The use of culturally relevant stimuli in international advertising

• Published in: Psychology & marketing Vol. 15; no. 6; pp. 523 - 546
• Main Authors: Leach, Mark P., Liu, Annie H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01-09-1998; Van Nostrand Reinhold; Wiley Periodicals Inc
• Subjects: Advertising; Comparative analysis; Consumer attitudes; Cross cultural studies; Culture; Norms; United States > US; Taiwan
• ISSN: 0742-6046; 1520-6793
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1520-6793(199809)15:6<523::AID-MAR3>3.0.CO;2-8

International marketers are increasingly advocating the practice of incorporating cultural aspects in advertising. However, little is known about how these culturally relevant aspects are interpreted by the intended audience, or if their impact is universal for all members of the target culture. It is purposed that when a norm is incorporated in an advertisement, members whose self‐concept is congruent with the norms of their culture will use normative rules to evaluate an advertised brand. Conversely, among members whose self‐concept is deviant from their culture, advertisements incorporating norms will stimulate cognitive elaboration. An empirical example, using norms pertaining to group affiliation, investigates the use of cultural norms in advertising within two divergent cultures (the collective culture of Taiwan, and the individualist culture of the United States). Implications for marketing in collective (Asian) cultures are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.