advertising country to country

Clare Blomberg

Advertising Country to Country

May 7, 2016 

Advertising from country to country varies because of the different strategies it takes to appeal to different cultures. Large and successful companies, like Nike and McDonalds, make adjustments to  commercials or advertisements, such as when McDonalds adjusted their commercials for Japan, making it more about sex appeal and focusing on the idea rather than focusing on the product, as they had in the United States. The companies make theses adjustments in order to fit the culture that they are making efforts to sell a product or idea too.  

“Three central components of a cultural symbol set are language, aesthetic styles and story themes” (Brand Positioning Through Advertising in Asia, North America, and Europe: The Role of Global Consumer Culture.) Some logos we see everyday are recognized globally such as the Nike “Swoosh” or other globally known companies. Even though they have a recognizable logo they still use different celebrity endorsements for different countries, as well as simple details like what music plays in on their commercial makes a huge difference in marketing to specific target audiences. The goal while advertising to different countries is to make the advertisement appeal to the eye and use direct communication to sell the product or idea. Different translations and importance of story-lines within specific societies make the big difference when trying to successfully gain the interest of consumers using advertisements.

Media makes efforts to control the advertisements we see. Companies consider the times they want their advertisements on television, or the radio. The companies also consider the target audience, and when the best time would be to play the advertisement in order to effect that specific target audience, or the group of people the company is trying to market too. 

“Even messages built especially for a global audience will require local tweaking. Shooting a commercial intended to run around the world will have to, for example, represent different packaging and consider music rights in different countries. Remembering these cross-border challenges up front can save time and money later. The Cream Cheese Angel campaign demonstrated that a great idea can come from one country, maintain its core message as it crosses borders and still reflect distinctive local cultures,” (How to Advertise Your Product in Other Countries.) I think this was an important point to highlight because people don’t realize the research and effort it takes for the media to reach their target audiences. 

Everyday we see advertisements for different products on television, radio, social media, billboards, and individually we advertise for different companies by simply wearing clothing with their logos on it. Whether or not we can consciously recognize the importance of the advertisements we view on a daily basis, that advertisement will have an effect on our opinion or thoughts of a product or idea. Nike is a great example of a company who uses their products and consumers to advertise themselves. Say the consumer buys a product, the product says “NIKE” or has the famous “Swoosh” that is a recognizable logo around the world. The consumer is essentially advertising for Nike whether or not they intended to or not. The more you see people wearing certain brand or product the more you will tend to pay attention to it and want to know more about the specific company.

The source from which we see the advertisement and the time we see the advertisement makes all the difference as well. If we see advertisements for a product at a gas station it probably is going to have less aesthetic appeal than when you are scrolling through a Facebook feed and seeing an advertisement for a product, with your favorite celebrity. 

We may not necessarily be able to understand the thought process we all have when we see advertisements but each advertisement has chosen a specific way they plan to grab the attention of the consumer or target audience. 

McDonalds is a great example to show how the same company markets to different countries in very different ways. McDonalds even chooses to change some of the products that they sell in order to cater to the needs of their consumers in certain countries. For example in some locations around the world they advertise that they sell fish. Cultural beliefs and religious views in different countries limits the companies ability to use certain story lines within commercials and other advertisements. McDonalds along with many other companies, recognizes the importance of “sex sells,” and with a few Japanese commercials used that exact tactic to gain the attention of their target audience. I thought this was interesting in comparison to commercials we see in America for McDonalds that generally involve families highlighting the essence of happiness and the connection McDonalds has to the happiness of a family. 

McDonalds exemplifies a successful worldwide business that adjusts its advertisement strategy to fit the dynamics and culture of a particular country and time. McDonalds may not have been as successful had it not met the needs of the particular countries cultures and beliefs. 

If it weren't for the different outlets of communication and media the messages of these large corporations would not reach their target audiences. Companies put effort into reaching not only their target audiences but trying to expand into different audiences and gain the interest of different groups of people in order to spread the popularity of a particular product. 

Businesses around the world are participating in the research of demographics and aesthetic appeals, that vary country to country, in order to ensure that the audience is effected by the commercial or advertisement, the importance of advertisement and commercials are especially crucial in todays society due to the amount of influence media has today. 

Works Cited 

1. Alden, Dana L., Jan-Benedict E. M. Steenkamp, and Rajeev Batra. “Brand Positioning Through Advertising in Asia, North America, and Europe: The Role of Global Consumer Culture”. Journal of Marketing 63.1 (1999): 75–87. Web…
2. Gallant, Paul. "How to Advertise Your Product in Other Countries." PROFITguidecom How to Advertise Your Product in Other Countries Comments. Rodgers Digital Media, n.d. Web. 07 May 2016.