Framing, frames and globalization

We think and remember in stories, metaphors and other "non-literal" structures. 

This is why it's so hard to get people to tell us how they really feel and think using surveys. We can get close, we can use tricks -- and we can backfill with qualitative work -- but in the end, we'll get closer to understanding customers and how they perceive us by revealing the stories and metaphors they use to perceive our offerings.

Those frames vary across cultures. 

Challenge to my readers: Why are the Apple Mac vs PC ads funny and memorable in the US? Why are they more controversial, and perhaps less effective, in Japan? To what extent is the comparison ad less powerful in Japan because of they way Japan frames its key stories?