Final Paper

ShaoHua Sun                 

12/16/2012

 

 

Culture value in Advertisements

NIKE in China

 

 

This thesis focuses on advertise the product emphasizing how the aspects of the advertisements are congruent with cultural values. It is given a case to analysis for cultural value in advertisements in NIKE.  The finding is that the product‘s advertisement should hold local culture, which can help open new market in different countries. Advertising seeks and is often given credit for contributing heavily to the economic success of both individual firms and national economies. Many policy makers in developing countries perceive advertising as a necessary component of the communications infrastructure, needed to obtain general economic development. To create the economic impact of selling goods, advertising operates psychologically, changing attitudes, images, cognitions, feelings, and ultimately preferences and values. It has not only psychological, but also sociological and cultural effects. The cultural value can be effect on advertisements (Ciochetto, 2011).

The culture of cultural value has two meanings. Frist, this is especially true for all countries that have their own distinct languages, cultures, norms, regulations and business environment Different countries has different culture, they have different cultural effectson advertisements. Then, each firm has its own culture value effect on advertisements. Build brands loyalty on the customer by using firm cultural value in advertisements, which is the most effectively strategy utilized during the firms. To be successful, an advertisement must be combined enterprise cultural value with national cultural value (Ciochetto, 2011).

This thesis observes a study of cultural value in advertisements. It starts with definition of cultural value and Introducing development of advertisements industry in China. NIKE as a case in the content, the project focuses on how to build its brand status promotion by ads. How it uses different cultural value strategy combines with local culture in different countries. Analyzing two commercials of NIKE will be success and failure cases.

To understand the cultural messages conveyed by advertising, it is necessary to explain culture. Parekh (1997) states that, if defined broadly, culture "refers to the body of beliefs and practices governing the conduct of the relevant area, be it a specific activity, an aspect of human experience, an organization or human life was whole." "It may refer to beliefs and practices regulating all or major areas of human life, and have broadly the same meaning as the older term 'a way of life'". Referring to the cultural values and meaning conveyed in advertising, Dyer (1982) argues that "the meaning of an advertisement is not something there, statistically inside an ad, waiting to be revealed by a 'correct' interpretation. What an ad means depends on how it operates, how signs and its 'ideological' effect are organized internally (within the text) and externally (in relation to its production, circulation and consumption and in relation to technological, economic, legal and social relation). Ads are not invisible conveyors of messages or transparent reflections of reality. They are specific discourses or structures of signs (Dyer, 1982).

Advertising cultural value is unique cultural values; advertising constitutes one of the elements. Different ads reflect their own unique cultural identity. This study is focus on two parts of Advertising culture: modernity and individual culture. “Product itself is a carrier of culture, cultural transmission through the commodity (Alozie, 2003).” The essence of the commodity culture of product design, production, packaging, decoration and its development process of the cultural value shown is the spirit of the times, the national spirit and the enterprise spirit are displayed by products. It is the core of advertising culture value. Marketing culture also refers to cultural values. It includes psychological needs, spiritual temperament, and philosophy; advertising cultural value is the concentrated expression of cultural forms of advertising, marketing, commodity culture to culture through the eventual realization. Certain cultural traditions, beliefs and values to a large extent about the business operators and consumer psychology, behavior and thus affect the corporate advertising campaign. Advertising cultural value faces not only promote the products but also faces language, traditions and customs, regulations, education, natural environment, religion, economic status differences (Alozie, 2003).

Advertising appeals are the specific approaches advertisers use to communicate how their products will satisfy customer needs by embedding a culture’s values. (Pollay & Gallagher, 1990). Appeal is a tool which can be used in the message by advertisers in order to create, in the mind of the receiver, a bound between the value carried by an appeal and the product advertised. Advertisers use cultural values to manipulate and persuade consumers to purchase, while consumers use it as a source of information about goods and services that helps them make informed purchasing decisions. (Vincent, 2004) Researchers have argued that cultural values are the core of advertising messages and typical advertisements endorse, glamorize, and inevitably reinforce cultural values (Pollay and Gallagher, 1990). An appeal is something that makes the product particularly attractive or interesting to the consumer.

         Next it is cultural values in ads, we study is designed to address cultural values in advertisements in China, compare with the United States and cultural values from changes in advertising appeals. In comparison with most Western or developed countries, China is generally regarded as a more traditional and more collectivistic society. Several content analyses have been conducted to understand the social and cultural consequences of advertising in China. During the so-called "Cultural Revolution" from 1966 to 1975, advertising was labeled as evil, deceptive, and reflective of capitalistic decadence. No advertising was allowed or needed, because the Chinese economy was managed through Soviet-style "five-year plans." However, remarkable changes have taken place since 1978 when the "open-door policy" was adopted. China has evolved in economic development and modernization by “Reform and Opening” policy (zhang, 2010). Meanwhile, China has come a long way from having no advertising at all to having a contemporary advertising infrastructure with all modern media in use (Tse, Belk, and Zhou 1989). For example, in terms of print media, about 8,000 different periodicals are currently published in China, many of which carry a variety of consumer advertisements (Lou 1995). From 1985 to 1992 advertising expenditure's proportion of gross domestic product more than tripled from 0.07% to 0.23% (Karp 1994).  As a result, advertising has become one of China's fastest-growing industries (Tefft 1994). With the current annual advertising spending growth rate, China is expected to become one of the world's top 10 advertising markets within a few years (Parton 1994). Many U.S. and Japanese advertising agencies, therefore, have entered the Chinese market either to serve their present clients that have expanded to China or to pursue new opportunities with local firms. Despite its rapid growth, the Chinese advertising industry still much for some distance compare with the most Western countries. “Chinese advertisements only examined consumption or cultural values at one level: the mass market(Zhang, 2010).” Television audience measures and newspaper and magazine readership data are almost nonexistent. Therefore, it is difficult for advertisers to assess consumer media habits, which may be very different from those in other parts of the world. Many advertisements are informational in style. In addition, although a wide variety of media options are available, both consumer and industrial products are advertised through mass media. As mass advertising becomes a reality for many American companies operating in China, understanding cultural differences between the United States and China and the impact of such differences on the effectiveness of advertising appeals will be increasingly important to those companies (Zhang, 2010).

                   Chinese advertisements not only hold traditional culture of their own, but also absorb the advanced western culture, which is the mainstream of Chinese advertising development (Lin, 2001). Cultural values reflected in Chinese advertising at symbolic and emotional levels and described a “melting pot” of cultural values, the notion of Chinese advertising incorporating Western and Eastern and modernity and tradition values (Cheng 1994; Cheng and Schweitzer 1996; Lin 2001). Modernity values usually were considered as the notion of being new, and acception of the Western ideas. Tradition values were operationalized as respecting the past, customs, /time-honored, and legendary (Zhang, 2010).

As one of global enterprises, NIKE has achieved in the Chinese market. Nike is not only selling products, but also cultural values. Nike was the most expensive, not only because it was the preeminent, but also because it is in the minds of consumers "cool (Cool)" brand. Nike is the consumer in mind the "coolest" brands among the young generation. In the minds of consumers, Nike preeminent embodies the individuality, creativity, dynamism and vitality of the basic regard of leisure. These concepts build success of Nike in the Chinese market unique brand. “Nike has a symbol of ordinary culture, as consumers of cultural identity hearts chat points. Nike sold in the Chinese market is a "cool" and "fashion" of cultural values, their brands points of difference and the core competitiveness is a sort of cultural identity and social identity to rely on the consumer experience a sense (Sense) (Zhang, 2010)” There are two commercials in this analysis are NIKE ads. Both of them are took with Chinese cultural aspects and both are very familiar to the Chinese people. One can say that modernity of consumption values and promoting individualistic cultural values, these elements always make NIKE’s commercials stand out; other points out traditional and historical aspects, but did not take all factors into consideration.

Case 1

In the first scene, a student is late to class, and his teacher points at him with a ferule: “why are you always late?” It is very common in China that teachers use a ferule to blame students, yet it is not common that a student dare to fence with his or her teacher. There are actually two scenarios in this series that are about students’ behavior, by rebelling against the tradition in class. Confucianism revolves around the concept of harmonious relationships, and the sense of belonging and conforming is very important. Respect and honor for teachers is a virtue in the traditional Chinese culture. A “good student” is supposed to obey his or her teacher. Traditional Chinese culture teaches us to respect leadership and tolerant and loving people, which cause to a high level of inequality between teachers and students. There are 10 typical scenarios in this commercial. The commercial also brought back to people their early familiar scenarios. In commercial, the cast is made up of a whole bunch of students. All the scenarios are happened around everyone. Many audiences were moved by those good memories.  Those scenarios aroused echo in students’ hearts. Each of scenario has two Chinese characters -- 随时 , which means, any time. The whole ad conveys a message to Chinese people: “Use your creativity, anytime, if you want, just do it!” 

Nike's “Just do it” campaign seems to be one of the best commercial campaigns ever created. This one is very creative, especially because it uses the idea of taking everyday activities and turning them into something "just (to) do it." Individualism values are completely lacking in Chinese society, advertising will show being independent or following your own way. Actually like in other regions in the world, young people in China tend to be more individualistic.

Case 2

In November of 2004, Nike released its million-dollar, 90-second TV commercial, “Chamber of Fear,” simultaneously in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United States. The spot features American NBA player LeBron James defeating an elderly Chinese martial arts master, a pair of dragons, and two legendary Chinese goddesses in a simulated videogame. The “Chamber of Fear” spot was produced by Nike's US advertising agency, Wieden & Kennedy. However, it is important to note that Wieden and Kennedy was not Nike China's advertising agency at the time (Lury, 2009).

In China, Nike released the commercial through CCTV, which immediately come to heated discussions on major Chinese Internet sites. On December 3, 2004, China's State Administration for Radio, Film and Television ordered a ban on Nike's commercial in a statement issued that the commercial “violates regulations that mandate that all advertisements in China should uphold national dignity and interest and respect the motherland's culture.” Nike borrowed some important cultural symbols in their ads. Nike introduced dragons, elderly Kung Fu masters, Chinese goddess figures, and Buddhist pagodas in its TV commercial. Dragons are recognized cultural symbols of power throughout Chinese history. Carved dragons are easily encountered in ancient historical sites in China such as Beijing, but the whole commercial is too aggressive. Cultural paradoxes vary according to different cultures, that not means violate the local culture. In the commercial, all scenarios against with the Chinese society are the concept of being harmonious and the need of belonging and conforming to a community. Although Nike is a sport brand that represents passion and energy, and aggression is valued at the basketball court of the NBA and in the U.S., it should follow the Chinese way because value-adding advertising cannot be exported from one culture to another without losing effectiveness. Thus, though the key symbols might be likely to get attention and might be perceived by the foreign user as a quick way to communicate with the local culture, they carry a high degree of risk because they may be unknowingly misused or interpreted in ways unforeseeable to those outside the culture (Lury, 2009).

In conclusion we revealed cultural values impact Advertising; Advertising appeals conduct cultural values. Commercial advertising has become an important part of the cultural region. The relationship between advertising and local cultures becomes of increasing interest to international observers. For the company involved in international marketing, building its unique brand status, it is important that they are aware of the local cultural that they would face when entering a new market, particularly those with strong cultural codes of behavior. China, in particular, is a diverse country with a relatively conservative culture. Marketers must be careful that the content of the images in the advertisement will not offend the local community.

 

 

References

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Dyer, G. (1982). Advertising as communication. London: Methuen.

Parekh, B. (1997). National culture and multiculturalism. In Thompson, K. (Ed.), Media and cultural regulation (pp. 163– 205). London: Sage.

Alozie, E. (2003). Critical analysis of cultural values found in nigerian mass media advertisements. (Master's thesis, Governors State University)Retrieved from http://utpjournals.metapress.com/content/028t617g544w13v6/fulltext.pdf

Pollay, R., & Gallagher, K. (1990). Advertising and cultural values: Reflections in the distorted mirror. International Journal of Advertising, 9, 359–372.

Vincent,, A. (2004). Impact of fear appeals in a cross-cultural context. Journal of Euromarketing,, 14(1/2), 145-167. Retrieved from (http://web.ebscohost.com.libproxy.stcloudstate.edu/ehost/detail?vid=2&hid=9&sid=22ed2973-12d8-405a-85e6-50cf5050e32a@sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ)

zhang, Y. (2010, August 26). Matching advertising appeals to culture: The influence of products' use conditions. Journal of Advertising, 25(3), 29-46. Retrieved from:

(ftp://ftp.glue.umd.edu/:/home/glue/n/a/nan/pub/475readings/4 Zhang Gelb 1996 match advertising culture.pdf)

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Lou, Zheng (1995), "The Assortment and Quantity of Published Books and Periodicals in China," People's Daily, Overseas Edition, July 24, Section 4, 4. Retrieved from: ftp://ftp.glue.umd.edu/:/home/glue/n/a/nan/pub/475readings/4%20Zhang%20Gelb%201996%20match%20advertising%20culture.pdf

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Lury, C. (2009). Marking time with nike: The illusion of the durable. Public Culture, 11(3), 499-526. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.libproxy.stcloudstate.edu/ehost/resultsadvanced?sid=20484685-df8e-4aff-ae54-a9c41e6d817b@sessionmgr4&vid=13&hid=19&bquery=nike with cultural&bdata=JmRiPWFwaCZ0eXBlPTEmc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZl