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 will
impact an advertising campaign if left unexamined.
For example, advertising that focuses on individual success, independence and stressing the word "I" would be received negatively in countries where
teamwork is considered a positive quality.
Rebelliousness or lack of respect for authority should always be avoided in family orientated or hierarchical societies. By way of conclusion, we can see
that the principles of advertising run through to cross cultural advertising too.
That is – know your market, what is attractive to them and what their aspirations are.
Cross cultural advertising is simply about using common sense and analysing how the different elements of an advertising campaign are impacted by culture
and modifying them to best speak to the target audience.
Examples
1. Hollywood star Richard Gere has been roped in as the brand ambassador for Visa International for the Asia Pacific market. A 90-second commercial -
Birds - featuring Gere has been shot in Jodhpur for the company's new advertisement campaign that was aired in English and Hindi across the Asia Pacific.
Gere was chosen after lots of research for a brand ambassador, since he suits both Indian as well as Pacific markets.
2. Pepsi launched this campaign in India in 2005. This is a perfect example of cross cultural advertising. Sumo that belongs to Japanese culture and
footballers were used to advertise Pepsi in India. This ad was a huge hit in the Indian market which gradually increased the sales in India.
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 will
impact an advertising campaign if left unexamined.
For example, advertising that focuses on individual success, independence and stressing the word "I" would be received negatively in countries where
teamwork is considered a positive quality.
Rebelliousness or lack of respect for authority should always be avoided in family orientated or hierarchical societies. By way of conclusion, we can see
that the principles of advertising run through to cross cultural advertising too.
That is – know your market, what is attractive to them and what their aspirations are.
Cross cultural advertising is simply about using common sense and analysing how the different elements of an advertising campaign are impacted by culture
and modifying them to best speak to the target audience.
Examples
1. Hollywood star Richard Gere has been roped in as the brand ambassador for Visa International for the Asia Pacific market. A 90-second commercial -
Birds - featuring Gere has been shot in Jodhpur for the company's new advertisement campaign that was aired in English and Hindi across the Asia Pacific.
Gere was chosen after lots of research for a brand ambassador, since he suits both Indian as well as Pacific markets.
2. Pepsi launched this campaign in India in 2005. This is a perfect example of cross cultural advertising. Sumo that belongs to Japanese culture and
footballers were used to advertise Pepsi in India. This ad was a huge hit in the Indian market which gradually increased the sales in India.