Preventing a cultural faux pas-parnter with a local PR agencies

The following article is a good example why governments and companies need to consult local PR agencies before engaging foreign populations:

"Anger over 'blasphemous' balls"
Source: BBC

A demonstration has been held in south- east Afghanistan accusing US troops of insulting Islam after they distributed footballs bearing the name of Allah...

The balls showed the Saudi Arabian flag which features the Koranic declaration of faith.

The US military said the idea had been to give something for Afghan children to enjoy and they did not realise it would cause offence...

Read article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6964564.stm

In the US it is not uncommon to find the flag on nearly everything and I think the US military made an honest mistake with the soccer balls (unlike the planned invasion and colonization of Afghanistan).

This faux pas however is inexcusable the US military has the means of working with local PR firms in the region that could have assisted in developing this campaign.

Also, there are many American citizens and legal residents who are Muslim or from Western Asia, who could have been consulted on this campaign. However, even this is dangerous because depending on how long people have been living outside of the region their knowledge of current cultural norms can be limited.

Caveat: No one should conduct business in a foreign culture without a local partner.

For more information on international Public Relations refer to the following links:

International Public Relations Association: http://www.ipra.org/
International Public Relations Network: http://www.iprex.com/