How Culture and the Socio-Cultural Environment Influence the Advertising efforts

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

How Culture and the Socio-Cultural Environment Influence the Advertising efforts

Culture and the socio-cultural environment have tremendous impact not only on the behavior of the customers but also on managers who map out and implement international/export management programs. Culture also influences the political/legal environment of a country, the way in which its economic system works, and the attitude towards competition. The most evident effects of culture may be on types, colors, designs and styles of products that can be sold in foreign markets.

Generally, pork products cannot be marketed in Islamic countries, although a US-owned international chain of barbecue restaurants got permission to import pork into Malaysia that also houses sizable nonIslamic Chinese population. Road conditions, income level, tax and personal choices determine what sizes, colors, and horsepower will be used in the automobiles. For instance, high-tech Japanese toilets that have water sprays, warm-air drying, and heated seats did not sell in Arabic countries. Advertising colleges help students understand these subtle differences.

Culture also touches on the themes and presentations of advertisements. For instance an advertiser may picture a sophisticated man and women in a romantic setting while promoting television and diamonds and it will catch on in Europe and America but won’t be very effective in Japan. Sales shoot up exponentially when the theme was changed to a man in ordinary business dress giving diamond to his wife. Graduate programs in advertising enables students relate the impact of culture on advertising.

Even methods of negotiations are influenced by culture. For instance US negotiators prefer direct statements and defend their position vigorously. They like to agree on a point-by-point basis and cover all contingencies in a written contract. On the other hand Japanese negotiators like to take time to know their potential associates first. They like to stave off arguments and confrontations and prefer to consider the agreement as a whole. They frequently consult among themselves and their colleagues at the company before agreeing to anything. Without properly understanding these finer nuances- it’s impossible for advertisers to excel in the highly competitive market.