdamer Platz" taken at the Potsdamer Platz subway station. It is only one out of hundreds of words that looked like gibberish to me! All of the street signs were foreign to me and it was extremely hard to get around the city. One of the students in the program spoke German fluently and I felt that I would be very reliant on her to get me through this study abroad program. As soon as I landed in Berlin, I quickly discovered that I would not need my own “personal translator” on the trip at all. I found that most of the people in Berlin spoke English fluently or at least understood enough to hold a conversation with an English speaking person.

I noticed that throughout the city of Berlin, each establishment that we visited catered to the many different people who visited the city. Berlin is visited by hundreds of people each year and they developed a system of including language assistance throughout the city to accommodate which allows for travelers to feel more comfortable while visiting. For instance, we took a bike tour around the city to visit historical sites and the tours were given in German, English, Spanish, etc. We also took a private tour through the Parliament of Berlin and each tourist had the option to choose the language they would be most comfortable for each group. Also, most of the restaurants that we visited included English menu’s or included English subtitles. Compared to American, most of the establishments are only in English and do not include any other languages. Although in Miami there are many locations where you can find Spanish menu’s but that’s because the geological area is made up mostly Hispanics.

It was also an interesting experience meeting with the IMK students who were from different parts of Germany. For most of the students, German is their first language and English was their second. I don’t believe they have the opportunity to speak in English that often but they were most gracious to try and speak with the FIU students. For the most part the IMK understood everything we said except for some phrases, words, reference points, and gestures that we may use in the United States. It was actually nice to have some of the students ask us questions about different words or phrases we use because I use them so often that I don’t even recognize that I do it or why! Some of the German students even incorporated some of the words or phrases into their own vocabulary!

Overall, when traveling to different countries I think it’s crucial to take to time to really understand the countries culture and language. It would be beneficial to a traveler to understand basic phrases to allow them to get around the country in ease. Not every country you go to will put effort in displaying other languages just for tourists. Compared to America it is interesting to be in a city that really tries to accommodate the different people that come and visit. I believe that the best way to overcome language barriers is to respect each person’s language and of course be friendly and courteous! It always works!