Cross Cultural MarketingCross Cultural Marketing

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.

Lots to Research!Lots to Research!

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?

Warning about StereotypingWarning about Stereotyping

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 CultureDefinition of Culture

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?

Definition of CultureDefinition of Culture

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?

Ethnocentrism and the Self Ethnocentrism and the Self Reference CriterionReference Criterion

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 ChinaCross-Cultural Marketing - USC

presentationCultural Essence: A Video on International

Business Culture

1. "Traficante" and Italian mineral water found a great reception in Spain's underworld. In Spanish it translates as "drug dealer".

2. 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".

3. 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 Cultural Marketing Blunders!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.

Cultural Marketing Cultural Marketing Blunders!Blunders!

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.

Language:• Set of symbols used to assign and communicate

meaning, enabling us to name, label and connect to things in our world

Values:• Anything members of a culture aspire to or hold

in 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

Elements of CultureElements of Culture

Beliefs:• Things members of a culture hold to be true

• ‘Facts’ accepted as truth by most members

• Not limited to religious statements, but include 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!)

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: 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.