Internet advertising in relation to Cultural groups (Iran vs.USA) - Essay Example

Advertising Research Internet advertising in relation to Cultural groups (Iran vs. USA) Introduction The Internet is essentially worldwide naturally, globally handy and it crosses national borders to let clients around the globe to equally participate. This creates a challenge for the corporations doing their transactions internationally in addition to advertisers to understand global customers and to conquer cultural hurdles and language disparity on the net. The advertisements on the net are outlined considering the exact country wherein the company is situated. They can also be seen by people from other countries. The culture outline wherein this person has been brought up makes him recognize this advertisement in a different way. Consequently, it becomes a prerequisite for advertisers to take into account the concerns involved in such differences while outlining advertisements on net. According to Kennedy (1995) the web as compared to other types of advertising, have a tendency of being high on information, low on creating an emotional reaction and of partial value in strengthening behavior that is on hand. Sutherland (2000) illustrates that the net is also different in the sense that it is a medium that involves so highly given that it needs is a high involvement medium because it requires a frequent flow of judgments from the consumer and each snap signifies a judgment. Internet advertisements are capable of and are frequently besieged to a consumer outline that sequentially influences the way the point will be established. As Mooij, (20I0) puts it: Culture is seen by lots of people as the soft feature of global marketing and that its significance is best seen as inferior to other fundamentals of global marketing strategies. According to Feather, (1995) culture sets extensive guiding principles for adequate ways of behaving and acting in specific circumstances. Rokeach, (1973), states that it affects how we interrelate and mingle with other members of the society whereas Tse et al., (1989) claims, that it is a strong force that shapes ones inspirations, everyday life and choice of products. Mooij (2010) argues that advertising mirrors a society’s morals and that valuable advertising is inseparably connected to the fundamental culture of the group that is targeted. On the other hand Mueller, et al., (1994) claims, that advertising mirrors confined cultural values, it is impressive and influential as compared to culturally insensible advertising. A number of researchers, as a result, have highlighted usage of country-specific cultural morals appeal when developing global advertising promotions and message material (Albers-Miller et.al 1994). Consequently, it is essential that marketers take into close account the principles of a specific culture, since cultural values establish the manner of behaviors and end states for every person. (Pollay, 1983). Therefore, I decided to study the relation of internet advertising to two different cultural groups: Iran and America in view of their perceptions. Culture and Internet advertising Advertising on the Net and Culture appears to be an aspect that may not be influencing each other, however, culture influences advertising on the internet. Edward (2000) has planned a cultural outline, wherein he declared that every culture can be positioned in relation to one another via the manner in which they communicate. In some cultures, for instance Scandinavians, Germans and the Swiss, communication occurs mainly through open statements in text and talking and they are thus classified as Low-Context cultures. In other cultures, like the Japanese and Chinese, messages comprise of other communicative indications like body language and the usage of silence. These advertisements utilize different language adaptations of the site as they are predisposed by culture sensitivity and differences in requirements among cultural groups. Analysis Internet considers contents or design depending on which the site was developed. Language is the first question I considered since in considering the requirements of the people, it becomes useful that simply translating the concern in a different language will just facilitate cultural hurdles. In addition to language, the configurations and composition of the websites show the diversities in the cultural principles globally. By contrasting the sites of Iran America for the similar product, I observed differences in cultural principles. Thus, analyzed the data by use of MS excel with a sample of 150 respondents are my results: Iranians having personal computers with the internet are less as compared to Americans. When comparing the proportions of subjects to who words are the most notable attribute of a website, Americans are higher than Iranians by 30%. In education, the population that uses websites most in Iran is graduates with 60% while Americans at 50%. In Iran, students use websites most while in America those people in service are the ones who use internet most. Currently in America, the largest population using websites are those less than 30 years of age. In relation to gender, it is evident that most males use websites as compared to America where females dominate. Discussion According to my results it is evident that prospect for vibrant marketing standardization remains limited though applicable within particular cultural markets. Several aspect opinions between USA and Iranian respondents are found to be more alike than unlike and in my opinion, this signifies that returns may be present for a partial realization of marketing combine equality as part of an international marketing plan. Consequently, marketing and advertising plans have to evolve to consider cross cultural disparities so that they may demand to clearly different objective markets. I think the main way to remember that the foundation of any advertising policy is to promote, inspire and induce the potential customers, however, trying to converse a thought to those living out of the country is a bit hectic. Some ideas may be suitable, whereas others may be infuriating for a majority. Hence I contend that in order to assist advertisers to effectively open an international website, the advertisers should have a good opportunity to make use of the internet for the target of international customers. In consideration of the significance given by Iranian and USA respondents to words and figures in a website, therefore, in my perspective, it is significant to a person advertising to understand that images carry many delicate cultural messages in them as they can communicate much about a company. Nonetheless, pictures or figures may have definite negative implications that may keep away addressees and signs do not always imply the same overseas. Thus, advertisers have to be careful with words and figures while creating an international website. In my perspective, different language, words, and accents contribute to the achievement or collapse of an advertising operation. Customers will certainly not value the business, products and services advertised if they are able to understand what the person advertising is aiming to communicate. Most advertisers fall short of realizing how language can influence a marketing movement thus, this should be an alarm to international advertisers to be culturally sensitive in their operations. In my view, advertisers should be able to put into consideration that English is a standard language of transactions and therefore while creating an advert targeting Iranians and Americans users. Advertising mirrors a society’s morals and valuable advertising are inseparably connected to the fundamental culture of the group that is targeted. Lastly, according to the results, many people have personal computers with internet. This is a striking effect in my opinion as people are able to work at home, many people have decided to leave their offices for better prospects that permit them to set their own time for work, and spend some good time with their families and not have to deal with the hurdles of commuting to and from work. Conclusion This study demonstrates that culture is a basic part of internet communication and offers a basis for future research to investigate the issue of internet consistency. This study encourages advertisers to understand global users’ perception of online ads and their liking so as to understand the users’ mind and then create web ads to target the global audience. Limitations of study Because I only took two countries for this study, it is not certain whether the results are applicable to other countries. Owing to the limitation of funds and time, I only took a sample of 150 respondents which may not be stand for the whole population. Work cited Albers-Miller ND, Gelb BD (1996). “Business advertising appeals as mirror of cultural dimensions: a study of eleven countries”, J. Advert.25: 57-70. Sutherland, Max, and Alice K. Sylvester. Advertising and the mind of the consumer: what works, what doesn't, and why. 2nd ed. St. Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin, 2000. Print. Mueller B (1987). “Reflections of culture: an analysis of Japanese and American advertising appeals”, J. Advert. Res. June/July pp: 51-9. Kennedy, Angus J. The Internet & World Wide Web: The Rough Guide. New York, NY: Rough Guides, Ltd, 1995. Print. Pollay AP, Chai L (1983). “What drives electronic commerce across cultures? A cross-cultural empirical investigation of the theory of planned behavior”, J. Electronic Commun. Res. 3(4): 240-53. Mooij, Marieke K. Global Marketing and Advertising: Understanding Cultural Paradoxes. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2010. Print. Read More