Advertising and culture

INTRODUCTION TO CROSS CULTUREADVERTISING

Cross cultural advertising means more than translation. The language, style,
colors, numbersand symbols of advertising are all important factors to be
considered. To outsource crosscultural marketing to a professional located in
the intended target market is an effective way to broaden your global
business.Cross-cultural research on advertising is a relatively new field
which reflects the developmentsand trends of the last decades in economic
and commercial activities. In recent years there
has been an evi dent t endency t o economi c i nt egr at i on, especi
al l y f or t he count r i es who haver eached a cer t ai n l evel of wea
l t h. One of t he
mai n i ssues i n i nt er nat i onal mar ket i ng andadvertising is whether
consumers from different countries will become more and more alike
or whether the differences will remain stable or even will grow more. The
question is reflected at
adeci si onal l evel by t he di l emma of t he st andar di at i on ! gl ob
al i at i on" of mar ket i ng andadvertising strategies or, at contrary, of
their cultural adaptation to the paradigms and patternsrevealed by every
single country # region. The last two decades saw a proliferation of
cross-cul t ur al st udi es, r esear ch and anal ysi s of adver t i si ng,
consumer behavi our , organi at i onal behaviour etc. attempting to
support one approach or the other.$uch studies have been e%tremely useful
in order to test the convergence of models andtastes in media and
advertising consume, underlining common aspects and issues,
differencesand maybe pot ent i al uni ver sal i a. &ccor di ng t o t he
t heor y of conver gence # di vergence of consuming habits it is
possible to identify a pattern of evolution, parallel to economic
growth'(initially countries converge with increased wealth but in
the developed world, at a certain levelof weal t h, convergence
r eaches a cei l i ng af t er whi ch t her e i s no f ur t her convergence
anddi f f er ences r emai n st abl e or i ncr ease(
- such di ffer ences ar e det er mi ned pr i mar i l y by t hecul t ur al f a
ct or s. )l obal campai gns woul d be successf ul onl y i n a cont e
%t of cul t ur al and behavioural convergence between the countries
were they are delivered* opposite conditionswould lead to failure.
&dvertising (because+ is strongly culture-bound, dependent on
culturalf act or s such as l anguage, val ues, l i f est yl e, communi cat
i on st yl e and medi a habi t s( i s t hecomponent of the marketing-mi%
most difficult to
standardie.Cu l t u r e a f f e c t s e v e r y t h i n g we d o . Th i s a p p l i e s
t o a l l a r e a s o f h u ma n l i f e f r o m p e r s o n a l r el at i onshi ps t o
conduct i ng busi ness abr oad. ,hen i nt er act i ng wi t hi n our nat
i ve cul t ur es, culture acts as a framework of understanding. -owever,
when interacting with different culturesthis framework no longer applies due
to cross cultural differences.Cr oss cul t ur al communi cat i on ai ms t o
hel p mi ni mi se t he negat i ve i mpact of cr oss
cul t ur al differences through building common frameworks for
people of different cultures to interactwithin. In business, cross
cultural solutions are applied in areas such as -., team
building,foreign trade, negotiations and website design.
Cross cultural communication solutions are also critical to effective cross
cultural advertising.$er vi ces and pr oduct s ar e usual l y desi gned
and mar ket ed at a domest i c audi ence. ,hen a product is then
marketed at an international audience the same domestic advertising
campaigna b r o a d w i l l i
n m o s t c a s e s b
e i n e f f e c t i v e .
The essence of advertising is convincing people that a product is meant for
them. /y purchasingi t , t hey wi l l r ecei ve some benef i t , whet her i t
be l i f est yl e, st at us, conveni ence or f i nanci al . -owever, when an
advertising campaign is taken abroad different values and perceptions as
towh a t e n h a n c e s s t a t u s o r g i v e s c o n v e n i e n c e e % i s t . Th e s
e d i f f e r e n c e s ma k e t h e o r i g i n a l a d v e r
t i s i n g c a m
p a i g n d e f u
n c t . It is therefore critical to any cross
cultural advertising campaign that an understanding of a particular
culture is acquired. /y way of highlighting areas of cross cultural
differences inadvertising a few e%amples shall be e%amined.&s
international trade grows, getting your business to cross over and translate to
global marketsmeans significant future growth for your company. 0arketing
your business and focusing your efforts beyond traditional trade boundaries
is a reality for most companies. In fact, thanks to theadvancement of digital
technology it1s easier to conduct business abroad Therefore, marketing
strategies have evolved to take account of cross cultural differences sothat
they may appeal to distinctly different target markets. The key is to
remember that the coreof any marketing strategy, be it full color print media
or T2 commercials, is to encourage,motivate and convince them to believe
the benefits they can receive and therefore buy your product 3evertheless*
trying to communicate your idea to those living abroad is not as easy as it
sounds.$ome concepts may be acceptable, while others may be annoying if
not appalling or distastefulfor most. Cross cultural marketing therefore,
means successfully incorporating characteristics tocomplement the values,
traditions, and perceptions of your target market, whether locally or abroad.
/ut how does someone achieve this4 5or some, they employ the services
of ane%perienced international marketing company but for others that simply
do not have the budget*they may consider online outsourcing to a
professional located in the intended target market. /yemploying a
professional who already understands what works and what doesn1t you
may beable to avoid and easily negotiate some of the following pitfalls of
unsuccessful marketingcampaigns.
Language in Cross Cultural Advertising
6ifferent language, different words, and different accents all contribute
to the success or failureof your marketing campaigns. -ow can your
target market appreciate your business and products and services if they
cannot understand what you1re trying to say in the first place4 0ost people
fail to realie how language can affect a marketing campaign. This is
apparent invarious tag lines and slogans in marketing material and other
print ads. Therefore, one must beconscious that otherwise regular and
harmless words can easily be misinterpreted from oneculture to the ne%t
.

It may seem somewhat obvious to state that language is key to effectivecross
cultural advertising. -owever, the fact that companies persistently fail
to check linguisticimplications of company or product names and
slogans demonstrates that such issues are not being properly addressed.The
advertising world is littered with e%amples of linguistic cross cultural
blunders. Of themore comical was 5ord1s introduction of the 78into1 in
/rail. &fter seeing sales fail, they soonrealised that this was due to the fact
that /railians did not want to be seen driving a car meaning 7tiny male
genitals1.9anguage must also be analysed for its cultural suitability.
5or e%ample, the slogan employed by the computer games
manufacturer, :& $ports, (Challenge :verything( raises grumbles
of disapproval in religious or hierarchical societies where harmonious
relationships are
maintainedt h r o u g h t h e v a l u e s
o f r e s p e c t a n d n o n -
c o n f r o n t a t i o n . It is imperative therefore
that language be e%amined carefully in any cross cultural
advertisingcampaign.
Communication Style in Cross Cultural Advertising
;nderstanding the way in which other cultures communicate allows the
advertising campaign
tos p e a k t o t h e p o t e n t i a l c u s t o me r i n a wa y t h e y u n d e r s t
a n d a n d a p p r e c i a t e . 5o r e % a mp l e , communication styles can be
e%plicit or implicit. &n e%plicit communicator !e.g. ;$&" assumesthe
listener is unaware of background information or related issues to
the topic of discussionand therefore provides it themselves. Implicit
communicators !e.g. <apan" assume the listener iswell informed on the
sub=ect and minimises information relayed on the premise that the
listener wi l l u n d e r s t a n d f r o m i mp l i c a t i o n . &n e % p l i c i t
c o mmu n i c a t o r wo u l d f i n d a n i mp l i c i t c o mmu n i c a t i o n
s t y l e v a g u e , wh e r e a s a n i mp l i c i t c o mmu n i c a t o r wo u l d f
i n d a n e % p l i c i t communication style e%aggerated.)enerally
communication should be straight forward and tothe point. /ut when
attempting to relate to different cultural markets each respond to a
differentstyle and understanding the style that is appropriate is vital
in creating an effective marketingcampaign for any business. This
difference can be seen when comparing ;$ search
enginehomepages l i ke msn. com t o t hose of Chi na such as
sohu. com. ,hi l e one has a si mpl i st i c straightforward layout, the
other utilies every inch of the webpage.
Cu l t u r a l Va l u e s i n Cr o s s Cu l t u r a l Ad v e r t i s i n g
,hen adver t i si ng abr oad, t he cul t ur al val ues under pi nni ng t
he soci et y must be anal ysedcar ef ul l y. I s t her e a r el i gi on t hat
i s pr act i sed by t he ma= or i t y of t he peopl e4 I s t he
soci et ycol l ect i vi st or i ndi vi dual i st 4 I s i t f ami l y or i ent at ed4
I s i t hi er ar chi cal 4 I s t her e a
domi nant pol i t i cal or economi c i deol ogy4 &l l of t hese wi l l i
mpact an adver t i si ng campai gn i f l ef t une%amined.5or e%ample,
advertising that focuses on individual success, independence and
stressing theword (I( would be received negatively in countries
where teamwork is considered a positivequality. .ebelliousness or
lack of respect for authority should always be avoided in
familyo r i e n t a t e d o r h
i e r a r c h i c a l s o c i e
t i e s . /y way of conclusion, we can see that the principles
of advertising run through to cross
culturala d v e r t i s i n g t o o . Th a t i s > k n o w y o u r ma r k e t , wh a t
i s a t t r a c t i v e t o t h e m a n d wh a t t h e i r aspirations are. Cross
cultural advertising is simply about using common sense and
analysinghow the different elements of an advertising campaign are
impacted by culture and modifyingthem to best speak to the target audience.
And some more dierences in cross!cultural communicationstyles to
consider"

(Consider the story of an &merican e%ecutive who was designated to deliver
a formal presentation at a <apanese conference. 6uring her presentation, the
woman became acutelyaware of a man in the audience who proceeded to
make strange faces at her. 5ollowing theconclusion of her presentation, the
woman voiced her disapproval to the <apanese hosts. &ndwhile an apology
was immediately provided, it was discovered that the man in the audience
hadnot intended to offend the &merican speaker. -e simply became so
fi%ated on her facialgestures that he inadvertently began imitating her.
$hould this story be considered an isolatedincident of a simple
misunderstanding or is this a prime e%ample of everydaymiscommunication
between cultures4 0any e%perts would support the second conclusion.(0ost
of the problems caused by cross-cultural clashes are usually the result of the
failure bysome or all parties involved to recognie and account for
differences in culturally-basedcommunication styles. They assume that all
peoples communicate using the same set of modesand rules !many of which,
like body language styles, are unconsciously held". 5or e%ample,numerous
professionals from the ;$ make the mistake of assuming that all people
want to bespoken to informally, =ust as they assume that simple body
gestures strike the same chord in anyculture, or the notion that an openly
frank style of negotiating is most appreciated.
(,e should first realie that there is no such thing as a universal form of
communication. Takethe simple gesture of a smile. It is not unusual for
&mericans to e%change smiles with completestrangers. ,e smile at people
on the street, at the airport, in restaurants, shopping malls and soon. ,e
consider it a friendly gesture. -owever, in other cultures a smile can take on
acompletely different meaning. & smile can be considered insulting or it can
signalembarrassment. 0any &mericans fail to realie that common gestures
such as shrugging one?sshoulders or scratching one?s forehead can be
completely misinterpreted by someone fromanother country.(:ach culture
has its own rules of communication. & 5rench e%ecutive would probably
beoffended if a new acquaintance were to address him by his first name.
)iving the (thumbs up(signal in &ustralia is impolite. &nd a display
of frankness so common to &mericans perpetuatesthe <apanese impression
that the &merican people e%hibit a lack of discipline. :ven though
suchcultural collisions often elicit negative feedback, they rarely provoke
e%treme hostility. Instead,committing a cultural taboo is usually regarded
as improper, discourteous, or disrespectful. Theindividual who has the
misfortune of committing the taboo is (rewarded( with e%pressions of anger
or flat-out silence, which in turn can be misinterpreted. $uch mishaps in
communicationalmost always serve to diminish one?s credibility.(;sually,
cross-cultural gaffes stem from mis=udging situations that involve mingling
andcommunicating with others. These include' the dress code
for appointments, the manner inwhich we introduce ourselves and greet
others, e%pressing thanks to the hosts as well as proper etiquette for the
presentation of gifts. ,hile the ma=ority of &mericans consider such events
to be very routine, the fact remains that the interpretation of these social
commitments varies fromcountry to country. If we fail to educate ourselves
in advance as to what is and what isn?tacceptable, then we prime ourselves
for unintentional embarrassment, possibly at the worstgiven
moment.(0iscalculating the pertinence of cross-cultural communications
can be counter-productive at best, or abysmal at worst. Cultural differences
with regard to eye contact, when it is acceptableto smile, and name protocol
for addressing foreign counterparts are all qualities thatdramatically impact
all angles of negotiation and interpersonal communication. 5or e%ample,the
word (no( is a response that the <apanese tend to avoid altogether. &s
strange as it mayseem, if they are not optimistic about a given proposal,
rather than tell you in so many words,they may choose to make a counter
inquiry, they may avoid eye contact with you, or they maysimply choose to
walk away. Their answer is for all practical purposes spelled out
in their behavior. Obviously, this can be very frustrating to &merican
negotiators who are used to astraight forward (yes( or (no.( ;nderstanding
and accepting cultural differences is critical if one e%pects to be successful
in an overseas assignment.(
I # $ O R T A N T E L E # E N T S R E % U I R
E D I N CROSS CULTURAL ADVERTISING
&dvertising has evolved over the years with more sensitivity to culture, and
more awareness tocultural diversity.
@
&no' your mar(ets
,hat is acceptable in one culture may be frowned upon in another. In ABBC,
0attel /arbie dollswere outlawed in the 0iddle :astern country of
$audi &rabia because the doll did not conformto the ideals of Islam. &n
alternative doll named 5ulla was designed to be more acceptable to
anIslamic market+ though 5ulla is not made by 0attel Corporation.In Iran,
$ara and 6ara dolls are available as an alternative to /arbie and Den. The
0uslim dollswith modest clothing and pro-family backgrounds, have been
developed by a governmentagency to promote traditional values.
@
Ada)t your )roduct
6on?t assume every country eats cold cereal. :ven the slightest change to
adapt your productcan make a world of difference. ,hen Dellogg?s started
producing Cornflakes in India, theyfailed to realie that Indians start
their day with something warm. $omething cold, like coldmilk on cereal, is
considered a shock to the system. &nd like -omi /habha, an Indian
culturalcritic says EIf you pour warm milk on Dellogg1s Corn 5lakes, they
instantly turn into wet paperF. Dellogg1s ended up pulling their stocks from
shelves and re-engineering Cornflakes sothey1d stand up to warm milk.
@
Stay neutral
,hen marketing to the general public, try to stay neutral. -ave your
marketing and advertisingmaterial reviewed by cross cultural specialists.
This will ensure your advertisement does notoffend a specific culture.
In 0ay ABBG, 6unkin1 6onuts pulled an ad featuring .achael .ay off the air
because of outrage over the black and white scarf she wore in the
commercial. Criticssay the scarf looks like a Daffiyeh, which is a type of
scarf some think is now said to symboliemurderous 8alestinian =ihad.
/ecause of the controversy over the scarf, the 6unkin? 6onutschain stopped
airing the commercial.
@
Translate correctly
If your entire advertisement lies on language, make sure the translation is
correctH & rather obvious tip known all too well by ;.$. $ecretary of $tate
-illary Clinton recently. <ust thismonth, -illary Clinton and .ussian 5oreign
0inister $ergey 9avrov met to discuss a range of issues. &s a kind gesture,
Clinton handed 9avrov a gift - a (reset button( - which symboliedthe
Obama administration hoping to reset ;.$. relations with 0oscow+ trouble
was, thetranslation was wrongH The word on the button was (peregruka(,
which means EoverloadedF or EoverchargedF. The .ussian word for reset is
EpereagrukaF+.OopsH 3ot e%actly the meaningthey were going for.
#a(ing #essages Culture S)eciic
Cultural misunderstanding can raise havoc on the best business plans. :ven
though itis basic communication tool of advertising in foreign lands
advertisers often fail todevelop even a basic understanding of a foreign,
much less master the linguisticnuances that reveal unspoken attitudes and
information. :ven a good interpreter doesnot solve the problem.9inguistic
communication, no matter how imprecise is e%plicit, but much of
the business communication depends on implicit messages not verbalised. In
somecultures, messages are e%plicit, the words carry most of the
information. In other cultures less information is contained in the verbal part
of the message since morelies in the conte%t.The advertiser must achieve
e%pert communication that is gained by a thoroughunderstanding of the
language for making messages culture specific. &dvertisingcopywriters
should be concerned less with the obvious differences betweenlanguages and
more with the idiomatic meanings e%pressed.eg Tamboo means aroadside
Inn in 8eru, :quador,Columbia and /ogota. In &rgentina and ;ruguay
itmeans a dairy farm and in Chile it means a brothel. & dictionary translation
is not thesame as an idiomatic interpretation and will not suffice. In ;$& a
very successfuladvertising slogan1 it takes a tough man to make a tender
chicken1 came out in$panish as 7 it takes a virile man to make a chicken
affectionate1 Carelessly translatedmessage not only lose its intended
meaning but can suggest something very differentobscene, offensive or =ust
plain ridiculous.&dvertisers should never take it for granted that they are
communicating effectivelyin another language. ,hat is needed is a cultural
translation. Translating a messageand getting the right meaning is a problem
for all cultures. :g in &capulco, a hotelhad the following message to convey
quality control 7 all the water in the hotel has been personally passed by
the manager.1&dvertisers have to realise that different cultures often seek the
same value or benefitfrom the primary function of a product eg a car to take
you from & to /, a camera totake pictures or a wrist to tell time. /ut what is
important is that other features and psychological attributes of the items can
have significant differences. :g a camera in&merica can be taken with easy
foolproof operation. In )ermany and <apan thecamera must take e%cellent
pictures but it must also be 7state of the art1 in design. In&frica the concept
of taking pictures must be sold .In all the three e%cellent picturesas it is the
primary function of a camera but the additional utility or satisfaction froma
camera differs among cultures. Thus many companies follow a strategy of
7patternadvertising1, a global advertising strategy with standardied basic
message allowingsome degree of modification to meet local situations. The
popular saying iGs 7think globally, act locally1. In this way some economies
of standardiation can be realiedwhile specific cultural differences
are accommodated.9ee $trauss I Co changed from all localied ads to
pattern advertising where broadoutlines of the campaign are given
worldwide but the details are not. Juality and9evi &merican roots are given
worldwide but in each country different approachese%press these two
points.In <apan, the /lue 6iamond brand of almonds was an unknown
commodity until itlaunched its campaign of e%otic new almond- the basic
products that catered to localtastes. Television ads featured educational
messages on how to use almonds incooking, their nutritional value, the
versatility of almonds as a snack and theCalifornia mystique and health
benefits of almonds. &s a result, <apan is now the&ssociation1s largest
importer of almonds
3o generalised recommendation can be made about whether to adapt or
standardieinternational advertising. It depends on the products, the culture,
the usage patternand so on. &dvertising efforts are moving towards a
centralied position,standardied where possible and adapted
where necessary. 3escafe has a global brand but advertising messages and
formulations vary to suitcultural differences. In <apan and ;D tea is popular,
in 5rance, )ermany I /railground coffee is preferred. :ven in this
situation there some standardiation. &ll adshave a common emotional link
7whatever good coffee means to you and however you like to serve it,
3escafe has a coffee for you10arkets are constantly changing and are in the
process of becoming more alike butthe world is far from being a
homogenous market with common needs and wants for all
products.0c6onald1s worldwide is well known for the high degree of
respect for the localcustoms and cultures. It has developed a menu especially
for India with vegetarianselections to suit Indian tasted and preferences. It
has introduced vegetarian and non-vegetarian items with local flavours that
have appealed to the Indian palate.
CURRENT GLO*AL TRENDS
6eveloping markets all over the world are e%periencing rapid
industrialiation, creating growingindustrial and consumer markets,
economic growth and new opportunities for foreign investment. InChina,
few days before the new year the foreign outlets are =ammed with bargain
hunters pushing cartsloaded high with food, kitchen appliances and clothing.
The shoppers here are China1s noveau rich.0ega stores have opened in a
number of Chinese cities. The Chinese market may be difficult to tap
andmay not be profitable for short business firms as they are learning about
the ways and tastes of the east,which is so different from the west.:%tended
families are spending money on kids, a common form of conspicuous
consumption in thedeveloping world. :ven in China the spending power of
youth is not to be discounted. China and other emerging markets throughout
the world will account for KLM of the world1s total growth. Thetransition
from socialist to market driven economies, the liberaliation of trade and
investment policiesin developing countries, the transfer of public sector
enterprises and the rapid development of regionalalliances are changing the
way countries will trade and prosper.6ecades ago larger parts of the
developing world were hostile toward foreign investment and imposedsevere
regulatory barriers to foreign trade. Today it is different with the collapse of
the 0ar%ist- thesocialist economic setup and the spectacular success of
Taiwan, $outh Dorea, $ingapore and other &sian countries. It has become
apparent that the path to prosperity was open and direct investment.China,
Taiwan, -ongDong, $outh Dorea, 8oland, &rgentina, /rail, 0e%ico and
India are somecountries undergoing impressive changes in their economies
and emerging as vast markets. In thesecountries there is over e%panding and
changing demand for goods and services, markets are dynamicand
developing entities are reflecting the changing life style of culture. & pattern
of economic growthand global trade appears to be emerging. It consists of
three international market region that comprisema=or trading blocks. :urope,
&sia, &merica, Indonesia, 0alaysia, Thailand and the 8hilippines
are beginning to chase the lenders
These are the global trading blocks of the future. India now has the look and
feel of the ne%t China, butit continues to have problems. ,hile it has
overthrown the restrictions of earlier years it is not movingtowards reforms
and open markets with the same degree of vigour found in other emerging
markets..esistance to change comes from bureaucrats, farmers, union
members as well as some industrialistswho have lived behind protective
barriers that e%cluded competition.India is second in sie only to China and
both contain enormous low- cost labour. India ghas a largeindustrial base
and is developing as a centre for computer software. These give India
enormous potential. India1s weak infrastructure makes many aspects of
doing business difficult and costly but theIndian government is addressing
these problems. 8rivate sector have entry power generation, oil andgas
e%ploration, telecommunications, civil aviation, cellular phones. India still
presents a difficult business environment. ,idespread corruption and a
deeply ingrained system of bribery make everytransaction complicated and
e%pensive. This corruption is persuasive, systematic, running from
the bottom to top of the political order. Cross Cultural Advertising
& portion of the consumers1 e%posure to different cultures tend to come
about through consumers1 owninitiatives, their travel, working in foreign
countries, immigration to a different country, movies,theatre, art and
e%posure to unfamiliar and different products.The other ma=or category of
cultural e%posure is often undertaken by marketers and advertisers
seekingTo e%pand their markets by in a different country possessing a
different cultural view. In this conte%tadvertisers in foreign provide a form of
7cultural transfer1Cross- cultural advertising is a responsible effort to borrow
those cultural ways seen as helpful for the better solutions to a society1s
particular problem. It is important for an advertiser to learn about
thedifferent cultures world wide if a brand has to be sold in a foreign
country..There are two types of knowledge, factual knowledge about culture
which is obvious and must belearnt. 6ifferent meanings of colour, different
tastes and other traits indigenous to a culture are factsthat an advertiser can
anticipate, study and absorb. The other is interpretative knowledge, an
ability tounderstand and fully appreciate the meanings of different cultural
traits and patterns eg the meaning of time, attitudes towards other people and
certain ob=ects, the understanding of one1s role in the societycan differ
considerably from one culture to another and require more than factual
knowledge.5actual knowledge as a fact about culture assumes additional
significance and has to be interpretedwithin the conte%t of the culture eg
0e%ico is NGM .oman Catholic. -owever it is equally important
toremember that in $pain or Italy or any other country Catholicism is
practiced in a slightly differentmanner.&nother conflict arises if one
possesses factual knowledge but little interpretative knowledge.Taiwanese
emphasise the collective while the westerners emphasise the individual.
:mphasis on thecollective results in a close-knit, supportive teams and
creates a mind set which does not work with thewestern client. The problem
is that when the local staff acts humble and cautious the westerner perceives
the humility as ignorance or lack of knowledge.
&n e%ample of a good cross cultural advertising is the 7Idea1 ad which has a
$umo wrestler buyingvegetables. That was a fantastic way of advertising a
foreign product in a country. 7Idea1 wanted to golocal in India. 5or that they
showed a sumo wrestler buying vegetables in a typically Indian
vegetablemarket. -e is talking to the grocer and finding out the rates, which
a very typical Indian way of buyingvegetables and how the rates are brought
down.
Cross!Cultural Analysis o Advertisements
Oandpour, Chang, and Catalano !PNNA" e%amined differences and
similarities between 5rench, &merican and Taiwanese television
advertisements,
categoriing them by strategy, content, and form. Their analysis reveals that
the
sample of advertisements differed significantly on all three dimensions.
&merican
advertisements, for e%ample, focus on product benefits and use data-based
arguments.
5rench advertisements use drama and symbolism unrelated to the product.
Taiwanese
advertisements link the product to traditional Chinese consumer values.
6i /enedetto, Tamate, and Chandran !PNNA" e%amine differences between
&merican and <apanese advertisements. These advertisements differed in
terms of the
use of indirectness, the use of brief dialogue, and the lack of correlation
between the
advertisement content and the product being advertised, lending credence to
the idea
of advertising embodying cultural differences.
&nother study on the differences between advertisements produced in
different cultures is that conducted by .amprasad and -asegawa !PNNA".
This study
also compares &merican and <apanese commercials, finding that &merican
advertisements use hyperbole and comparative strategies, while <apanese ads
use the
distinctive nature of the product and preemptive strategies. If? research has
revealed
distinct differences in advertisements across cultures, it can be assumed that
Indian
advertisements, too, will display a distinct character. :%amining its changing
nature
over time could provide cues as to cultural changes.