Rosa-María Pacheco-Baldó e-mail(Login required)

Main Article Content

Authors

Rosa-María Pacheco-Baldó e-mail(Login required)

Abstract

303

This article discusses the similarities and differences found in some Spanish and American television advertisements broadcast at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. To carry out this study, forty advertisements shown on television in the two countries during the months of March and April 2020 were analysed. Qualitative and quantitative analysis considered the cultural dimensions of identity, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity. In addition, the Chi-square formula was also applied in order to confirm that the differences found in both groups of adverts were not significantly important. The results show that a great deal of similar messages and even expressions was conveyed to both audiences in both countries, although some differences were also found. Besides, the main goal of these ads in both groups was to comfort the audience, and not to clearly promote or advertise the product. Thus, this study demonstrates once again that despite the differences that these two cultural groups display, and which are usually portrayed in intercultural literature, the context highly influences the values typically assigned to a linguistic community. That is reflected in the discourse of speakers, and it is the reason why we can find values opposite to those expected in a cultural group.

Keywords

TV advertisements, COVID-19, individualism-collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity-femininity

References

Arrindell, W. A., Hatzichristou, Ch., Wensink, J., Rosenberg, E., van Twillert, B., Stedema, J. & Meijer, D. (1997). Dimensions of national culture as predictors of cross-national differences in subjective well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 23, 37-53. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(97)00023-8

An, D. & Kim, S. (2007). Relating Hofstede’s masculinity dimension to gender role portrayals in advertising: A cross‐cultural comparison of web advertisements. International Marketing Review, 24(2), 181-207. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/02651330710741811

Bhaskaran, S. & Sukumaran, N. (2007). National culture, business culture and management practices: Consequential relationship? Cross Culture Management: An International Journal, 14(7), 54-76. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/13527600710718831

Bennett, J. M. (2004). Developing intercultural sensitivity: An integrative approach to global and domestic diversity. In D. Landis, J. M Bennett & J. Bennett (Eds.), Handbook of Intercultural Training (pp. 147-175). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Betti, S. (2015). La imagen de los hispanos en la publicidad de los Estados Unidos. Informes del Observatorio / Observatorio Reports. https://www.doi.org/10.15427/OR009-03/2015SP

Cienfuegos-Martínez, Y. I., Saldívar-Garduño A., Díaz-Loving, R. & Avalos-Montoya, A. D. (2016). Individualismo y colectivismo: caracterización y diferencias entre dos localidades mexicanas. Acta de Investigación Psicológica, 6, 2534-2543. Retrieved from http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=358950159008

Correa, F., Contreras, C., Ramírez, A. & López, E. (2002). Dimensiones del individualismo-colectivismo en México: Un estudio exploratorio. La Psicología Social en México, 9, 553-559. Retrieved from http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=358950159008

Cheong, Y. K. & Zheng, L. (2010). Advertising appeals as a reflection of culture: a cross-cultural analysis of food advertising appeals in China and the US. Asian Journal of Communication, 20, 1-16. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/01292980903440848

Cho, B., Kwon, U., Gentry, J. W., Jun, S. & Kropp, F. (2013). Cultural values reflected in theme and execution: A comparative study of U.S. and Korean television commercials. Journal of Advertising, 28, 59-73. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/00913367.1999.10673596

De Mooij, M. & Hofstede, G. (2015). The Hofstede model. Applications to global branding and advertising strategy and research. International Journal of Advertising, 29, 85-110. https://www.doi.org/10.2501/S026504870920104X

Estrada-Villalta, S. & Terpstra-Schwab, N. (2014). La complejidad de la variación transcultural: valores en Guatemala y Estados Unidos. Revista Interamericana de Psicología / Interamerican Journal of Psychology, 48(2), 152-165. Retrieved from http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=28437146002

Gouveia, V., Milfont, T., Martínez, M. C. & Paterna, C. (2011). Individualism-collectivism as predictors of prejudice toward Gypsies in Spain. Revista Interamericana de Psicología, 45(2), 223-234. Retrieved from http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=28422741013

Hall, E. T. (1963). A system for the notation of proxemic behavior. American Anthropologist, 65, 1003-1026. https://www.doi.org/10.1525/aa.1963.65.5.02a00020

Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond culture. New York: Doubleday.

Hall, E. T. (1989). El lenguaje silencioso. Madrid: Alianza.

Hampden-Turner, Ch. & Trompenaars, F. (1998). Riding the waves of culture. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Hampden-Turner, Ch. & Trompenaars, F. (2000). Building cross-cultural competence. Chichester, UK: Wiley.

Han, S. P. & Shavitt, S. (1994). Persuasion and culture: advertising appeals in individualistic and collectivistic societies. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 30, 8-18. https://www.doi.org/10.1006/jesp.1994.1016

Hofstede, G. (1991). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. London: McGraw-Hill.

Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences. Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Hofstede, G. (1998). Masculinity and femininity. The taboo dimension of national cultures. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J. & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. London: McGraw-Hill.

Inkeles, A. & Levinson, D. J. (1954). National character: The study of modal personality and sociocultural systems. Handbook of Social Psychology, 2, 977-1020.

Kitirattarkarn, G. P., Araujo, T. & Neijens, P. (2019). Challenging traditional culture? How personal and national collectivism-individualism moderates the effects of content characteristics and social relationships on consumer engagement with brand-related user-generated content. Journal of Advertising, 48(2), 197-214. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2019.1590884

Kooyers, J. (2015). The United States and Spain: A comparison of cultural values and behaviors and their implications for the multi-cultural workplace. Honors Projects. 399. Retrieved from http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/399

Leaptrott, N. (1996). Rules of the game: Global business protocol. Cincinnati, OH: Thomson Executive Press.

Lewis, R. D. (2010). When cultures collide: Leading across cultures. 3rd ed. Boston: Nicholas Brealey.

Lin, C. A. (2013). Cultural values reflected in Chinese and American television advertising. Journal of Advertising, 30, 83-94. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2001.10673653

Mensa, M. & Bittner, V. (2020). Portraits of women: Mexican and Chilean stereotypes in digital advertising. Communication & Society, 33(1), 63-78. https://www.doi.org/10.15581/003.33.1.63-78

Los ingresos publicitarios en televisión caen un 45 % durante el confinamiento (2020, 26th November). La Vanguardia. Retrieved from https://www.lavanguardia.com/television/20201126/49730590239/ingresos-publicidad-television-caida-coronavirus.html

Lucker, G. (2002). La cultura y la psicología social. In C. Kimble, E. Hirt, R. Díaz-Loving, H. Hosh, G. Lucker & M. Zárate (Eds.), Psicología social de las Américas (pp. 507-531). México: Prentice Hall.

National TV Advertising Fell 9% in June, Down 19% Since Pandemic (2020, 4th August). Variety. Retrieved from https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/national-tv-advertising-revenue-june-standard-media-index-1234724539/

Okazaki, S. & Mueller, B. (2007). Cross-cultural advertising research: where we have been and where we need to go. International Marketing Review, 24(5), 499-518. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/02651330710827960

Praet, C. (2009). National wealth or national culture? A multi-country study of the factors underlying the use of celebrity endorsement in television advertising. In P. De Pelsmacker & N. Dens (Eds.), Research in advertising: The medium, the message, and the context (pp. 383-392). Antwerpen: Garant.

Ramos, M. & Rubio M. M. (2011). La identidad cultural en la publicidad de bebidas alcohólicas. Pensar la Publicidad, 5(2), 205-231. https://www.doi.org/10.5209/rev_PEPU.2011.v5.n2.37870

Roberts, S. & Hart, H. S. (2015). A Comparison of cultural value orientations as reflected by advertisements directed at the general U.S. market, the U.S. Hispanic market, and the Mexican market. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 5(1), 91-99. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/10696679.1997.11501753

Rodríguez García, S. E. (2008). Connotación y persuasión en la imagen publicitaria. Gazeta de Antropología, 24(2). Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10481/6958

Santos, R. (2013). Levantarse y luchar. Barcelona: Conecta.

Schiffrin, D. (1987). Discourse markers. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Schiffrin, D. (1991). El análisis de la conversación. In Panorama de la lingüística moderna de la Universidad de Cambridge. El lenguaje: Contexto sociocultural IV (pp. 299-323). Madrid: Visor.

Sifianou, M. & Garcés-Conejos, P. (2018). Introduction: Im/politeness and globalisation. Journal of Pragmatics, 134, 113-119. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2018.06.014

Taylor, R. & Wolburg, J. M. (1998). Messages of individualism in French, Spanish and American television advertising. World Communication, 27(3), 3-30. Retrieved from https://epublications.marquette.edu/comm_fac/409

Triandis, H. C., Bontempo, R., Villareal, M. J., Asai, M. & Lucca, N. (1988). Individualism and collectivism: Crosscultural perspectives on self-in-group. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 323-338. Retrieved from https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-3514.54.2.323

Triandis, H. C. & Suh, E. M. (2002). Cultural influences on personality. Annual Review of Psychology, 53(1), 133-160.

Vélez, R., Ramos, E., Hernández, V., Carmena, E. & Navarro, J. (2004). Métodos estadísticos en ciencias sociales. Madrid: Ediciones Académicas S.A.

Zandpour, F., Campos, V., Catalano, J., Chang C., Dae Cho, Y. & Jiang, S. (1994). Global reach and local touch: achieving cultural fitness in TV advertising. Journal of Advertising Research, 34(5), 35-36.

Zhang, Y. & Gelb, B. D. (2013). Matching advertising appeals to culture: The influence of products’ use conditions. Journal of Advertising, 25, 29-46. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/00913367.1996.10673505

Metrics

Search GoogleScholar


Details

Article Details

Section
Articles