The Influence of Culture on Advertising - Essay Example

When business transactions were taking place in different countries it was generally known that the English language was the dominant language spoken when business transactions and advertising especially, were in process. No matter how different countries tried to develop a language that could be neutral for all, such as, with the Esperanto language. This creativity of many involved did not succeed and the English language was still the dominant language in the business world.According to Centeno (1989) in the 1980s, there was a desperate need by corporations to acquiescence to countries whose language was not English and in newspapers such as The New York Times, many companies started seeking employees who could travel abroad and speak the language of the country they were to visit.

This, however, was another flaw in business transactions and advertisements (Centeno 1989).Centeno (1989) stated that being able to speak another language was not sufficient. Other elements had to be taken into consideration, such as customs, culture, history, traditions, idiomatic terms, and non-verbal communication. Translating documents from another language do not only entail the grammar components of the language but it also needs to take into account the elements previously mentioned.It is important to have these elements in mind while doing research for advertising purposes in the country where business transactions are to take place (Centeno 1989) contrary to what Levitt (1983) claimed, that marketing could be standardized across cultures.

Levit’s asseverations divided the practitioner and researchers between the marketing and advertising field (Dahl 2004; Woods, Cheron & Kim 1985; Hermeking 2005). Dahl stated that there are “…serious doubts over the claims made by Levitt and suggests that advertising is strongly influenced by (local) culture”.