If you’re a US executive who owns UK marketing for your brand, I’m certain that you are immersing yourself in UK culture. But most of you are likely outside of the demographic for the zany UK Channel 4 comedy “Peep Show,” which features two young men who are flatmates and their insanely awkward path through diametrically opposed lives and lifestyles. Good news for fans of this offbeat and innovative comedy: it’s been renewed for a fifth season that starts filming this month.
It’s often said that US culture is conveyed through our TV and Hollywood. For transatlantic brand marketers targeting the UK, Channel 4 and BBC television show DVDs and BBC America on US cable and satellite TV, would seem a likely way to get a feeling for the difference between our culture and that of the UK…at least it’s a start. And with Peep Show, you’ll be laughing your arse off. I got my first taste of this only slightly naughty adult comedy on a recent Virgin Atlantic flight.
For US readers, you can buy season one of Peep Show here.
Interestingly, the two lead actors are in Apple UK’s PC and Mac ads which are a bit edgier than ours here in the US. You can see one of the Apple UK TV ads here that builds on these popular characters.
For those who would like another approach to building a cross cultural frame of reference, a good place to start is a book like “Bridging the Culture Gap: a practical guide to international business communication,” by Penny Carté and Chris J. Fox. It’s available on Amazon.com and a great preview is on Google books.
