Ibahrine Chapter 3 Value Culture

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Chapter 3

Values and Culture

American University of Sharjah College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Mass CommunicationDr. Ibahrine

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Define the key terms value and culture

Explain the importance of the value in global marketing and advertising

Chapter 1 Objectives

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In-class exercise

Make a list of three of your own values

Compare them with lists of classmates

Do the majority of the class share the same values?

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Socialization

The social Processes through which children develop an awareness of social norms and values and achieve a distinct sense of self

Socialization continues throughout life

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The Value Concept

According to Rokeach (1973) a value is

‘an enduring belief that one mode of conduct or end-state of existence is preferable to an opposing mode of conduct or end-state of existence’

(The Nature of Huuman Value, 5.)

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The value Concept

Value system is a ‘learned orrganisation of principles and rules to help one choose between alterbnatives, resolve conflicts, and make decisions’

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The value Concept

Preferences can lead to action

When expressed in an abstract way, preferences seem to be universal

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The value Concept

Value priorities vary

In a value system values are ordered in priority with respect to other values

Priority of values

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The value Concept

Dinstinguish between values of

Individuals and collectivesMacro- and micro-level values (layer of culture)

Fact or value orientations

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Values Are Enduring Values are learned at early age, unconsciously

Our value system works as an automatic pilot

Macro-level (cultural) values are stable

Change is in the expressions of cultural values

Value differences of young people are similar to differences of average populations

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The Value Paradox: the desirable and the desired

There are two opposing aspects to values:

1. The desirable: What people think ought to be desired

2.The desired: what people actually desire

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The Value Paradox: the desirable and the desired

1. The desirable: refers to the general norms of a society and is worded in terms of right or wrong, in absolute terms

2. The desired: is what we want, what we consider important for ourselves

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The Value Paradox: the desirable and the desired

The desirable

The norm, what oughtWords

Approval, disapprovalWhat is good, right

For people in generalIdeology

The desired

What people want for themselvesDeedsChoice

Attractive, preferredFor me and for youPragmatism

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Culture DefinedLearned and shared ways of doing things

and solving problems in a society (national culture) or in a

company (company culture)

The glue that binds people together

If there are no shared ways of doing things it is difficult to live or work together

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Culture DefinedCulture …

is particular way of life which expresses certain meanings and values not only in art and learning, but also in institutions and ordinary behavior (Williams, 1965)

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Culture Defined The anthologist Clifford Geertz views culture as

‘a set of control mechanism – plans, recipes rules, instructions for the governing of the body’

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Culture Defined We are individuals under the guidance of cultural patterns, historically created systems of meaning

Advertising reflects these wider systems of meaning

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Creative Meaning

What is meaning?

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Definition of Meaning

Meaning can be thought of as the perceptions (thoughts) and affective reactions (feelings) that are evoked within a person when presented with a sign in a particular context

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Creative Meaning

Semiotics, broadly speaking, is the study of signs and the analysis of meaning-producing events

The important point of emphasis is that the semiotics perspective sees meaning as a constructive process

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Creative Meaning

Meaning is determined both byThe message source's choice of communication elements

The receiver's unique social-cultural background

Mind-set at the time he or she is exposed to a message

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Creative Meaning

Meaning is not thrust upon consumers rather, consumers are actively involved in constructing meaning from advertising messages

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Creative Meaning

The fundamental concept in semiotics is the sign, the noun counterpart to the verb signify

Formally, a sign is something physical and perceivable that signifies something (the referent) to somebody (the interpreter) in some context

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Acculturation Defined

Cultural values are not outside but inside the minds of people, part of their identity

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Cultural Universals

- Manifestations of the total way of life of a group of people.

This includes elements such as body adornments, courtship, etiquette, family gestures, joking, mealtimes, music, personal names, status differentiation, and trade.

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Cultural UniversalsUniversals formulated in abstract terms:

happiness, loveWhat makes people happy varies

Universal need = to be healthy, but how people relate to their health varies: active sports, fitness vs purity in food or use of medication

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Cultural UniversalsUniversals formulated in abstract

terms:BUT In marketing and advertising , we

express values and motives in a concrete way

The most universality disappears

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Selective Perception• What people see is a function of what they have

learned to see in the course of growing up• Perceptual patterns are learned and culturally

determined• You see what you want to see • You do not see what you can not see because it

does not fit with your experience, your prior learning

• We perceive what we expect to perceive

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Selective PerceptionConsumers are increasingly selective in an

age of communication overload

Culture reinforces this selective process Messages that don’t fit one’s perceptual

pattern are ignored.

We perceive ads in light of our cultural map

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Stereotyping Mental placement of people in categories Stereotypes can be functional or dysfunction Functional

When we accept it as a natural process to guide our expectations

Dysfunctional When we used to judge individuals incorrectly, seeing

them only as part of group

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Stereotyping Stereotypes are in the eye of the beholder’s culture

They are relative

Advertising depends on the use of effective stereotypes because it must attract attention and create instant recognition

Advertsiing simplifies reality and thus has to use stereotypes

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Stereotyping

Advertising messages are generally short and if audiences do not immmediatle recognize what th emessage is about, it is lost

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Spain: stereotype of non-existent German sense of humor

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Culture as an onion

SymbolsHeroes

Rituals

ValuesExpressions

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Expressions of culture

• Symbols are words, gestures, pictiures or objects that carry a patrticular meaning recognized only by those who share a culture

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Expressions of culture

• Heroes are persons alive or dead, real or imaginary who possess characteriscs that rae highly prized in a society and who thus serve as role models for behaviors

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Expressions of culture

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Expressions of culture

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Expressions of culture

• Rituals are the collective activities considered socially essential within a culture

• They are carried out for their own sake

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Expressions of culture

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Expressions of culture

• Values are enduring beliefs that one mode of conduct or end-state of existence is preferable to an opposing mode of conduct or end-state of existence

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Expressions of culture

• At the core of culture lie value

• Values do not translate easily becaue words expressing values have abstract meaning

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Expressions of culture

• This explains the difficulty of translating advertising copy into languages other than the one in which it is initially conceived

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Creating Ads forGlobal Markets

Campaign Transferability Debate

Too expensive to createa unique campaignfor every nation

Success requires creatinga unique campaign

for each marketor

Translating Copy

Translator must be aneffective copywriter

Translator mustunderstand the product

Translate from learned language into native language

Advertisers should provideeasy-to-translate copy

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Korean Air site in two languages

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Expressions of culture

• Signs

• Symbols

• Body language

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Expressions of culture

• Sign Is the fundamental concept in

semiotics, the noun counterpart to the verb signify

Marketing communications in all its various forms uses signs in the creation of messages

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Expressions of culture

• Sign Formally, a sign is something physical

and perceivable that signifies something (the referent) to somebody (the interpreter) in some context

Smoke is an index of fire Index is a sign with a direct existential

connection with its object

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Expressions of culture

• Symbols• Is a sign whose connection with its

object is a matter of convention, agreement or rule on meaning

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Expressions of culture

• Body language• Kinetic• Proxemics• Haptics

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Semiotics

Semiotics, broadly speaking, is the study of signs and the analysis of meaning-producing events

The important point of emphasis is that the semiotics perspective sees meaning as a constructive process

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Gestures

Hungary

US

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Signs and symbols

Cambodia

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Brands are symbols

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Imagery

• Imagery is the use of pictures, metaphors as a way to convey meaning

• Imagery is based on pictorial conventions

• Selection of style, point of view of picture driven by cultural learning of the maker

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Imagery

• Audiences use their learned pictorial skills in their response

• Different preferences for pictures, words, use of metaphors

• A metaphor often can only be understood in the culture it refers to

• The direction of viewing varies (left to right or right to left)

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Metaphors

Please open Textbook to read from page 57

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Imagery

• Metaphor represent cultural artifacts

• They often can only be understood in the culture it refers to

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Music

• Music is another aspect of culture

• Friedrich Nietzsche once said, "Without music life would be a mistake." … "Music, the Universal language“ 

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Thinking patterns, intellectual styles, language

• Digital thinking & decision making, logic• Argumentation• Duality: concrete vs abstract, new vs old• Learning• Language

Much of English language advertising in other countries is not understood

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Thinking patterns, intellectual styles, language

• Japanese are inclined toward the analog

• They lack the Chinese dynamics of the Yin-Yan• The Japanese are holistic • The Japanese the Kimochi, • Feeling has to be right logic is cold

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Thinking patterns, intellectual styles, language

• Marieke de Mooij said:

• The Saudis seem to be intuitive in approach and avoid persuasion based primarily on empirical reasoning

(p, 58)

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language Language

Is described as the mirror of culture and is multidimensional by nature.

Include both verbal and nonverbal communication.

Aids information gathering and evaluation efforts. Provides access to local society. Is important for company communication. Allows for interpretation of context.

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Comparing cultures

• There are two approaches to compare cultures from the Emic or the etic point of view

• Etic = the general• Emic = the specific

• Comparing nations Differences within nations are smaller than

differences across nations

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The visible and invisible parts of culture

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Layers of culture

Individual behaviour/ decision maker

Company culture

Business/industry culture

National culture

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Language in global marketing

Language is important in information gathering and evaluation efforts

Language provides access to local society

Language capability is important to company communications

Language enables the interpretation of context

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Acculturation Defined

Acculturation - Adjusting and adapting to a specific culture other than one’s own

It is one of the keys to success in international operations

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Cultural Analysis

Ethnocentricism

The belief that one’s own culture is superior to others

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Sensuality and touch culture in Saudi Arabian versus European

advertising

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Three Dimensions of Culture

IDEAS NORMS MATERIAL CULTURE

McDonaldsMcDonaldsUSAUSA

McDonaldsMcDonaldsSaudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia

“When we go out to eat, which of us wants to go through the cumbersome process of trying to insert the food into our mouths by lifting the veil a crack, smearing ketchup

and sauce over our clothes and faces? We appreciate our own eating sections, which most restaurants have, not just McDonald's, because we can be comfortable there without men

glimpsing our faces.” -- Susan Aykurt, Woman Living in Saudi Arabia

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For discussion (1)

Because English is the world language of business is it necessary for UK managers to learn a foreign language?

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For discussion (2)

Do you think that cultural differences between nations are more or less important than cultural variations within nations? Under what circumstances is each important?

Identify some constraints in marketing to a traditional Muslim society.

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For discussion (3)

What layers of culture have the strongest influence on business people’s behavior?

The focus of this chapter has been the influence of culture on marketing. What is the influence of marketing on culture?

What role does the self-reference criterion play in international business ethics?

How do the roles of women in different cultures affect women’s behaviour as consumers and as business people?

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Assignments

Write down your own stereotypes of people from five other countries and how you derived them

Do you have any stereotypical ideas about advertising from different countries?

Requires web access

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Assignments

Think of some words in your own language that you have found difficult to translate to another language and analyze why

Collect ads from your own country in which you can recognize metaphors typical of your own country.

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