One of our customers sent us some images the other day for their site, but on the CD were also some images from a recent trip back to South Africa, where they are originally from.

The sign above is one of the photos they took on their trip.

It is from outside a game park or reserve and it had Rory and me in fits of laughter. Partly because it is very South African. And I am not just referring to the fact that African animals are being referenced here.

South African culture is vibrant and humorous in its own way, as well as being relatively “in your face”. Which is what this sign is.

In Australia we are more likely to see rather impersonal signs stating (in the third person as passively as possible) ‘No parking at any time. Vehicles will be towed away.’ Or something to that effect.

It is not likely to say “your vehicle” or who will be doing the towing. “Vehicles will be towed away”. In Aus it is more likely to be presented as a statement of fact, much less personal.

It doesn’t say ‘We will tow your vehicle away’. Or even more active ‘Our elephants will stomp your hire car to the hubcaps’.

But South African business owners aren’t worried about offending their clients in this way. It is a cultural thing, this kind of voice is quite acceptable in SA.

Another particularly South Africanism on the sign is the last line. It is not in another language, it is a mocking phoenetic spelling of an indigenous african’s English pronounciation.

In Australia this wouldn’t be considered to be in great taste. In South Africa they don’t really care.

The point is that this sign is to South African that it resonated with expats on holiday and was considered worthy of a photo.

In our contact with our customers we need to make sure that we resonate in a similar way.

To do this we need to understand both the needs/desires AND values of our target audience, as well as the kind of image that is going to build us most credibility.

If we are a doctor or a dentist we probably want to choose verbal and visual triggers that will spell respectability and trust for our patients/clients.

Things like using the third person and fairly passive formal language in our written media. We will be conservative in our colour schemes and images used. Humour will be minimal and ‘appropriate’. Unless we are the clown doctors and then our breaking of this mould will actually be a saleable point of difference.

If we are a store that sells comics online, we will want graphics that are reminiscent of comic book styles of writing. We may very well want to employ humour in both our visuals and our text.

It is especially powerful if we can show that we share things in common with our customers. That we understand their needs, that we share their sense of humour, that we don’t assume too much or too little.

And we probably can’t please every one, so it is most important to please our main target audience. (The ability to do this is predicated upon us having identified our main audience and their values).