Airports

At first sight, international airports seem the same. On closer examination, it’s always surprising to see how many subtle differences there are.

Even the way you are greeted by customs officials varies. In continental Europe we are used to minimal border controls. Whenever I arrive in the UK the strict border controls remind me of the reluctance of Britain to embrace Europe whole-heartedly. Last week, I returned to Munich from a business trip to Amsterdam and was surprised to be greeted by police and sniffer dogs. No passports had to be shown, but clearly regulations on drugs differ radically in the EU.

In Beijing they ask you to rate the friendliness of the customs officials by pressing electronic smiley faces. In the US you are fingerprinted and photographed. You also have to assure officials that you have not committed genocide recently — and that you are not planning a terrorist attack — by filling in the infamous form.

By the way, even the goods and services available are different in each airport.

• In Billund, Denmark, the Duty Free shop is full of lego; this is not surprising since the town is its home.
  
• At Schiphol our "business lunch" was a cheese sandwich and a glass of milk – "typically Dutch" I was told.
  
• In Washington there is a shop with Obama memorabilia, including "Obama in a box", which is modeled on the traditional Jack in the box.
  
• In Dubai they cater for all tastes with a mosque and an Irish pub.

A company which makes use of this global/local dilemma to promote its brand is the bank HSBC. You’ll find its "points of view" campaign at many international airports. Here's one of them:

Points of view

And here's how the company descibes its campaign:

At HSBC we have always celebrated that people have different points of view. We believe that these points of view are driven and supported by our individual priorities and values in life and it is these values that form the basis of many important decisions. In our latest campaign, HSBC confronts people with choices that will enable them to address their own values and discover what drives and motivates them in their daily lives."

Look out for these fascinating reflections of local culture next time you are at an airport and feel free to post them on the blog.