Camilla Palermo

Professor Scribner

10/29/2017

CMS280

When the burger tastes better if it is culturally constructed

In an increasingly digital world, much of the communication between individuals has been

transferred to digital ecosystems and environments such as social media and websites. Marketing

and commerce as well adapted to new means of communication and digital media, and now depend

mostly on the latter for revenues, trying to maintain costumers attention and trust in an incredibly

competitive attention economy. Additionally, nowadays globalized world and the consequent

increase of trade between countries and the establishment of cross-cultural economies made it

pivotal for many businesses to develop intercultural communication skills and strategies, in order to

communicate in the most effective manner across boundaries. Websites are today’s corporations

business cards, and the design of the user interface can negatively – or positively – impact the

overall effect it has on potential customers, as well as the capacity of maintaining the latter’s trust

for the brand. Web designers have understood the correlation between effective intercultural

communication and revenue, and many businesses are now adopting culture-friendly designs and

marketing strategies.

Many web design theories and guides suggest using Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions

theory and Edward T. Hall’s High-Context vs. Low-Context models in order to create effective

interface design and copywriting. McDonald’s Corporation – the biggest fast food chain in the

world, which I believe does not need further introduction – is an incredible example of an

adaptation of these cultural studies models to its website design, which is meticulously constructed

by considering and bearing in mind different cultural values, making them culturally responsive.

The corporation also offers to customers the possibility of visiting different McDonald’s websites

around the world on this link http://corporate.mcdonalds.com/mcd/country/map.html. For the

purpose of this paper, I selected two McDonald’s websites from the list, which belong to two

countries who share drastically different cultural values - China and the United States – and I will

analyze them using Hall’s high-context vs. low-context theory and Hofstede’s individualism versus

collectivism, power distance and short versus long-term orientation cultural dimensions.

Anthropologist Edward T. Hall developed the High-Context vs. Low-Context cultural model in

1976 in his book Beyond Culture. According to his theory, in a High-Context culture such as

Chinese culture, the communication is based on many contextual elements. Therefore, messages

tend to be implicit and covert, emotions are not easily expressed, there is a strong use of non-verbal

communication, family, community, and long-term relationships represent important values, and

time is open and flexible (polychronic). The two latter aspects result in relationships being more

important than work tasks and the process of production of a product being more important than the

product itself. If taking into consideration the copywriting and some of the images presented in

China’s McDonald’s website, it is evident that such cultural values are present. In fact, the website

has been developed for a culture with a polychronic conception time: it has a blog-like form, and

each of the squares that compose the layouts are hyperlinks that connect to a blog post, an

infographic or a completely different website – often dedicated to a single burger, new product or

initiative. This implies that users will employ some time to find what they need while scrolling

down the bottomless feed of the website. Messages are not clear and direct and put much effort in

constructing and maintaining “face” for the corporation and narrating stories about McDonald’s

“heroic” deeds. Images of people, families and couples together are present. Additionally, the

production process of products – and even the process of maintenance of McDonald’s facilities –

are much emphasized with dedicated posts and sections, further enhancing face-work.

On the other hand, according to Hall’s theory, in a Low-Context culture such as the Northern

American one, the communication is overt and explicit. The messages are simple and clear and

there is more focus on verbal rather than non-verbal communication; the bonds among people are

more fragile and change easily if convenient or needed; the commitment to relationships is low and

time is highly organized (monochronic). This results in tasks to be more important than

relationships and the product to be more important than the production process. The United States

McDonald’s website is definitely based on these cultural values. The words are white and bold,

creating a high contrast with the background image. Messages – both words and images - are clear,

brief and concise, and the main point is stated in a single word that is bigger than the rest, going

straight to the point. They definitely do not make the user lose any time reading through a plethora

of information, since the United States has a monochronic conception of time and Americans are

known to be keen on time organization and management. There is no or very little emphasis or

reference to relationships, and only human body parts holding the product are present (image1). The

production process is also only briefly discussed in one of the hyperlink pages

(https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/about-our-food/our-food-philosophy/commitment-to-

quality.html), and the products are always in front in the images working as the focal point, with no

or very little human presence.

Hall’s theories make some excellent points, which have been translated in the mentioned

websites in culture-friendly and culturally-responsive web designs. However, to analyze even

deeper the choices behind the user interfaces and the content created for McDonald’s commercial

purposes in different countries, I will use Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions theory as well. Dutch

psychologist Geert Hofstede published his decade-long study conducted on employees of IBM

across different cultures in the 1970s, and since then it has become a standard in the study of

cultural typologies and differences. In this study, Hofstede identifies six cultural dimensions: high

vs. low-power distance cultures; individualist vs. collectivist cultures; a high or low degree of

masculinity; uncertainty avoidance index; long-term vs. short-term orientation; and indulgence vs.

restraint cultures. According to Hofstede Insights Compare Countries section (Hofstede Insights,

2017), except for masculinity and uncertainty avoidance, the cultures I have taken in consideration

differ greatly from one another. However, the dimensions I have noticed the most in the websites I

took into account are power distance, individualism versus collectivism and short and long-term

orientation.

Hofstede referred to the Power Index as the degree to which a culture accepts hierarchies and

differences in status. Therefore, in a high power index culture like Chinese culture, organizations

tend to be more centralized, subject to fixed hierarchies, and there are often more gaps in wage. In

the Chinese McDonald’s website, there is huge emphasis posed on hierarchies and corporate

leaders, often displaying entire blog posts dedicated to their meetings, decisions, and leadership,

including images of rows of hand-shaking businessmen (image2), and posing great visual attention

in distinguishing rank and status among members of the corporation (image3). Contrarily, in a low

power index culture like the American one, organizations are flatter and managers and other

employees are considered as equal. In fact, interestingly, in the American website’s employment

section, there is absolutely no focus on hierarchy. On the contrary, employees with different

mansions and positions are shown to get along well together as if there were no differences

(image4) and managers and kitchen employees are given the same space in the description boxes.

According to the same theory, individual and collective societies differ greatly. In an

individualistic culture like American culture, personal time, space and privacy have a great value,

great emphasis is placed on competition, and challenges are enjoyed. The American website, for

example, concentrates much on single individuals and their accomplishments, their climb of the

corporate ladder, as well as the way a job at McDonald’s allows them to manage their time

effectively between University and earning an income to be independent. In collective cultures such

as the Chinese one, on the other hand, family and communities represent the pillar of society, rather

than the individual. In fact, in the Chinese website focuses greatly on family, kids menu’s, couples

and other social interactions.

Hofstede's theory long versus short-term orientation dimension refers to how much a society

is concerned with virtues, future and present, traditions and absolute truth. The American culture is

a short-term orientation culture: this means that although they are interested in cultural values, they

are concerned with the establishment of the absolute truth at the moment, live in the present and

want quick results. Indeed, if observing the American McDonald's website, typical American values

are on display: the section about McDonald's student aid advises the visitors that the corporation

keeps at heart the education of its employees and offers financial aid and flexible, functional options

- working, education and functionality are all values of American society. Additionally, the website

visitor does not have to search long to find what is needed. The website is structured in such a way

that gives the important information right away, without ceremony. Prices are on display, and the

convenience of the product is highlighted: immediate gratification for a convenient price. On the

other hand, Chinese culture is long-term oriented. In these types of cultures truth is a relative

concept that depends on the situation, set long-term goals and they plan their future. Like high-

power index cultures, long-term orientation cultures have a great respect for hierarchical differences

and value social order and social change. Additionally, a great deal of information is needed to

convince the customer of a long-term orientation culture to trust the brand, and therefore face-

making is pivotal. This reflects in the Chinese McDonald's website as well, which not only takes

time to browse being composed of an endless feed of blog-like hyperlinks - and therefore the

customer is not interested in immediate gratification or making fast decisions about the products

proposed and the brand; status is exposed with images of employees and leaders in different settings

and social positions; as well as much information about single products and initiatives.

Judging from these website's designs, McDonald's corporations hired smart and capable web

designers to communicate effectively across cultural boundaries. Indeed, they may not have

necessarily used such models to construct the content of the websites, but if analyzing them with

Hall's and Hofstede's theories in mind, an interesting prospect opens up. Surely there has been a

thorough cross-cultural research behind them, in order to tailor the websites perfectly to the country

they address. Indeed, intercultural communication and competence result once again as a

significant skill for businesses to thrive both in a globalized world and the borderless universe of the

Internet.

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References

“Compare Countries.” Hofstede Insights, www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/.