Seminar paper from the year 2002 in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Miscellaneous, grade: 2,0 (B), Stellenbosch Universitiy (International Office), course: Advanced English Writing Skills, language: English, abstract: The relevance of this topic is shown by the following true story of the Gerber Company: Gerber once decided to sell their brand of baby food in a West African country. They exported the product and ran the same copy that had been selling jars for them by the billion since 1926. They put the famous label on the jar, with the baby wearing a big smile which, over the years, had helped them become a household name back home. Reports soon came back from the distributor, announcing zero sales. Later, reports came back on the national news, telling or rioting in the streets, and casualties. Worried company chiefs watching television back home in the Unites States thought they glimpsed people burning copies of their poster in the background. Much later, it transpired that in many African countries, there was a very real but hitherto undocumented assumption that what you see on the label is what′s in the jar. This came over to consumers as a coarse hint that the little boy, far from endorsing the product, was the product: people thought they were being expected to feed their black babies with white baby. Sensibilities were naturally offended by this immodest proposal, and outrage soon gave way to violence. (Anholt, 2000:51) This story shows that culture has an enormous impact on advertisements. The fact that makes it more important than it has never been before, is globalization. As more and more companies are taking the decision to market their products abroad, they are facing cultural and linguistic dilemmas which international advertising invariably raises. This report aims to give an insight into this complex subject. [...]

Essay from the year 2007 in the subject Communications - Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing, Social Media, grade: Distinction, Macquarie University, course: ICOM 821 Intercultural Communication, language: English, abstract: This paper argues that advertising standardisation is only possible when cultures overlap. For this reason, the term of culture has to be captured and defined, before globalisation and its effect on advertising is considered. Then, the paper will investigate how advertising communicates across cultures and point out chances and flaws of Hall’s and especially Hofstede’s approach. By reviewing localised and standardised advertising, finally, a hybrid advertising strategy will be suggested.

Humor has long been one of the most common approaches used in advertising. Whether in a big televised event like the Super Bowl or in new forms of digital advertising, everyone is exposed to funny ads, some of which both entertain the audience and help sell a product. Yet, the use of humor in advertising is complex; clearly not all humorous ads are successful. This comprehensive volume both summarizes the cumulative state of knowledge on humor in advertising and provides new cutting-edge research on key topics such as humor’s use in conjunction with emotional and sexual appeals, its use in digital advertising, and issues related to gender and cross-cultural applicability. Special emphasis is placed on defining humorous advertising and types of humor used, as well as outlining what conditions work for advertisers. The chapters examine humor in advertising and add insights on several cutting-edge issues in this stream of research. An overview article summarizing the overall body of literature accumulated over 50 years of research on humorous advertising defines types of humorous appeals. The degree to which humor is effective and the boundary conditions associated with when and how it works best in advertising is discussed. New research articles further contribute to cumulative knowledge by exploring the interaction of humor with other issues and techniques such as whether it travels internationally, gender issues, its use in conjunction with emotional and sexual appeals, and its presence in the digital contexts. The book concludes with an in-depth look at the evolution of humorous appeals over the oldest traditional advertising medium—outdoor advertising. The chapters in this book were originally published in International Journal of Advertising.

Is it possible that consumers exploit advertising even more so than advertising exploits and influences our culture? Author Jib Fowles argues that consumers look to advertising to provide them with images that can assist them in negotiating the personal dilemmas of advanced industrial life. Advertising and Popular Culture is the first comprehensive text to provide a balanced analysis of advertising and its companion, the popular culture, conveyed through the mass media. Reflecting current theories, this thoughtful critique uses excerpts from advertising campaigns to illustrate how modern advertising both draws from and contributes to popular culture. Fowles traces the role of advertising in our culture from its evolution as part of the culture of mass consumption in the late 19th century, the development of advertising agencies, and the creation of a consumer culture to an exploration of the major themes of American advertising. Advertising and Popular Culture represents a fresh and fully elaborated conceptualization of the services that advertising and popular culture provide. This text will be a vital tool in departments and schools of advertising, journalism, and communication where increasing emphasis is being placed on studying the cultural significance of advertising.

The globalization and saturation of local markets lead to increased international activities of companies. In this context marketers are forced to advertise globally and to decide between standardization and differentiation of their advertisements, i.e. to either use one single idea all over the world or to make adaptations for local preferences. Besides knowing the pros and cons of these approaches, it is essential that advertisers are familiar with different cultures. Otherwise the advertisement runs the risk of being misunderstood or in the worst case to offend cultural fundamentals. In her book Mirjana Milenkovic examines the specifics of different national cultures and their implications for global advertising. Describing the various local restrictions and obstacles international advertisers have to deal with, the challenge of global advertising becomes clear. The perception of advertising is greatly influenced by the respective culture and its members' understanding of reality. On the basis of Hofstede's Five Dimensions, cultures and their characteristics are described. The reader learns about the behavior in different cultures and how cultural backgrounds impact buying decisions. With numerous practical illustrations Global Advertising in a Cultural Context gives an insight into the specifics of worldwide advertising and the challenge of both approaches in strategy and execution in front of the cultural background. This book gives recommendations for successful global advertising on the basis of six different advertising approaches and their suitability to overcome cultural differences.

This book addresses the following questions: What are the social, cultural or religious particularities of advertising and advertising practices? Are there any taboos? What about legal restrictions? How is the advertising infrastructure? Are there any institutions, federations or boards of advertising? How are media data collected? How can specific target groups be addressed? Are there any specific habits in using media? Specialists from Australia, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, and the USA provide comprehensive information on advertising conditions in their countries.

Expanded and updated from the successful first edition, Ads, Fads, and Consumer Culture, second edition is an engaging cultural studies critique of advertising and its impacts on American society. Arthur Asa Berger looks at marketing strategies, sex and advertising, consumer culture, political advertising, and communication theory and process to give an accessible overview of advertising in America. The new edition features additions to flesh out earlier topics as well as new theoretical material. New discussions include classified advertising, advertising agencies in the recent economy, postmodern perspectives on advertising, new consumer cultures, metaphor and metonymy, product placement, and the 2002 California campaign for governor. A new chapter raises questions about prescription drug advertising and advertising to children.