Author: Doris Kündig
When operating globally a company must, among other things, raise the question about what and how to communicate. That’s where tradition and cultural values come in.
The cultural values forming the basis of society must be analyzed carefully. Whether the society is individualist or collectivist, hierarchical, or family oriented. Whether there is an economic or a dominant political ideology, or there is a religion practiced by a majority. All these values are having an impact on an advertising campaign if they are not examined properly.
For example, advertisements that focus on individual success and independence would be received negatively in collectivistic societies. Avoid lack of respect for authority or rebelliousness in family orientated or hierarchical societies.
Using the example of Always I want to show how advertising for feminine protection, a rather delicate issue, is being executed in more individualistic oriented countries (Germany, USA, Russia) on one hand and in more collectivistic societies (Africa, South Africa, Arabia, Pakistan) on the other.
How can smaller middle-sized enterprises (SMEs) with limited financial resources meet the intercultural demands in their advertising campaigns?
A very interesting question Doris.
Of course globally operating companies do have different financial resources than a small or middle- sized enterprise.
Therefore a SME should maybe first invest in doing bench marketing in a cluster with similar cultural values to their own and start their advertising campaign in a cluster like Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. Even in this small cluster there always will be slight cultural differences. Should this be successful they will have more resources and can expand from there adapting to their campaign to the needs of the next cultural cluster with possibly adaptations where needed. Important is that they choose homogenous clusters to roll out an adapted campaign which fit to their financial resourses.