Cross Cultural Marketing
Lots to Research!
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Understanding unique cultures is quite challenging from
the marketing perspective. It is integral to understand
a country and culture before moving business overseas
One may violate the cultural norms of a country without
even knowing it if one does not take the time to appreciate
and understand the cultural uniqueness.
Warning about Stereotyping
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When observing a culture, one must be careful to
not over generalize about traits that one sees
Note that there are often individual differences
within cultures
Especially significant in mass media – usually
relating to class, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual
orientation, social role or occupation
Can we stereotype Canadians?
Definition of Culture
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A learned, shared, compelling, interrelated set of
orientations (value) for members of society
Learned:
• Culture is not genetically-based
• We learn through our culture what is
appropriate or not
• From parents, school and friends
Shared:
• The beliefs, interpretations and behaviours are
shared by all or most of the people within the
culture so that is becomes truly societal
Definition of Culture
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Compelling:
• Culture must have implications (rules, laws,
punishments, social disapproval)
Interrelated:
• Coherent and consistent among all. Ie: Japanese
bow when greeting hello and to demonstrate
respect
What is the culture of this classroom? What are
the norms of this classroom?
Ethnocentrism and the Self Reference
Criterion
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belief in the intrinsic superiority of the nation,
culture, or group to which one belongs, often
accompanied by feelings of dislike for other groups
The belief that one's own culture is superior
to all others and is the standard by which all other
cultures should be measured. (Example is
Germans in WWII)
We are WEIRD too! What types of cultural
elements do we have here in North America that
might be perceived as strange to other cultures?
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Self Reference Criterion:
• the assumption that a product can successfully
be sold abroad on the basis of its success in the
home market
Video:
Are You Testing Your Assumptions?
Mcdonalds Commercials in the U.S. vs China
Cross-Cultural Marketing - USC presentation
Cultural Essence: A Video on International
Business Culture
Cultural Marketing Blunders!
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"Traficante" and Italian mineral water found a
great reception in Spain's underworld. In
Spanish it translates as "drug dealer".
Sharwoods, a UK food manufacturer, spent £6
million on a campaign to launch its new 'Bundh'
sauces. It received calls from numerous Punjabi
speakers telling them that "bundh" sounded just
like the Punjabi word for "arouse".
In 2002, Umbro the UK sports manufacturer
had to withdraw its new trainers (sneakers)
called the Zyklon. The firm received complaints
from many organisations and individuals as it
was the name of the gas used by the Nazi
regime to murder millions of Jews in
concentration camps.
Cultural Marketing Blunders!
4. United Airlines unknowingly got off on
the wrong foot during its initial flights
from Hong Kong. To commemorate the
occasion, they handed out white
carnations to the passengers. When they
learned that to many Asians white flowers
represent bad luck and even death, they
changed to red carnations.
5. When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa,
they used the same packaging as they did in the U.S.,
with the beautiful Caucasian baby on the label.
Later they learned that in Africa, companies routinely
put pictures on the label of what's inside, since most
people can't read. Yikes!
6. Coors put its slogan, "Turn It Loose," into Spanish
where its translation was read as "Suffer From
Diarrhea."
7. Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used
the following in an American campaign: "Nothing
sucks like an Electrolux."
8. Pepsi's "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation"
translated into "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from
the grave", in Chinese.
Elements of Culture
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Language:
• Set of symbols used to assign and communicate
meaning, enabling us to name, label and connect to
things in our world
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Values:
• Anything members of a culture aspire to or hold in
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high regard (ie: in the US – being individual)
Values are things to be achieved or considered
of great worth
Values are social products – created by humans, thus
they can be changed over time and experiences
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Beliefs:
• Things members of a culture hold to be true
• ‘Facts’ accepted as truth by most members
• Not limited to religious statements, but include
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all things a people know and accept to be true,
including common sense everyday knowledge
Also created by man and are collective social
agreements – beliefs can and do change,
especially in modern day society (chances are,
our grandchildren will laugh at lots of our
beliefs today!)
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Attitudes and Norms:
• May include folklore, mores, taboos, rituals in a culture
• Manmade rules for behaviour
Status and Roles:
• Position in society –what is expected in that position, ie:
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Mother vs. father, teacher vs. student
What a person in a given status should do as well as
what they can expect from others
Often how humans identify themselves.