Cultural Influences on advertising

The way cultures react to communications and messages differ. Advertisers that
understand these differences succeed.
Korea and China are word-of-mouth advertising country. A customer’s testimony is
more effective than television or newspaper advertising. The testimony of a friend,
family member or opinion leader is valued. The concept of family is important to the
Chinese and is thus played up in ads.

The contents of ads with in a society mirrors that of the society.

Ads in countries high in collectivism contain more group-oriented situations than ads
found in individualistic societies.
Cultures high on the power dimension have more ads with characters of unequal status
than low-context countries
Asian cultures get more information from contextual items than Europeans
Tv ads that work well in low-context cultures often seem cold and arrogant to those
from high-context
cultures. Similarly ads made for high-context cultures confuse low-context cultures
Verbal ads preferred by high context cultures tend to be too language dependent,
boring and poor at eliciting imagery when viewed by those from low-context
cultures.
Indian visuals contain a disproportionately high percentage of children, France uses
the aesthetic visual proportionally higher.
Korea include the price 38% of the time.
USA has five to ten times more comparative ads.

Context in cross-cultural communication

The amount of information given in a communication is called context. Context

includes both the vocal and non-vocal aspects of communication that surround a word
or passage and clarify its meaning.
In verbal communications, information is transmitted through a code that makes
meanings both explicit and specific.
In non verbal communication, the non verbal aspects become the major channel for
transmitting meaning.
The verbal factors include the rate at which one talks, the pitch or tone of one’s voice,
the intensity or loudness of the voice, adaptability of the voice to the situation,
the variations of rate, pitch and the intensity, the fluency, expressional patterns,
Differences in culture is often identified using the Hofstede dimension that is
-
1 Power Distance refers to the manner in which interpersonal are formed when
difference in power are perceived. In some cultures, a vertical relationship is typical,
whereas in others relationships are based on equality and informality. In USA
individuals customary address each other on a first name basis regardless of rank. Top
managers often illustrate their solidarity with the lower rank by engaging in work
activities they do, going to the plant floor or eating in the workers’ cafeteria. In other
countries ( in Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East )it is a mistake to
address a superior informally or for a superior to mingle with the underling. In these
countries most decisions are determined by the upper level executive and only much
later disseminated to individuals in the lower positions. In this environment it is
particularly important to address the senior managers first before addressing other
individuals in the company.
2 Ucertainty Avoidance refers to the extent to which individuals feel threatened by
uncertainty, risk and ambiguous situation and thus adopt beliefs, behaviours and other
institutions that help them to avoid the uncertainty; consumers are resistant to change
and focus on risk avoidance. In cultures low in uncertainty avoidance, there is a
feeling that what is different, such as new products and services is interesting and
worth exploring. In high uncertainty avoidance things are changing with regard to
consumption and consumers are eager to experience new products from different parts
of the world and are open to new market offerings such as food establishments and
other services. Another example is Belgian consumers, who are high in uncertainty
avoidance, prefer insurance that is higher in price but does not have variable fees
while the Dutch who are low in uncertainty avoidance prefer low priced insurance
with variable fees.
3 Masculinity is the degree to which a national culture is characterized by
assertiveness, rather than nurturing. Femininity is the degree to which a national
culture is characterized by nurturing rather than assertiveness. Masculine societies
emphasize values such as wealth, material success, ambition and achievement,
whereas in feminine societies, benevolence, equality, caring for the weak and
preserving the environment are emphasized. In masculine societies such as Australia,
Canada, UK and USA focus on consumer achievement motivation, personal
accomplishment and ego appeal.
4 Individualism vs Collectivism. Individualism refers to the degree to which people
in a country prefer to act as individuals, in their self-interest rather than in the interest
of the group which is a characteristics of collectivism. In individualism such as UK,
USA and Australia, the social fabric and group norms are much looser. People tend
not to follow social norms but rather initiate behaviour independently. Collectivist
cultures, such as those of Latin America, Asia and the Middle East, stress
subordination to the collectivity (group, family, business) and require acting in the
interest of the group rather than in one’s self interest. Asian societies are
fundamentally collectivist.
CROSS CULTURAL ISSUES IN SALES AND SALES MANAGEMENT

Sales
Products that are higher priced and complex require demonstrations or hands-on training or must be
customized for each individual customer.
A manufacturing of Data System, a producer of computer software, finds that a sale in the US
requires an average of tow calls per sale. In Europe frequent call backs are necessary, each time with
a higher level of management which means more time and cost. In Japan, a sale requires even more
time than in Europe. In Malaysia it requires an average of only five demonstrations to make a sale bu
20 in the Philippines. Bargaining still dominates the exchange process in Saudi Arabia and all sales
personnel are men. In Chinese society an aggressive salesman may frighten customers, who may be
humiliated and then lose face. Chinese like to do their shopping without interference. They tend to
chose someone who they are familiar with.
In Taiwanese culture, sales personnel rank low in the hierarchy of occupational prestige.
An American firm trained 40 young Brazilians in sales techniques for an entire week. After that they
were told to go door-to-door selling the product. They were appalled. It is beneath the dignity of
Brazilians to ring the doorbell and talk to women about a product.
In Japan cars are delivered on a lucky day. Every thing is done on a auspicious day
Regulations often influence the selling process. Customs and manners are also important. In Brazil it
is important to dress as the customer dresses, casual or formal.
The English do not , as a rule, make deals over the phone. A Frenchman neither likes instant
familiarity nor refers to strangers by their first names. Germans dislike overstatement and
ostentatiousness. . ,
In China “no problem” frequently means there is a bit of problem.
Sales persons in Germany should address their customers by title eg Herr Doktor Schmidt.in Italy
allow plenty of time for appointments since customer is very likely to spend several hours chatting
with a salesperson. In the Middle East one should not be too distant or aloof as Arabs consider the
sense of touch a means of communication
The Japanese selling process is human intensive rather than product intensive. Selling in Japan is a
lengthy process with numerous repeat visits. In Japan the sales people lack respect. The route to the
top goes through manufacturing not marketing and sales as in many American firms.

Sales Management
Sales management includes recruiting, training, motivation, compensation, evaluation, budgeting
and supervision of a sales force. It is highly culture bound
Large differences in languages and dialects, social customs and government regulations will
sometimes dictate the local hiring practices,
In Argentina there are severe regulations firing or discharging of personnel. In Brazilian law indicate
that each salesperson must be assigned an exclusive territory and if reassigned the firm has to
maintain the same salary for 12 months. In Venezuela dismissal laws are more severe; if the sales
person has worked for 3 months he gets one months pay plus 15 days pay for every month of service
exceeding 8 months plus 15 days pay for each year employed.