Cross Cultural Advertising

"Culture is a like dropping an Alka-seltzer into a glass ? you don't see it, but somehow it does something," Hans Magnus Enzensberger.

Culture affects everything we do. This applies to all areas of human life from personal relationships to conducting business abroad. When interacting within our native cultures, culture acts as a framework of understanding. However, when interacting with different 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 people of different cultures to interact 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 also critical to effective cross cultural advertising. Services and products are usually designed and marketed at a domestic audience. When a product is then marketed at an international audience the same domestic advertising campaign abroad will in most cases be ineffective.

The essence of advertising is convincing people that a product is meant for them. By purchasing it, they will receive some benefit, whether it be lifestyle, status, convenience or financial. However, when an advertising campaign is taken abroad different values and perceptions as to what enhances status or gives convenience exist. These differences make the original 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 highlighting 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 company or product names and slogans demonstrates that such issues are not being properly addressed.

The advertising world is littered with examples of linguistic cross cultural blunders. Of the more comical was Ford's introduction of the 'Pinto' in Brazil. After seeing sales fail, they soon realised that this was due to the fact that Brazilians did not want to be seen driving a car meaning 'tiny male genitals'.

Language must also be analysed for its cultural suitability. For example, the slogan employed by the computer games manufacturer, EA Sports, "Challenge Everything" raises grumbles of disapproval in religious or hierarchical societies where harmonious relationships are maintained through the values of respect and non-confrontation.

It is imperative therefore that language be examined carefully in any cross cultural advertising campaign

Communication Style in Cross Cultural Advertising

Understanding the way in which other cultures communicate allows the advertising campaign to speak to the potential customer in a way they understand and appreciate. For example, communication styles can be explicit or implicit. An explicit communicator (e.g. USA) assumes the listener 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 listener is well informed on the subject and minimises information relayed on the premise that the listener will understand from implication. An explicit communicator would find an implicit communication style vague, whereas an implicit communicator would find an explicit communication style exaggerated.

Colours, Numbers and Images 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 some cultures there are lucky colours, such as red in China and unlucky colours, such as black in Japan. Some colours have certain significance; green is considered a special colour in Islam and some colours have tribal associations in parts of Africa.

Many hotels in the USA or UK do not have a room 13 or a 13th floor. Similarly, Nippon Airways in Japan do not have the seat numbers 4 or 9. If there are numbers with negative connotations abroad, presenting or packaging products in those numbers when advertising should be avoided.

Images are also culturally sensitive. Whereas it is common to see pictures of women in bikinis on advertising posters on the streets of London, such images would 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 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.

Neil Payne is Managing Director of Kwintessential. Visit their site at: http://www.kwint essential.co.uk/cross-cultural/cross-cultural-awareness.html

---

Google News Updated : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:51:55 GMT Caffeine Consumption Doesn't Raise Overall Breast Cancer Risk - Washington Post Telegraph.co.uk Caffeine Consumption Doesn't Raise Overall Breast Cancer Risk Washington Post - 1 hour ago By Alan Mozes MONDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking coffee or consuming other caffeine-laden foods does not appear to boost breast cancer risk, new research indicates. Caffeine, Breast Cancer Link Minimal WebMD Caffeine 'can increase breast cancer risk' Telegraph.co.uk Science Daily (press release) - MedPage Today - ABC7Chicago.com - Reuters India all 63 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:00:13 GMT Romo Out For a Month - Washington Post Boston Globe Romo Out For a Month Washington Post - 5 hours ago The Dallas Cowboys will be without quarterback Tony Romo for as long as a month because of a broken finger on his throwing hand. Romo suffered a broken right pinkie on the first play of overtime of the Cowboys' loss Sunday at Arizona, according to a ... Romo sidelined with broken finger Sports Network Cowboys' Romo has broken finger, may miss 4 weeks The Associated Press FOXSports.com - Los Angeles Times - Dallas Morning News - WFAA all 692 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:10:26 GMT North Korea Reopens Yongbyon Nuclear Reactor to UN Inspectors - Bloomberg Calgary Herald North Korea Reopens Yongbyon Nuclear Reactor to UN Inspectors Bloomberg - 2 hours ago By Bill Varner Oct. 13 (Bloomberg) -- The United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency was given access today to North Korea's plutonium- producing plant at Yongbyon, a reaction to the US decision to remove the nation from its list of states sponsoring ... NKorea grants UN nuclear watchdog access to Yongbyon: IAEA AFP North Korea allows back nuclear inspectors Christian Science Monitor BBC News - Reuters - United Press International - guardian.co.uk all 3,791 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:38:19 GMT Rangers Prospect Cherepanov Dies After Collapsing During Game - New York Times New York Times Rangers Prospect Cherepanov Dies After Collapsing During Game New York Times - 1 hour ago By Stu Hackel Nineteen-year-old Russian forward Alexei Cherepanov, who was a Rangers first-round draft choice in 2007 and considered one of the organization’s top prospects, died on Monday after collapsing near the end of a game between his KHL team ... Cherepanov collapses on bench during game, dies at 19 ESPN Rangers prospect dies during game in Russia The Associated Press FOXSports.com - Sports Network - Los Angeles Times - Washington Post all 202 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:37:16 GMT Palin: We can't let 'leftist groups…steal this election' - CNN Political Ticker Seattle Post Intelligencer Palin: We can't let 'leftist groups…steal this election' CNN Political Ticker - 1 hour ago “The truth is that far-left groups in this country will do anything to help the Obama-Biden Democrats win the White House and maintain their majorities in Congress,” Alaska Gov. Voter registration boom favors Obama Washington Post NC elections broad probes ACORN forms AZ Central.com WJHG-TV - Boston Herald - WJRT - ABC News all 1,325 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:39:24 GMT Britain withdraws terror detention law after defeat - AFP Telegraph.co.uk Britain withdraws terror detention law after defeat AFP - 50 minutes ago LONDON (AFP) - The British government on Monday withdrew a plan to extend the time suspected violent extremists can be held without charge after the House of Lords voted against it. House of Lords deals fatal blow to 42-day terror detention plans Times Online Ministers drop 42-day detention BBC News Xinhua - Telegraph.co.uk - Scotsman - ABC Online all 559 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:01:32 GMT Stocks Soar on Wall Street as Markets Bounce Back from Worst Rout ... - Voice of America China Daily Stocks Soar on Wall Street as Markets Bounce Back from Worst Rout ... Voice of America - 42 minutes ago By Barry Wood The Dow Jones Industrial Average Monday registered its biggest daily point gain ever, gaining 936 points or 11 percent. Wall Street explodes, marks biggest 1-day gain Inland Empire News Dow Surges On Global Bailout Plans NPR Las Vegas Review - Journal - International Herald Tribune - The Associated Press - xchange Magazine all 2,959 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:09:50 GMT Clickbank RSS Feeds Easy Work At Home Opportunity

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

How to Write Great Headlines

According to experts, just changing the headline of an ad... Read More

Unlock The Power Of Online Groups

Yahoo Groups: I see countless marketers on shoestring budges turn... Read More

Ten Ways To Sell Advertising Space Fast

1. Give your customers a discount when they spend over... Read More

15 Tips for Better Yellow Page Ads

Yellow Pages advertising is one of the most popular forms... Read More

Do Your Adverts Get You More Sales?

Philadelphia retailer and US Postmaster General, John Wanamaker, once said,... Read More

How To Write Ads That Get Response

Your print ads should do more than just get noticed.... Read More

The First UK Man To Become a Human Billboard an Interview

Advertising on humans using tattoos is rapidly kind of freak... Read More

Developing a Formal Brand Messaging Document

Ensure everyone in your company sings from the same sheet... Read More

Electronic Score Boards

Wide range of electronic Key venues around the globe has... Read More

Is Your Yellow Pages Ad Putting Cash in Your Pocket... or Sucking Cash Out?

Any idea? It's a question that more than a few... Read More

Media Savvy - How To Manage Your Time To Gain The Best Media Coverage

Did you know generating positive media coverage is four times... Read More

Secrets to Profitable Mail Order Products

The most profitable mail order products are simple... Read More

Understanding The Basics Of Advertising

I get the L.A. Times delivered to my door every... Read More

How To Create Instantly Compelling Ads Every Time

Use This Quick 3-Question Evaluation Process, So You Can Be... Read More

What To Do With Your Business Cards

Without a plan to distribute your cards, there's no need... Read More

Advertising - Should You Be Advertising Your Services?

You offer a reliable, quality service. You know that if... Read More

13 Facts About Newspaper Advertising

Advertising in the paper works for many people in business.... Read More

Ten Secrets for Getting FREE Advertising

The opportunities for getting free advertising for yourproduct or services... Read More

Push vs Pull Advertising

Push vs. Pull Advertising - Understand the Consequences for your... Read More

7 Questions to Ask Before You Advertise

Most business owners and managers keep a fairly close eye... Read More

50 Surefire Business Card Tips

Business cards are one of the most powerful and inexpensive... Read More

Raising Funds For Your Nonprofit Using An Annual Direct Mail Program

A good annual direct mail solicitation program can produce unrestrictive... Read More

What are Text Adverts?

Not everyone is aware of what are text adverts? Text... Read More

Top 9 Reasons To Advertise

Advertising is not for every company. But some require it... Read More

Diamonds Are For Evil

The task of executing successful advertising campaigns for products made... Read More