Global advertising requires unique methods and strategies which a company to appeal to global consumers and persuade them to buy a product. In a global market, advertisers face an exceedingly complex task in seeking to persuade, much less manipulate, the public. Individual perceptions vary widely, and the impact of an ad on one person in a particular country is generally different from its impact on another (Chitty et al 2006). In addition, consumers are aware of the self-interest of the commercial advertiser and are naturally sceptical of his advertised claims. Much of mass advertising is, as a consequence, little more than an attention-getting device seeking to increase brand name recognition (Keegan & Green 2004).
For art directors and copywriters, it is crucial to create a unique combination of images appealing to the global target audience, thus do not humiliate or disgrace them. It is important to use culturally neutral symbols and slogans, images and expressions positively perceive at least in one geographical region (Chitty et al 2006). There is a strong temptation for advertisers to exaggerate the benefits of their products but much less of a temptation to employ outright lies, which tend to be self-defeating. The goal of most advertisers is to entice the consumer to purchase the product and then to satisfy him through experience. Another important factor is the country of origin image. Ineffective advertising can be negatively perceived by global consumers and ignored. The differences of opinion, though strong, arise over the perceived magnitudes involved (that is, the size of the expected costs and benefits) and over the prospects for a regulatory standard that reflects an accurate perception of those costs and benefits. Thus, for example, “the burden of demonstrating the cost-benefit judgment ought to be placed on those calling for the regulation of advertising” (Chitty et al 2006, p. 43) causes him to express “grave doubts” about the corrective advertising remedy.
People certainly vary in their degree of conditionability as a function of personal characteristics related to the nature of the stimuli involved. In different countries, people are motivated by different factors and cultural images, unique values and religious traditions. In this case, it is crucial for art directors to avoid offensive remarks and religious images which can be negatively perceived by the target audience. Decisions concerning the choice of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli are critical to the outcomes of conditioning experiments (Clow & Baack 2002). Art directors and copywriters should consider what is probably the most basic mood effect of all: people in a positive mood give more favourable ratings to objects (e.g., a particular brand or ad) than people in a neutral or negative mood. People in a positive mood are sometimes said to “see the world through rose-coloured glasses.” However, this phrase also points to the problem that is endemic to classical models of judgment. Brassington & Pettitt (2001) underline that revising the sentences can help many companies to create a unique brand image of the company and appeal to mass consumers. Different struggles should be applied to online and offline advertising.
These requirements create dilemmas for consumer researchers. On the one hand, art directors would like to use well-known cultural symbols and artefacts as USS (e.g., popular music, celebrities) because they appear frequently in actual marketing communications; however, such stimuli may be less than ideal for conditioning evaluative responses because of their popularity and celebrity. In contrast with spontaneous communication, Brassington & Pettitt (2001) argue that symbolic communication involves a voluntary, socially shared system of symbols having arbitrary relationships with their referents. Although the language is the most obvious example of symbolic communication, there are nonverbal components as well. For instance, a ritualized smile of greeting is considered to be a symbol when it is done intentionally rather than spontaneously. Likewise, not all people would respond favourably to a particular musical arrangement serving as the US, as tastes in music are disparate. Symbolic advertising does not necessarily provide an external display corresponding to an internal state and, since it is intentional, maybe true or false. In developing a distinction between spontaneous and symbolic communication (Clow & Baack 2002).
A concept of display rules can help advertisers to appeal to the global target audience. It consists of cultural rules that govern proper and improper ways to express emotion. In effect, these may alter or inhibit the direct expression of emotion in order to conform to the expectations of a social situation. Even though such emotional communications (altered by display rules) may involve facial expressions or gestures, Buck has included them within the category of symbolic communications, since such alterations are intentional (Schultz & Kitchen 2001). Differences between spontaneous and symbolic communication result in part from differences in their neural basis. These, two forms of communication did not evolve simultaneously. The meanings conveyed by the spontaneous communication of emotion are immediately accepted and understood, whereas the symbolic, intentional communication of emotion is evaluated through further cognitive interpretation and judgment. In order to reach global consumers, art directors and copywriters should take into account cultural preferences, global mass culture and impact on the country of origin.
Bibliography
Brassington, F. and Pettitt, S. 2003, Principles of Marketing, Financial Times Management.
Chitty, B., Barrker, N., & Shimp, T. 2005, Integrated Marketing Communication – First Pacific Rim Edition. South Melbourne: Thomson Learning.
Clow, K.E. and Baack, D. 2002, Integrated Advertising, Promotion and Marketing Communications, Prentice Hall/Pearson Education: Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Keegan, W. J., Green. M. C. 2004, Global Marketing. Prentice Hall; 4 edition.
Schultz, D.E. and Kitchen, P.J. 2001, Communicating Globally: an Integrated Marketing Approach, Palgrave-Macmillan: London.