Culture Is Pervasive in All Marketing Activities Essay

It is a widely original dogma of merchandising that consumers atomic number 18 not homogenous and that their detail tastes, characteristics and desires pull up stakes invite their response to merchandiseing activities and advert (Jeannet and Hennessey, 2004 Kotler and Keller, 2006, p. 52). At the alike time, it is as well as accepted that consumers in diametric conclusions tend to confirm different demographic profiles, lifestyles, value and economic priorities (Yucelt, 2000, p. 59). As a result, it is clear that consumers in different finiss are very potential to hit different emergencys and responses to selling and advertising.This in liberate implies that purification go out have a pervasive fix in influencing marketing activities, and businesses volition have to take account of pagan factors if they are to successfully advertise to consumers in different coatings. This piece will critic wholly in ally review the extent to which culture is pervasive in all marketing activities particularly in the creation and implementation of advertising strategies, and the implications for marketing and advertising activity. market-gardening is pervasive in all marketing activities not precisely is this argument supported by the theory, only when it has in addition been powerfully supported by the empirical evidence. For example, studies of marketing in the European Union, which is primarily seen as a single market, have sh sustain that national differences are much important than similarities when marketers are planning to approach the European consumers (Yucelt, 2000, p. 59). These differences become change surface healthfuler in other contexts much(prenominal) as Asia.In particular, the response to television, radio, newsprint and magazine advertising has all been shown to be influenced by heathen factors, and all of these factors can have an influence on the strategies use by companies to market and advertise their intersection po ints. Given the significant bushel of these differences, it is roughly surprising that studies have looked to use ethnic frameworks to analyse the bear on of culture on marketing, with Hofstedes (1980, p. 1) heathenish set being angiotensin-converting enzyme of the most widely apply concepts. In particular, research by Murphy and Scharl (2007, p. 97) has shown that Hofstedes dimensions of individuation and maleness strongly related to how advanced products and the marketing and advertising of said products is received.This conclusion is specifically applied to the online setting, producing the argument that in countries with strong cultural values of masculinity and collectivism, international business managers should consider paying homage to topical anaesthetic domain names for web site and email addresses in tack to reach customers in that country much effectively (Murphy and Scharl, 2007, p. 97).This implies that not solely is culture an important factor in market ing activities and advertising, but that specific cultural factors can have specific dazes on a attached marketing campaign or advertising strategy. These specific oppositions can be dismantle more important in the case of multinational corporations and their subsidiaries. In particular, they raise the question of how multinational corporations and their subsidiaries should best market and advertise their offerings crossways a err of environmental contexts.The question that is often raised in the literature is how best for these companies to achieve their orbiculate vision, whilst also paying prudence to cultural factors in the aim market and stay on responsive to local environmental conditions. According to a study by Boojihawon et al (2007, p. 549) the mass of successful multinational companies tend to strike a balance amid these two factors, attempting to create a sound world(prenominal) strategy whilst also using entrepreneurial behaviours and management practices to encourage local cultural right in their subsidiaries and advertising strategies.Despite adhering to a unified theme in order to build a distinctive global give away identity, thither were significant variations in how Nintendo launched the Nintendo Wii in 3 westernised yet, culturally different countries (Figure 1). The innovative segmentation, targeting and positioning strategies of Nintendo Wii, and the localised campaigns focusing on the most important attributes of the product in each country/culture, helped to make Wii the success it is today. Figure 1 Comparison of TV advertising launch of Nintendo Wii in USA, Japan & UK (2006)The grandness of culture also pervades the development, management and advertising of a comp both or products brand ikon. Managing brand images in global markets is a major concern for businesses, who wish to avoid embarrassing incidents where their brand image turns out to be inappropriate or offensive in or so cultural contexts. Wonderbra is onl y too aware of this (www. ad fruityheworld. com). Every magazine that enters the united Arab Emirates is censored using black markers.Before Wonderbra launched into the UAE, they issued a strategic humourous press release depicting a woman wearing a blacked-out Wonderbra. They deliberately added large amounts of marker to the ad to cheekily communicate the ontogeny in size when a lady wears their product. However, their advertising strategy backfired when the UAE advertising authorities blacked out the rest of the naked skin leaving only the face visible, thus totally diminishing any intended marketing message.Indeed, Roths (1995, p. 163) use of Hofstedes (1980, p. ) dimensions indicates that both the power distance and individualism dimensions have strong impacts on the interpretation of afferent and novelty establish brand image strategies. In other discourses, these two dimensions strongly impact on consumer responses to brand advertising strategies that are based on sensory stimuli and novelty value. This implies that managers marketing brands internationally and across different cultural contexts desire to be aware of how their brands and advertising will be interpreted in these contexts, in order to maximise their marketing and advertising effectiveness.The impact of cultural factors can even be seen in the case of word of embouchurepiece advertising strategies, and customer referral programs. In particular, in recent years the intention of cultural factors and cultural differences in the use of word of mouth as an advertising tool has become of increased importance. Whilst positive word of mouth tends to have a positive effect on customer assist quality perceptions in all cultural environments, Schumann et al (2010, p. 8) showed that received word of mouth has a stronger effect on the evaluation of customers in proud uncertainty avoidance than in low uncertainty avoidance cultures.This implies that even if companies are not engaging in direc t advertising campaigns in a cross-cultural context, they still wishing to be aware of the impact that cultural factors can have on their general marketing and any word of mouth advertising or referral marketing strategies, and match these strategies to the target cultures uncertainty avoidance level. One World CultureHowever, it is important to note that whilst national cultural factors and differences have a strong impact on the marketing and advertising of products in the contemporary environment, the increase globalisation of the world economy is also having a strong impact on the cultural characteristics of peck around the world. As global capitalist economy and communications become more advanced, so consumers around the world are becoming used to similar styles of marketing and advertising.This is acting to dissolve whatsoever of the cultural boundaries of advertising, and in ome areas creating a homogeneous global consumer culture (Cleveland and LaRoche, 2007, p. 249). W hilst this abridge is still not dominant, and many individuals continue to define themselves by their cultural environment and heritage, there is a growing grad of variance in the extent to which other individuals do identify with these norms. In particular, younger people are increasingly defining themselves as global consumers and individuals, and consequently mental picture a greater affinity to the global community, with a lesser degree of attachment to their local and national cultures.This implies that not only do managers need to be aware of the different cultures that pervade the markets in which they operate, but they also need to be aware of the potential impact of this global culture on consumer responses to advertising and marketing strategies. Indeed, whilst the harvest-feast of this global consumer is a comparatively new concept in marketing, it should be noted that globalisation has wide been accepted as creating global consumer segments that associate similar m eanings with certain places, people, and things (Duncan and Ramaprasad, 1995, p. 5).To date, these segments have largely been limited to specific consumer products and brands, such as Apple, Nike and Coca Cola. However, as these segments have grown, so they have also helped drive the emergence of global consumer cultures, and the growth of shared sets of habit related symbols. These symbols are often brands, but can also be product categories, or even consumption activity. In 2009, Guinness launched their first ever global advertising campaign for Arthurs daylight (Figure 2).It was a groundbreaking consumer promotion promoting annual Arthurs Day events on 24th September, being held around the world in cities including Dublin, bran-new York, Lagos and Kuala Lumpur (Saatchi & Saatchi EMEA, 2009). Guinness wants their global consumers to celebrate the consumption activity of drinking Guinness on the same day of the year, worldwide thus trying to influence global culture and consumer behaviour. Figure 2 Arthurs Day Toast, Jakarta, 2010With the continuous growth of mass media, and the dominance of this media by a few large economies and cultures such as the United States (Walker, 1996, p. 42), these symbols have become ever more significant, and their impact on global culture has become ever more pronounced. This implies that marketers and advertisers need to be aware of the specific influence of culture across different product categories, and the potential cultural impacts of entering or leaving one of these categories.The growth of these shared meanings also has implications of marketing managers, who often find themselves competing in an increasingly competitive global marketplace, where competitors can come from a range of backgrounds, economies and cultures (Aaker, 1991, p. 46). As a result, marketers may need to develop new strategies for deal with the widespread changes in culture, particularly when the global culture changes in a way that is not conduc ive to their existing marketing strategies.According to Alden et al (1999, p. 75) such changes will require companies to adopt a strategy of global consumer culture positioning, whereby businesses not only position themselves in home(prenominal) markets and foreign markets, but also position themselves in the global market. This will obviously complicate marketing activities in the short term, with marketers forcing to tailor their advertising strategies to three distinct market segments, all of which may respond to brand messages and advertising in different ways.However, in the long term, marketers are likely to benefit from following such a strategy, as their positioning will be better able to move with shifts in the global market, and the respective(a) local markets in which they operate. As such, it can be seen that the impact of culture on contemporary marketing and advertising will not be static, but will rather be ever changing and hence will require marketers to anticipat e and react to changes in the global cultural makeup.The potential for such changes to occur can be seen in a recent study of the use of soft sell advertising and hard sell advertising across different markets. According to most hypothetic work on advertising and the prediction of global consumer culture theories, soft sell advertising should be more uniformly accepted across markets, whilst hard sell advertising should struggle in some cultural contexts such as the Far East, where confrontations are not culturally acceptable.However, the results of Okazakis (2010, p. 0) study into the use of soft selling and hard selling in the United States and Japan produced quite surprising results The results indicate somewhat more homogeneous credenza of soft-sell appeals but, surprisingly, also show relatively homogeneous acceptance of hard-sell appeals across markets. These findings are suggestive of both types of appeals having the potential to be used as part of a GCCP across the United States and Japan and maybe other markets (Okazaki, 2010, p. 20). This implies that even two culturally dissimilar nations such as the US and Japan have developed similar responses to certain types of advertising.As such, marketers who had not kept abreast of these cultural and market developments could have tack together themselves left behind and unable to compete as the market locomote on and left them behind. Conclusions In conclusion, it is clear that culture is pervasive in all marketing activities, and particularly in the case of advertising strategies. non only does culture impact on how advertising and marketing is perceive in different countries and cultures, but it can also in turn be influenced by advertising and marketing strategies.In addition to this, the globalisation of marketing, advertising and business is causing the emergence of a global culture, which requires its own unique form of marketing and advertising. These different cultures are not remaining static , but are increasingly changing and developing over time, forcing advertisers to continuously renew and re-evaluate their advertising strategies. As such, the main impact on culture on marketing activities is that it prevents them from becoming static and consistent, and forces regular reviews and updates to ensure that the activities remain culturally relevant.