Cross Cultural Advertising
by:
Neil Payne
Culture is a like dropping an Alka-seltzer into a glass – you don’t see it, but somehow it makes something.
Hans Magnus Enzensberger
Culture affects everything we do. This applies to all areas of human life from personal relationships to conducting business abroad. Once
interacting inside
our native cultures, culture acts as a framework of understanding. However, once
interacting with several cultures this framework no longer applies due to cross cultural differences.
Cross cultural communication aims to help minimise the negative impact of cross cultural differences through building common frameworks for folk of several cultures to act within. In business, cross cultural solutions are applied in areas such as HR, team building, foreign trade, negotiations and website design.
Cross cultural communication solutions are besides critical to effective cross cultural advertising. Services and products are normally designed and marketed at a domestic audience. Once
a product is then marketed at an international audience the same domestic advertising campaign abroad wish in most cases be ineffective.
The essence of advertising is convincing folk that a product is meant for them. By buying it, they wish obtain several benefit, whether it be lifestyle, status, convenience or financial. However, once
an advertising campaign is taken abroad several values and perceptions as to what enhances status or gives convenience exist. These differences do the innovational advertising campaign defunct.
It is therefore critical to any cross cultural advertising campaign that an understanding of a particular culture is acquired. By way of highlight areas of cross cultural differences in advertising a few examples shall be examined.
Language in Cross Cultural Advertising
It may seem somewhat obvious to state that language is key to effective cross cultural advertising. However, the fact that companies persistently fail to check linguistic implications of institution or product names and slogans demonstrates that such issues are not being properly addressed.
The advertising earth is cluttered with examples of linguistic cross cultural blunders. Of the much amusing was Ford’s introduction of the ‘Pinto’ in Brazil. After seeing sales fail, they shortly accomplished that this was due to the fact that Brazilians did not want to be seen drive a car meaning ‘tiny male genitals’.
Language must besides be analysed for its cultural suitability. For example, the motto employed by the computer games manufacturer, EA Sports, “Challenge Everything” raises grumbles of disapproval in religious or class-conscious societies wherever
harmonious relationships are maintained through the values of respect and non-confrontation.
It is imperative therefore that language be examined cautiously in any cross cultural advertising campaign
Communication Style in Cross Cultural Advertising
Understanding the way in which another cultures communicate allows the advertising campaign to speak to the potential client in a way they understand and appreciate. For example, communication styles can be explicit or implicit. An explicit person (e.g. USA) assumes the hearer is unaware of background information or related issues to the topic of discussion and therefore provides it themselves. Implicit communicators (e.g. Japan) assume the hearer is well abreast of on the subject and minimises information relayed on the premise that the hearer wish understand from implication. An explicit person would-be find an implicit communication style vague, whereas an implicit person would-be find an explicit communication style exaggerated.
Colours, Amount and Pictures in Cross Cultural Advertising
Even the simplest and most taken for granted aspects of advertising need to be inspected under a cross cultural microscope. Colours, numbers, symbols and images do not all translate well across cultures.
In several cultures there are lucky colours, such as red in China and unlucky colours, such as black in Japan. Several colours have certain significance; green is considered a special colour in Islam and several colours have social group
associations in parts of Africa.
Many hotels in the USA or UK do not have a room 13 or a Thirteenth floor. Similarly, Japan Airways in Japan do not have the seat amount 4 or 9. If there are amount with negative connotations abroad, presenting or packaging products in those amount once
advertising should be avoided.
Images are besides culturally sensitive. Whereas it is common to see images of women in bikinis on advertising posters on the streets of London, such images would-be cause outrage in the Middle East.
Cultural Values in Cross Cultural Advertising
When advertising abroad, the cultural values underpinning the society must be analysed carefully. Is there a religion that is practised by the majority of the people? Is the society collectivist or individualist? Is it family orientated? Is it hierarchical? Is there a dominant political or economic ideology? All of these wish impact an advertising campaign if left unexamined.
For example, advertising that focuses on individual success, independence and stressing the word “I” would-be be received negatively in countries wherever
cooperation
is considered a positive quality. Rebelliousness or lack of respect for authority should always be avoided in family oriented or class-conscious societies.
By way of conclusion, we can see that the principles of advertising run through to cross cultural advertising too. That is – cognize your market, what is attractive to them and what their aspirations are. Cross cultural advertising is just just about exploitation common sense and analysing how the several elements of an advertising campaign are wedged by culture and modifying them to better speak to the target audience.
by Neil Payne
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cultural-services/cross-cultural-communication.html
