Julia Lantzy

Annotated Bibliography
Ahmed, M., Ulla, S., & Alam, A. (2014). Importance of Culture in Success of International
Marketing. European Academic Research, 1(10), 3802-3816. Retrieved February 28,
2016, from http://euacademic.org/UploadArticle/271.pdf.
Hofstede's comprehensive definition of culture incredibly useful for the context of
advertising. Not only does it address every facet of a group's general customs and societal
nuances, but it is more comprehensive than any other vague definition of culture. There is
a great significance of culture for an organization to diversify its advertising techniques in
other countries, as defined by Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions. The Dimensions are
power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism vs. collectivism, masculinity vs.
femininity, and long-term orientation.
Dahl, S. (2004). Cross-Cultural Advertising Research: What Do We Know About the Influence
of Culture on Advertising? Social Science Research Network Electronic Journal (SSRN),
0-29. Retrieved February 28, 2016, from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?
abstract_id=658221.
There is a huge debate currently for or against the standardization of advertisements. The
results of the author's comprehensive research shows that there is an extensive
relationship between culture and advertising. Although the concept of standardizing
advertising across cultures seems like the perfect way to reduce advertising costs and
time, it is actually unlikely that such a standardization could currently take place. There
are so many aspects of advertising one can look at through which to view culture. There's
the amount of information contained in an ad, the creative styling of the ad, themes in

advertising such as gender roles or work, and the appeals, the values displayed in the
advertisements across different cultures, and more. There are so many avenues through
which advertisements can be studied.
Hatzithomas, L., Zotos, Y., & Boutsouki, C. (2011). Humor and cultural values in print
advertising: A crosscultural study. International Marketing Review, 28(1), 57-80.
Retrieved February 28, 2016, from
http://www.academia.edu/435580/Humor_and_Cultural_Values_in_Print_Advertising_A
_Cross-Cultural_Study.
Humor is one of the most commonly-used appeals in advertising. Humor is one of the
most commonly-used appeals in advertising. Yet, only a few studies have been done that
research the effect of various humorous appeals on different cultures and vice versa. It
was found in this research that individualistic cultures that rank low on the uncertainty
avoidance dimension, such as the UK, often use more risky, aggressive & effective
humorous advertisements. Puns are often used. Additionally, direct advertising is used,
such as "soft-sell techniques, and trend-setting images embellished with humorous puns
and understatements." Furthermore, British advertisements reflect individualistic values
and are often directed at particular social classes, preserving social divisions. In Greece,
comparatively, a lower percentage of print ads that use humor. The simplest forms of
humor, incongruity resolution and comic wit constitute the core of the majority of the
humorous ads in Greece. The research on these two countries can be applied to other
countries with individualistic or collectivist outlooks, respectively.
Hoeks, V. (2014, July 22). Cultural difference in business | Valerie Hoeks | TEDxHaarlem
[Video File]. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMwjscSCcf0.

Western countries should learn from the Chinese and how they interact with others in
business. Confucius once said that its really a great pleasure to meet friends from afar.
This philosophy emphasizes personal, governmental, and political relations. In China,
ones ability to build relationships determines their success in business. To maintain a
relationship in China, you must have reciprocal favor, meaning that your favor must be
returned eventually, and failure to return a favor is unforgivable. Harmony, meanwhile,
stresses the smooth running of a group or society. If other countries throughout the world
glimpse at one-anothers cultures, great things can be accomplished and incredible values
can be learned.
Lockwood, A. (2011, July). Selling Condoms in the Congo Amy Lockwood TEDGlobal2011
[Video File]. Retrieved from:
www.ted.com/talks/amy_lockwood_selling_condoms_in_the_congo?language=en.
The whole situation described by Lockwood is one that perfectly fits into the relationship
between culture and advertising. The donor agencies trying to give out condoms
misjudged the culture of the Congo. In fact, they looked too far into the statistics of the
country rather than the deeper cultural customs. They thought that the Congolese would
immediately think of safety when purchasing condoms, considering the vast population
infected with HIV/AIDS. Although they attempted to market to the culture in the Congo
of HIV, they failed to recognize the one thing that people universally think about when
purchasing condoms: sex. Lockwood perfectly describes how one must understand their
audience. In the case of the Congo, selling condoms should have been advertised as
something "sexier." Meanwhile, in a culture like Saudi Arabia, where the dominant
culture is Islamic conservatism, the safety aspect of purchasing condoms would've been

more successful rather than a "sexy" approach. This situation shows that no matter the
product, an advertiser must recognize the ins and outs of the audience they are selling to.
Memmott, M. (2012, October 2). Women Erased From IKEA's Saudi Catalog; Company
Apologizes. Retrieved March 22, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwoway/2012/10/02/162139455/women-erased-from-ikeas-saudi-catalog-companyapologizes.
In total, IKEA airbrushed away more than a dozen images of women. This censorship is
relatively normal among Islamic and male-dominated Middle Eastern countries, where
women are expected to be as conservatively dressed as possible. Thus, images of women
in some international ads have been extensively censored or, in this case, completely
removed. Many Westerners may see this and be shocked that the female portion of Saudi
Arabia's population would be completely discounted. The media and most Westerners
made IKEA's ad blunder out to be a feminist nightmare. However, many fail to recognize
the potential implications if IKEA had left women in the ads. If IKEA had failed to align
its advertisements with the cultural norms of Saudi Arabia, backlash would have
inevitably ensued. Thus, from an advertising perspective, IKEA merely created an
advertisement that fit within the niche of the Islamic culture. IKEA's controversy
perfectly exemplifies the relationship between culture and advertising. The furniture
company recognized, through market research, that women in Saudi Arabia were treated
as second-class citizens, and altered their approach accordingly to effectively reach the
country's culture.
Partalo, V. (2013, October 30). Veda Partalo: Advertising and Cultural Complexity [Video File].
Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhzvEBJ9fEA.

Advertising is so inherently linked to understanding people and their inner-most desires,

motivations, and feelings. Advertising forces the advertiser to address a completely
different client every single day. One customer is never the same. Thus, advertising, as
described by Partalo, has attempted to communicate with everyone matter their
background or culture. As Partalo emphasizes, an advertisement is "only successful as
long as it reflects the motivations of its audience...You aren't going to buy into something
that you feel doesn't reflect you; represents you; has similar values as you." Without
intensely understanding and studying a culture, one is unable to advertise to them
effectively. An advertisement must reflect an audience's desires and views, and to reflect
those desires and views, culture must be looked at. Partalo also discussed the vitality of
connecting to somebody on a more personal level, because this thus builds a loyal
relationship and thus brand loyalty which equates to profits. So, this connection is of
utmost importance.
Riccardi, P. (2014, October 21). Cross cultural communication | Pellegrino Riccardi |
TEDxBergen [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=YMyofREc5Jk.
Pellegrino Riccardi has an interesting cultural background. He considers himself a mix of
Italian, Norwegian, and English. Thus, he has a great understanding of the nuances of
each culture. This TED Talk is incredibly funny, because he goes through various
anecdotes of his time in each culture and the things he's learned. According to Riccardi,
culture is a system of behavior that helps us act in an accepted or familiar way.
Essentially, in each culture, we do things that are accepted in our social group. You will
believe what society tells you and what people tell you: when Riccardi put up a slide of a

description of Shrek, he told the audience it was of Norwegian people. They believed
him. Then, he told them the truth. Thus, working across borders is realizing that
accepting that your assumptions aren't the assumptions of others. How to communicate
with others is based off of your ability to find out their underlying values, and when
something doesn't go along with ones culture or what you value, they have a negative
response to it. Thus, advertising is about appealing to what is accepted and familiar so
that no such negative response is elicited. He argues that going across borders isn't about
simply transplanting things to other borders, it's about extending your borders, and if one
can create a new culture where you take the best of all cultures, that's when a global
mindset is created.
Unwin, S. J. (1974). How Culture Affects Advertising Expression and Communication Style.
Journal of Advertising, 3(2), 24-27. Retrieved February 20, 2016, from
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00913367.1974.10672524#.VuB27fkrLIU.
So frequently the British are perceived as being so similar to Americans in terms of
culture, merely because they speak the same language. However, having the same
language doesn't necessarily correlate with having the same culture, and thus the same
advertising strategies. This article made it obvious that no matter how similar some
cultures may be, there will always be certain social nuances that can't be transplanted
elsewhere. The typical "dry British humor," for example, is ineffective in America. Aside
from the stereotypical content of an advertisement, however, the author touches on the
subtle "language of advertising," which is actually the creative style or mode of
expression employed by the advertiser. This is often the lesser-noted portion of
advertising and its interaction with culture. Rather than the actual content or "goals"

depicted in the ad, this touches on the creative format and subconscious undertones of the
ad as a whole.
Zhang, Y., & Gelb, B. D. (1996). Matching Advertising Appeals to Culture: The Influence of
Products' Use Conditions. Journal of Advertising, 25(3), 29-46. Retrieved February 28,
2016, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/4189010.pdf.
Understanding cultural differences is often considered a prerequisite for successful
international advertising. Consumers grow up in a particular culture and become
accustomed to that culture's value systems, beliefs, & perception processes. Thus, they
respond to advertising messages that are congruent with their culture. A standardized
advertising approach across cultures has been acknowledged, but is more suitable for
industrial and high technology products than for consumer products. Cultural values,
norms, and characteristics are embedded in advertising appeals, the specific approaches
advertisers use to communicate how their products will satisfy customer needs.
Advertising standardization is feasible if a product is used in a consumption situation that
matches the appeal in the ad. Culture matters, but advertisers cant assume that its
influence on responses to advertising appeals is independent of other factors such as a
products value or status.