Essay On Marketing Culture And Communication

One human group is distinct from another because of the collective programming of their minds, known as culture. In this view, culture is a system of shared values. Culture can be influenced by a country's values, language, knowledge, customs, and assumptions (Hall and Hall, 1990). Marketing communications are heavily influenced by the cultural context in which they are produced. As a result, a company's marketing strategy must take into account the cultural context of the nations in which it operates.

 

 

For this assignment, I have selected Australia and HK for comparison as these two countries vary significantly in cultural dynamics.

 

When a company adds value or is a marketing success, it is critical to have effective marketing communication. Culture, Hofstede's theories of high and low context, and so on all have a role in marketing communication.

 

First and foremost, a culture is a specific set of people's knowledge and qualities. Language, religion, food, social customs, music, and the arts are all included in this category. In the year of our Lord, 1959, To add to all of this, according to Hall, culture is nothing more than a product of our minds; it is a way of life. Invisible control mechanisms operate in our minds, so we can't see them. As a result, we can gain a better grasp of it by comparing it to other cultures. In Hall's (Hall, 1980) words, " Different cultures, on the other hand, place a different value on items because they are being sold to a different audience. Marketing communications must be tailored to each country's specific needs. According to Weinberger and Spotts, a company's ability to succeed in international markets is enhanced when it uses amusing advertising that appeals to people from all walks of life (Weinberger and Spotts, 1989) Local expectations need to be adapted if any may be universally accepted.

 

Edward T. Hall, on the other hand, stated that the concepts of high context and low context were brought out. It was defined by Croucher et al., that the communication style is more implicit, indirect, and explicit. People's communication is more explicit, direct, and impersonal in LC culture (Croucher et al., 2012). The social hierarchy and encroachment on individuals' lives are reduced in a low context (LC) society because people are more individualized and have fewer relationships. People in Australia, for example, have a low level of context since they speak directly to one another. As a result, there are fewer ties between them (Hall, 1994). However, they characterized high-context culture as an in-depth involvement with each other. Since everyone is so closely connected, the social order emerges and people's emotions are tightly reined in. Because they care for the feelings of others, people in Hong Kong avoid speaking directly to each other (Croucher et al., 2012). Therefore, the information can be broadly disseminated with the simple message of profundity.

 

According to Hofstede, the six dimensions of national culture are also included in the model. For example, Hofstede's theory seeks to explain cultural differences through particular dimensions, such as power distance, individualism, masculinity and avoidance of uncertainty, and the long-term orientation of the individual. The less powerful members of a community understand and expect that power is distributed unequally in the power distance. in countries with high Power Distance, people strive to equal the distribution of power and demand explanations for variances in the distribution of power (Hofstede, 1980, 1991). For example, Westerners have a lower power distance than Asians because they believe that power is more significant to them than it is to Westerners. Individualism, as practiced in Australia, is characterized by a singular concentration on self-interest and the expectation that others would take care of the needs of the individual and his or her immediate family. Collectivism, on the other hand, is a more pervasive social structure. Like Hong Kong, they will expect you to take care of their loved ones. "I" or "we" might be used to determine a person's identity (Hofstede, 1980, 1991). For men, the term "masculinity" connotes an in-group bias toward success, achievement, and heroism in society. A more competitive society could benefit from it. When viewed in this light, femininity is represented as a predisposition for cooperation and concern for the weak and helpless among us. People who live in a short-term culture aren't concerned about the future since they're too busy having fun to plan. They're only thinking about it right now. As a long-term society, Hong Kong encourages thrift and preparation for the future, as well as a focus on the present. Indulgence and constraint allow one to have pleasure and appreciate life. Australia n people's gratification is stifled by restraint (Swoboda and Hirschmann, 2017). Advertisement methods and types vary by country; for example, if the intended audience is Westerners, the emphasis should be on greater individualism in the advertising. Because of this, when a firm promotes its products and services, it must do so by its own culture. As a result, the corporation places a high value on its marketing communications.

 

The Hofstede model of national culture includes six dimensions, as per Hofstede. The cultural aspects are a way to separate countries from each other by their individual preferences for one condition of affairs over another.

 

Figure-1: – Hofstede: 6 dimensions of national culture between Hong Kong and Australia

 

Comparing Hong Kong with Australia based on the Hofstede 6 dimensions. Australia ranks lower than Hong Kong in terms of power distance and long-term orientation. As the son advises his mother, the younger will provide advice to the older. The younger person has power equal to or greater than the older person. As a result, Hong Kong has a long distance between power centers, with each generation deferring to the one before them. Additionally, the way of life in Australia is more laid-back than in Hong Kong, so they can take it easy for the time being.

 

Despite this, Australia ranks higher than Hong Kong on the individualism, masculinity, risk aversion, and indulgence dimensions of the personality trait scorecard. Australians will speak frankly and personally about individualism and masculinity (Shimp and Andrews, 2013). I and yours would be preferred terms of endearment for them. They're capable of taking care of themselves and don't want to share their resources. They like to do things on their own, yet Hong Kong people are more likely to use the words "we" and "together" when referring to themselves and others. "Be the best" or "King" are common phrases in Australia, whereas Hong Kong is more egalitarian and focuses on relationships.

 

Australians have a greater fear of bacteria, so they'll have more information about things, such as how they work or how they're manufactured. In addition, their way of life is more laid back. Although Hong Kong people tend to be more restrained, they tend to put a greater emphasis on the outcomes of using the products rather than the process itself.

 

As a result, marketing communication is different in Australia and Hong Kong. Individualism and collectivism are the most opposed ideologies.

 

Businesses need to develop their marketing materials and styles following the local culture. Australia and Hong Kong, for example, have completely different marketing cultures and styles from the rest of Asia and the Western world (Bai, 2016).

 

Individualism and directness are the hallmarks of Australian advertising. In contrast, drink advertisements, are unwilling to share and do not form teams. Solo Lemon Drink is an example of a company that employs a single rower to take on the challenge of rowing.

 

"You've earned the reward" is used in Solo Lemon Drink's marketing, yet the phrasing is fairly blunt (Shimp and Andrews, 2013). Also, he enjoys playing the torrent alone just as much as the males that play it with him. While he's downloading torrents, he likes to sip on a Solo Lemon Drink all by himself. As a result, Australia's advertising promotes independence and drinking alone.

 

Individualism is also prominent in Australia's advertising. Air-conditioning from Fujitsu is also immediately connected. In the commercial, a man plays a guitar by himself and appears to be having a good time. Directness and individualism are evident in their use of "I" and "you." He can relax in peace by himself as he plays the guitar (Palazzo, 2019). Also, they are promoting masculinity by using a male to advertise air conditioning. Therefore, Fujitsu air conditioners are also immediately affected.

 

Marketing communication is a constant interaction between sailors and buyers in a specific market place. Any gesture or act that helps to attract buyers to satisfy their requirement can also be identified as marketing Communication. In general marketing communication is a process of presenting a collaborative set of simulators, a specific target for revoking a desired response within the target market that can be helpful for setting of various channels that include receiving, interpreting and acting upon messages and identifying new communication opportunities. There are different forms of marketing communication that are advertising, direct marketing, sales promotion, online communication and others.

 

Advertising is generally the significant use of mass media as the medium of communication such as billboards, radio, newspaper and TV. Potential advertising adequate and appropriate information to the target audience that can create emotional and rational appeal based on the type of product and service that are advertised through the selected mass media. Use of various elements in the advertising can create strong rational appeal that lead to strong action response from the target audiences for example purchasing the product and it also can be helpful for establishing a positive image for the brand within the consumer base to enhance the customer loyalty.

 

It is a specific type of marketing that depends on direct communication or distribution to a specific target audience without the help of a third party. In general marketing or advertisement is conducted through third parties such as social media, email, mass media, and other texting campaigns, but in direct marketing it eliminates the middleman like advertising media.

 

Sales promotion is an effective part of the promotional mix where organizations and businesses use short term customer oriented strategies to stimulate the requirement and demand for the product by making it more attractive and worthy to the consumers.

 

There are several factors that are required to be considered when promoting a specific product or service in a different country. When the organization is using radio advertisements it is very important to consider the language and culture of that specific country that can be helpful for establishing a strong bond between the consumer and the advertisement. Advertisement in local language helps to attract the local consumers towards the advertisement and the information that the advertisement is intended to convey to the consumer. On the other hand when the organization is using newspaper advertisement it is required to focus on the language specifically in order to reach a large number of people in a different country otherwise the population of the different country will not notice the advertisement efficiently. Apart from this while promoting the product and services through television advertisement or social media in that case, the organization is required to be concerned about the culture, language, attitude, colour of the population in order to reach a large number of audiences in a different country in less time and less effort. It is because in many countries the local language or the national language is considered as the official language of the country for this the population might not be comfortable in other foreign languages like English. Therefore conveying specific information to the population in their official language can be helpful for them to understand the information efficiently.

 

From the cultural dimension of Australia and Hong Kong a perception has been acquired about the Australian consumer priority and Hong Kong consumer. The Australian consumers prioritize quality, CSR value and trust on the other hand consumers of Hong Kong prioritize brand image, and affordability.

 

There are many mediums of advertising that are used by a specific organization but in this specific study mass media advertising specification advertisement has been selected to evaluate efficiently. Coca-Cola is a reputed global organization that has a huge existence in both Australia and Hong by examining the TV advertisement that in the countries it has been identified that there is a huge difference in the way the organization adapts the local culture of the both countries. The television advertisement that has been executed in this study is the first TV ad of Coca-Cola that is promoting recycling in Australia. The population and consumer of Australia's priority is the CSR value. This is the reason that the organization has executed the recycling by focusing on the environment.

 

On the other hand in the TV advertisement of Hong Kong it has been shown that energetic and young people are drinking Coca-Cola in different events and situations. Most importantly it has been executed that there is a big smile in the face of the characters and their holding Coca-Cola while interacting with each other that evoked the emotion of warmth through friendliness and happiness.

 

Adverts in Hong Kong are highly collectivist compared to those in Australia. For instance, Coca-Cola uses a meeting to market its product. To them, it's a fun thing to do. In the commercial, a person drinks Coca-Cola, and his or her companions desire to do the same. Because they enjoy sharing their Coca-Cola with others, they do so in a cheerful manner. Hong Kong will use the group to spread the word about the beverage. As a group, they utilize words like "we" and "together."
From the hosted cultural dimension it is revealed that the Australian population is majorly believing in individualism because it acquired 90 and Hong Kong acquired 25. The TV advertisement also execute the individualism because the TV advertisement of Hong Kong is include lot of people who are doing fun things while sharing Coca-Cola with each other that symbolizes happiness and cheerfulness on the other hand in the TV advertisement of Australia there is no person or human being has been executed rather than the tiny is creature of the nature to execute the importance of recycling.

 

In contrast, the air-conditioning ads in Hong Kong are more collective and multicolored. In the case of Mitsubishi Electric, the air-conditioning functions are implemented by two teams of individuals. In the first group, the temperature can be automatically adjusted through the conflict between two men fighting to bring out the air conditioning. It is a form of collectivism. In the second group, two women and a guy we're used to performing the function (Palazzo, 2019). Because they were shy and drew a picture of the man, their bodies were swelteringly hot. As a group, they employ the word "we" in advertising, which is quite collectivist.

Individualism and directness are the hallmarks of Australian advertising. No one wants to share and no one has a team like in sports advertising. Adidas is a good example of a company that focuses on running, fighting, and exercising. To build muscle and stamina, they rely on man alone. Adidas uses the term "you" in the commercial, which is a very direct pronoun. They also believe that males who exercise and play sports alone are a lot of fun and that they become stronger as a result.

 

When he works out on his own, he likes to wear Adidas apparel and gear. Due to their preference for being alone to grow, Australia's commercial is focused on individualism.

 

In addition, many advertisements in Australia focus on the self-expression of the advertiser. As in the fast food commercial, Burger King portrays itself as forthright and masculine just like the fast food chain. After he hears the cry, he is pursued by a large group of people (Catovic and Elfic, 2014). He had to get the hell out of there. He will have to deal with a variety of challenges, including having to run and jump, as well as taking care of himself. The Burger King appears in front of him when he finally escapes. In this commercial, a man confronts his challenges head-on and achieves success; when he does, Burger King appears in his eyes. As a result, Australia's advertising emphasizes independence and individualism.

 

Adverts for fast food restaurants in Hong Kong, on the other hand, tend to be more individualistic and multicolored. As an example, consider KFC, which employs a team of individuals who draw and finish their work together. A group of people is enlisted in the advertisement to repair the chairs so that they can show off the things they wish to accomplish together. Even after their task is done, they all gather for a celebratory meal. As a result, they love sharing the chicken, as well as helping one another with the delicious food. As a group, they employ "we" and "sharing" in their advertising, which is quite collectivist.

 

Consider Hong Kong and Australia as examples. Pros and downsides exist for both of these options. Directness and individualism characterize Australia. Hong Kong is a city that embraces both individualism and diversity. Hong Kong is a place where people love doing things together rather than doing them alone. As a result, the promotion of a certain style varies across the country.

 

Marketers can overcome the cultural and linguistic barriers between Hong Kong and Australia by using one of these three strategies. First, they can hire locals to work in marketing. It's also possible for them to pick out the best and most appropriate things to sell. Thirdly, people can finally learn about their history and culture (Massiera, Gilmore, and Sellami, 2017).

 

The marketer should use locals to help with their marketing efforts. Residents have lived there for a long time and are familiar with the people's attitudes and preferences when it comes to products (Hall, 1994). Aside from that, they were familiar with the prevalent advertising technique in that country. Consequently, the marketer can recruit locals to work so that the unlikely advertising or product rollout can be avoided and reduced (Appadurai, 2010).

 

Marketers must tailor their products to the consumers they are trying to reach. The marketer must select products that are appropriate for a wide range of customers, including those of varying sizes. The advertiser should be aware that Hong Kong's size does not function in Australia because of the different body sizes in Asia and the West. So, they'll have to expand. Consequently, the marketer must select the appropriate product for each country's citizens.

 

The marketer should research the country's culture. When it comes to promoting, Australia needs to be more forthright. Marketing materials can reflect a country's history and culture when the marketer is well versed in its history and culture (Hall and Hall, 2014). It is possible to avoid cultural clashes by using this method.

 

The culture of a country can be influenced by its values, language, knowledge, habits, and assumptions because of the cultural differences between countries (Bernick, 2014). Each country's culture is heavily influenced by the marketing messages it receives. Therefore, the corporation needs to base its marketing strategy on the cultural context of the nations in which it operates. That's why effective marketing communication is critical for any nation.

 

Appadurai, A., 2010. Modernity at large. Minneapolis, Minn. [u.a.]: Univ. of Minnesota Press.

 

 

Bai, H., 2016. A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Advertisements from High-Context Cultures and Low-Context Cultures. English Language Teaching, 9(8), p.21.

 

 

Bernick, K., 2014. Hidden Dimensions. Vancouver: UBC Press.

 

 

Catovic, A. and Elfic, E., 2014. Relation between strategic management and system of integrated marketing communications. Ekonomski izazovi, 3(6), pp.128-136.

 

 

Croucher, S., Bruno, A., McGrath, P., Adams, C., McGahan, C., Suits, A., and Huckins, A., 2012. Conflict Styles and High–Low Context Cultures: A Cross-Cultural Extension. Communication Research Reports, 29(1), pp.64-73.

 

 

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Hall, E. and Hall, M., 2014. Understanding cultural differences. Boston, Mass.: Intercultural Press.

 

 

Hall, E., 1994. Beyond culture. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday.

 

 

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Massiera, P., Gilmore, A. and Sellami, M., 2017. Marketing illegitimacy within SMEs: learning triggers and influence on marketing communications. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 26(8), pp.688-701.

 

 

Palazzo, M., 2019. Linking Cultural Dimensions and CSR Communication. Hershey: IGI Global.

 

 

Shimp, T. and Andrews, J., 2013. Advertising, promotion, and other aspects of integrated marketing communications. Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning.

 

 

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