A Cultural Analysis

of American & Indian Advertisements

Prof. (Dr) Sanjeev Bansal

Director-MBA & Head,
Department of Decision Science,
Information Technology
Ph.D. Programme
Amity Business School,
Amity University, Noida. Uttar Pradesh- 201301 India.
+91-98100-70464 (M), +91-120-4392333 (D)
Email-sbansal1@amity.edu

Varsha Khattri
Lecturer
Amity Business School,
Amity University, Noida. Uttar Pradesh- 201301 India.
+ 91-120-4392455 mobile: 919910160709
Email: vkhattri@amity.edu, varshakhattri@gmail.com

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 1

Brief Profile:

Dr. Sanjeev Bansal is Professoor in the area of Decision sciences. He has a work

experience of over 17 years. Currently, he is the Director-MBA & Head,

Department of Decision Sciences, Information Technology and Ph.D. Programme

at Amity Business School, Amity University, Noida.

Ms. Varsha Khattri is a Lecturer in Amity Business School. She is a Post

Graduate in Management with specialization in Advertising & Public Relations.

She has more than 4 years of teaching experience. To her credentials, she has

organized a large number of marketing events, conferences and seminars.

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 2

American & Indian Advertisements: A Cultural Analysis

Abstract

Comparative analysis of advertising from Western industrialized countries and

Eastern developing countries may reveal specific similarities or differences in

manifest cultural values, norms and stereotypes in line with, or divergent from,

those of Western nations. Such information can be used to address the question of

cultural imperialism and the debates over whether and how advertising reflects,

reinforces and affects cultural values of its target audience. On the other hand,

findings about gender role portrayals in advertising may reveal how gender roles

are changing in these societies, and to what extent the images of the gender in

advertising are keeping pace with social change.

From a more pragmatic standpoint, if specific cross-cultural differences or

similarities in advertising strategies, expressions and manifest values and norms

can be identified, researchers and practitioners will better understand which

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 3

aspects of advertising can be shared across several countries, and conversely,

which aspects need to be adapted to local cultures.

From the standpoint of international marketing and advertising practitioners, such

cross cultural understanding is imperative in order to be able to formulate

effective localized advertising that would reflect the cultural values and norms of

its intended audience. This research examines the cultural differences from the

point of view of the advertisers who create the ads rather than from the point of

view of the consumer. It also studies the advertising agencies policies of

standardization across the nations where there are present and customization of

advertisements keeping in view the cultural differences among nations. The study

emphasizes the need for localized solutions, which are more efficient in getting its

communication across.

Key Words: High-context cultures, Low-context cultures, Speech acts in

Advertising, Imagery, Elements of Advertisements

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 4

American & Indian Advertisements: A Cultural Analysis

Introduction

The phenomenon of advertising has long been a topic of research in several

disciplines such as mass communication, marketing, sociology, cultural

anthropology, social psychology, semiotics and cultural studies. One area that has

attracted a great deal of consideration in several disciplines during the last two

decades is the analysis of mass media advertising content to gain insights into

how cultural factors affect advertising strategies and expressions; how cultural

values, norms and stereotypes are reflected in advertising; how advertising creates

meanings and affects the audience and the larger society over time.

Although the phenomenon of advertising has been studied for several decades,

cross-cultural advertising research is a relatively new area of study. In recent

years, the study of cross-cultural advertising has become a subject of increasing

importance because of several important developments:

• In recent years, there has been an increasing interest over the issue of how

advertising reflects, reinforces and affects cultural values of its target audience

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 5

• As the integration of the world economy has increased significantly in recent

years and as nations of the world have become increasingly economically

interdependent through international trade, diverse people and cultures are coming

into contact through interpersonal interaction as well as advertising and other

media images and messages. In an increasingly global economic environment,

international trade has achieved phenomenal growth resulting in increased

international mass media advertising across diverse cultures.

• The "cultural imperialism" issue has attracted a great deal of attention over the

impact of western advertising and other media products on the cultures of

developing nations

Cross-cultural analysis of advertising can identify specific differences and

similarities in advertising strategies, expressions, and manifest cultural values,

norms and stereotypes of the target audience and the larger culture. Such findings

may be used to address the question of whether the same strategies and

expressions can be used in international advertising, and whether the values,

attitudes, desires and tastes of consumers around the world are converging.

High-context cultures (including much of the Middle East, Asia, India, Africa,

and South America) are relational, collectivist, intuitive, and contemplative. This

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 6

means that people in these cultures emphasize interpersonal relationships.

Developing trust is an important first step to any business transaction. These

cultures are collectivist, have a preference for group harmony and consensus to

individual accomplishment. And people in these cultures are less governed by

reason than by intuition or feelings. Words are not so important as context, which

might include the speaker’s tone of voice, facial expression, gestures, posture—

and even the person’s family history and status. A Japanese manager explained

his culture’s communication style to an American: “We are a homogeneous

people and don’t have to speak as much as you do here. When we say one word,

we understand ten, but here you have to say ten to understand one.” High-context

communication tends to be more indirect and more formal. Flowery language,

humility, and elaborate apologies are typical.

Low-context cultures (including North America and much of Western Europe)

are logical, linear, individualistic, and action-oriented. People from low-context

cultures value logic, facts, and directness. Solving a problem means lining up the

facts and evaluating one after another. Decisions are based on fact rather than

intuition. Discussions end with actions. And communicators are expected to be

straightforward, concise, and efficient in telling what action is expected. To be

absolutely clear, they strive to use precise words and intend them to be taken

literally. Explicit contracts conclude negotiations. This is very different from

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 7

communicators in high-context cultures who depend less on language precision

and legal documents. High-context business people may even distrust contracts

and be offended by the lack of trust they suggest.

The unique features of Indian market which call for special attention and thus,

subsequent changes in the application of marketing concepts are as follows:

a) Cultural Outlook: The Indian consumer values old customs and tradition. Basic

cultural values have not yet faded in India. Buying decisions are highly influenced

by social customs, traditions and beliefs in the rural markets.

b) Literacy Rate: The literacy rate is low in India. This comes in way of the

marketer in promoting the product. Advertising is very expensive making it

difficult to communicate with the target audience.

c) Lack of Proper Communication and infrastructure facilities: Nearly fifty

percent of the villages in the country do not have all weather roads. The

Infrastructure Facilities like roads, warehouses, communication system, financial

facilities are inadequate in rural areas making physical distribution becomes

costly.

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 8

d) Many Languages and Dialects: The number of languages and dialects vary

widely from state to state region to region and probably from district to district.

Even though the numbers of recognized languages are only 16, the dialects are

estimated to be around 850.

e) Low Per Capita Income: Even though about 33-35% of gross domestic product

is generated in the rural areas it is shared by 74% of the population.

Literature Review

Most of the cross-cultural empirical studies that have been conducted to date

compared either two or more Western industrialized countries or Western and

Eastern industrial countries (with a few exceptions). Studies that conducted

cross-cultural content analysis and provide background information for

conceptual analysis were reviewed first. Other related studies that do not fall

under the umbrella of cross-cultural content analysis but are relevant and useful in

understanding the issues of cross-cultural advertising will also be reviewed.

Engel, Blackwell, and Miniard (1986) define culture as complex values, ideas,

attributes, and other meaningful symbols that serve humans to communicate,

interpret, and evaluate as members of society. Furthermore, the authors believe

that humans develop their values by socialization and acculturation. Socialization

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 9

is the process of absorbing ones culture. Acculturation is the process of learning a

new culture. This occurs when a consumer moves to a new country or changes

group identity.

Similarly, Stanton, Etzel, and Walker (1994) define culture as symbols and

artifacts created by society and handed down from generation to generation as

determinants and regulators of human behavior. The symbols/artifacts may be

intangible (attitudes, beliefs, values, and language) or tangible (tools, housing,

and products).

Weinberger and Spotts (1989) conducted a comparative content analysis of the

information content in television advertising in the United States and the United

Kingdom. The results revealed that U.S. television advertising contained a higher

level of information content than British advertising. A comparison between the

U.S. sample and a 1977 Resnik and Stern study showed that informativeness has

increased in U.S. advertising over a decade. Overall, the ads for high

involvement and rational products contained higher information content. The

researchers concluded that the differences between the U.S. and British

advertising are related to the underlying socio-cultural setting in the respective

countries.

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 10

Biswas, Olsen and Carlet (1992) comparatively analyzed magazine

advertisements of France and the United States in terms of information content,

emotional appeals, use of humor and sex. The study revealed that French

advertisements made greater use of emotional appeals, humor and sex appeals,

while U.S. advertisements contained a greater number of information cues. Cutler

and Javalgi (1992) conducted a comparative analysis of the visual content of print

advertising from the United States, France and England. The results revealed

greater country differences than similarities in terms of various visual components

in advertising. Differences were found in seven elements (size of the visual, use

of black & white visuals, use of photograph etc).

Demographics facts and figure to analyze the population trends in both US and

India, along with consumer buying behavior, trends, influence of children,

teenagers, women, and celebrities were analyzed for this research.

Belk and Bryce (1986) examined television advertisements in Japan and the

United States. Using a content analysis method they attempted to determine if

there was any cultural value difference in advertising in terms of materialism and

individual determinism. The study found that the U.S. advertisements placed

more emphasis on individual determinism and materialism.

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 11

Mueller (1987) examined magazine advertisements of Japan and the United

States. Using a content analysis method, the author compared the themes in

advertising and concluded that there were considerable similarities among the

consumers in the two countries. The researcher found that the same basic

advertising appeals were used in both U.S. and Japanese advertisements.

However, the degree to which these appeals were used varied from one country to

another. Muller suggests that the sensitivity to cultural differences is reflected

through the varied degrees of the same appeals. The author concluded that

appeals such as product merit and status appeal are universal.

Information Content

While value orientations and advertising appeals have been used in studies, others

have examined the information content of advertising messages from one country

or several countries (Al-Olayan & Karande, 2000; Dowling, 1980; Ha, 1998;

Johnstone, Kaynak, & Sparkman, 1987; Katz & Lee, 1992; Martenson, 1987;

Renforth & Raveed, 1983; Tai & Chan, 2001; Weinberger & Spotts, 1989;

Zandpour, Chang, & Catalano, 1992). These studies take inspiration from Resnik

and Stern’s (1977), or Stern, Krugman, & Resnick’s (1981) studies of information

content. They look for information cues about the product advertised. As a result

they are useful in describing how much information advertising messages actually

give about products. The cues considered with the information content framework

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 12

are most often pricevalue, quality, performance, components or contents,

availability, special offers, taste, nutrition, packaging or shape, guarantees and

Warranties, and safety.

Nitish Singh of St. Louis University in his paper on ‘Analyzing Cultural

Sensitivity of Websites: A Normative Framework’ states as the web is advertising

and a cultural document, it is important to be sensitive as to how signs and

symbols are used in the text and graphics. Barber and Badre (1998) use the term

cultural markers to signify interface design elements and features that would be

preferred and understood by a particular cultural group.

He further goes on to talk about country-specific symbols that include anything

that portrays a way of life or culturally specific knowledge. For example in Arabic

cultures use of pictures of men, women, and animals is discouraged, while

elaborate text in form of calligraphic style is acceptable and liked. Furthermore,

use of visual metaphors (star, crescent, cross), animal figures, religious objects

and signs, taboo words, graphics of hand gestures, aesthetic codes, forbidden food

(beef n India), may need a detailed enquiry in the specific culture.

J.Harwood & A.Roy (1999) in their study on ‘The Portrayal of Older Adults in

Indian and U.S. Magazine Advertisements’, found a cross-cultural bias against

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 13

older women in their mass media presence. The predominance of elderly men

over elderly women in the advertisements reflects the “double jeopardy” of being

old and female (Sontag, 1979). Whereas older males are sometimes evaluated as

wise and mature, older females rarely receive any form of positive evaluation,

even though they outnumber elderly males in the U.S. population (United States

Bureau of the Census, 1994). It should be noted that women do not outnumber

men among older adults in India (Bose, 1988).

Research Methodology

The study compares two countries, which are culturally different, that is, America

and India. While America is a low context culture Indian is a high context culture.

A total of 150 ads from each country were analyzed ranging from durable

products to non durable products and services. The ads included not just

contemporary ads but also ads over a period of time, that is, ads from 1995-2008,

so as to have a comprehensive analysis of the ads.

The advertising was analyzed and compared in terms of

 Linguistic codification (informational, directive, poetic and expressive

speech acts).

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 14

  Visual codification (iconic stance of characters, indexical value transfer,

iconic image of women)

 Combined verbal/visual codification (direct and indirect comparative

approach)

Use of Information Cues:

Ads were first analyzed on the bases on types of information they provide.

Table 1: Use of Information cues

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 15

 Type of information US ads Indian Ads

Availability Info Cue 15 (10%) 80 (53%)

Quality/ Performance 128 (85%) 129 (86%)

Components 44 (29%) 33 (22%)

Price/ value 22 (15%) 18 (12%)

Safety 17(11%) 17 (11%)

Website Address 73(48%) 17(11%)

New Ideas/Features 8(5%) 10 (7%)

Nutrition 7(5%) 2(1%)

Special Offers 6(4%) 3(2%)

Warranties/ Guaranties 7 (5%) 2(1%)

Company Research 15 (10%) 1(.7%)

Packaging 1 (.7%) 1 (7%)

Taste 2(1%)

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 16

• In both Indian and US ads, quality/performance information was the most

commonly used cue.

• In US ads, the second most frequent used information cue was

components/ingredients, while in Indian ads, the second most common

information was availability information.

• Website address was very important information for US advertisers as compared

to Indian advertisers, who preferred availability cues.

• However no significant differences were found in the importance of various

information cues between the two countries.

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 17

Importance of elements in Ads

An ad has ideally 5 elements in it namely:

Headlines

Subhead

Tagline/Baseline/ Logo

Imagery

Body copy

Table 2: An analysis was done in the ads of both the country to find out which

element was given greater emphasis in the two countries

Elements US ads Indian Ads

Headlines 20% 84%

Subhead 13% 53%

Bodycopy 19% 72%

Image 100% 100%

Tagline/Baseline/ Logo 100% 100%

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 18

• While the American ads scored low on headlines and subhead, the scored high

on imagery and tagline/logo, the Indian ads scored high on the 5 elements.

• This can be attributed to the emergence of “Minimalist Advertising school of

thought in America” where time is a constraint and people are bombarded with a

high number of messages per day.

• On the other hand the imagery scores high in India because of large-scale

illiteracy in India and also because of the high context culture.

• Overall Indian ads contained more information as compared to American ads.

This can be attributed to the high context of Indian culture as compared to low

context American culture

100

80

60
American
40 Indian

20

0
Headline Subhead Bodycopy Image Tagline/Logo

CHART 1: Relevance of Elements

• Tagline and imagery was 100% in both countries but for different reasons. In

India it was because of large-scale illiteracy, which means greater role of images

and Logo so that the users can identify the product/brand. On the other hand

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 19

images and tagline have replaced headlines, subheads, body-copy for effective

communication and also for brand building.

• Minimalist communication is important in LC cultures. That because according

to most conservative estimates an American is exposed to 247 commercial

messages per day, which means that the communication with the consumer in

order to be effective has to be short precise and to the point. That why American

ads have minimalist communication.

Speech Acts in advertising

70
60
50
40
30 American
Indian
20
10
0
Expressive Direct Poetic

The analysis of the 3 variables of “speech acts” revealed that there was a

significant difference in the use of different types of speech acts in the

advertisements of the two countries.

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 20

Chart 2: Presents the number and the percentage of advertisements using

different types of “speech acts”. The analysis revealed that the US ads used the

expressive speech acts more often than did the Indian ads. The results indicate

that 65% of the US ads used the expressive speech acts while 45% of the Indian

ads contained the expressive speech acts.

Table 3: Use of different speech acts

Speech acts US ads Indian Ads

Expressive 98 (65%, n=150) 68(45%, n =150)

Directive 91 (61%, n = 150) 71 (47%, n =150

Poetic 14(9%, n =150) 59(39%, n=150)

• More use of Poetic Speech was found in Indian Ads because of its High Context
Culture.

• Direct Speech in American ads relating to Low context culture

Table 4: Feature Transfer

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 21

 Feature Transfer US Ads Indian Ads

Physical Attractiveness 7 (5%, n = 150) 6 (4%, n= 150)

Status Attributes 1 (7%, n=150) 7 (5%, n=150)

Loving Caring Attributes 25(17%, n=150) 27(18%, n= 150)

Iconic Image of women

When the variables “iconic image of women” in advertising was analyzed within

each country by the type of product, the results did not find any differences,

which were statistically significant.

Chart 3: Shows the type of images of women in both countries

50

40

30
Ame rican
20
Indian
10

0
Ste re otypical Se x Obje cts Libe ral N e utral

TABLE 5
Iconic Image of Women US ads Indian Ads

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 22

Women as Sex Objects 19(48%, n=40) 13 (23%, n=56)

Women in stereotypical role 9 (23%, n= 40) 24 (43%, n =56)

Liberal and economically 12 (5%, n= 40)

9 (16%, n =
Independent
56)

Neutral 10 (25%, n =40)

4 (7%, n = 56)

Different Strategies to Attract Readers

Chart 4: Explains the various strategies adopted by Indian and US ads in order to

attract readers attention and put across their point.

45
40
35
30
25
20 American
15 Indian
10
5
0
Humour Comparative Emotional
Argument appeal

• American Ads seems to utilize humour and rational argument more as compared

to Indian ads.

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 23

• Indian advertisers still rely on negative tactics to scare customers. Products like

personal care, childcare, insurance, banking and tax, excise department use scare

tactics.

• Emotional appeal was higher than rational appeal in Indian ads.

• Comparative argument was seen more in American ads either directly or

indirect as compared to Indian ads.

Analysis of Results and Derivations

Collectivistic v/s Individualistic Values

It is important to analyze the values that are portrayed along with the product, and

how these connect with those ideologies relevant to the target group culture.

Values prevailing in HC cultures are generally tied to collectivism and those in

LC cultures to individualism, hence we can assume that HC and LC culture ads

manifest different values according to their ideologies.

Collectivist cultures tend to emphasize being in good physical shape and time

spent with family and friends as their dominant values, whereas the notion of

freedom and personal time valued in individualist societies implies relaxation and

time spent by oneself. Ads of individuals dancing or doing sports are more

prominent on HC websites than LC websites, whereas in LC countries individuals

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 24

tend to be portrayed in more relaxed situations or situations connoting holiday

activities, such as a trip to the lake or listening to music.

IN THE ABOVE AMERICAN AD: McDonald's uses different approaches to

profess its slogan "I'm lovin' it." The slogan not only promotes the food, but a

whole lifestyle. The American ads displays images of individuals enjoying

themselves with music and relaxation, and offers an in-depth explanation of the

philosophy behind the new slogan: "You're immediately at the center of attention

—your individuality, your everyday life, situations in which you recognize

yourself and where you would like to see yourself."

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 25

The Indian ad emphasizes a different enjoyable experience, which is different to

that of time which is spent by oneself, for instance by listening to music with

earphones large enough to block out the outside world.

McDonalds clearly lays more emphasis on family values and tries to promote

itself as a family restaurant in India where people can come and have a good

time. Hence the user imagery is that of families having fun time at

McDonalds. This is a result and reflection of the collective society that India

is.

Motive and intention of Ads in India and America

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 26

In American ads the main motive and intention was:

• Long- term Building brand image

• Brand awareness

• Promoting Goodwill

• Brand Recall

• Building brand loyalty

• Tackle competition

The reason why American ads focus more building brand image and goodwill as

compared to ids because of the following facts

• Saturation of American

• The marketers in America are now looking to increase the Share of Wallet

(SoW: wallet share is, it is the percentage of the customer's overall revenue and

profit potential that you are realizing.) among the current users as the market is

saturated. So the intention of the ads is to increase awareness and promote brand

loyalty and recall value.

• This explained why Americans ads have lesser information as compared to

Indian ads and have lesser ‘availability cues’ as compared to other elements such

as product logo and tagline.

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 27

In Indian Ads the motive and intention was:

• Increase sales of the product, which is short term in nature.

• Inform the consumers about the product availability.

• Inform consumers about schemes, promotions, gifts, offers, discounts, freebies

etc.

• Make the consumer familiar with the product/brand.

• Build brand image.

The reasons for this are:

• As compared to America, India is an unsaturated market.

• The motive is not Share of Wallet (SoW) but new customers and increasing

customer base.

• The focus is hence not on brand building through print ads but increase sales

revenue.

• The limited penetration on internet has not made it possible for it to be used for

online shopping on a large scale, which means that ads need to show availability

information more as compared to American ads which show very less of

information cues as they often mention just the web address which provides the

American users with further information and also facilitates online shopping.

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 28

An American ad, which focuses on brand building. Note that only web address is

given on the bottom right corner. Brand: Stacy Adams.

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 29

An Indian ad with high information content. Note at the bottom the availability

cues Brand: Xerox.

The research shows that there were significant differences in many aspects of

advertising elements and expressions in India and the US. However, the findings

also indicated that there were some similarities in certain aspects of advertising

expressions in both countries, which may have been because of either same

reasons or different reasons. For example, high use of imagery in both countries

because of different reasons in India and US. While in India it was due to large-

scale illiteracy in US it was due to the fact that message speed needs to be very

short.

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 30

• In the use of information cues, the two countries differed across several

categories like availability, website address etc. this was found across all types of

ads for different products and services. Indian ads scored very low in company

sponsored information and research. Surprisingly, US ads lay more emphasis on

price/value than Indian advertisements. This can be attributed to saturation of US

market and fight for Share of Wallet (SoW).

In Indian ads the second most important cue was availability while in the US ads

it was component along with website address.

• American ads which use Low Context (LC) communication style are "expected

to communicate in ways that are consistent with their feelings," whereas HC

culture Indian ads will set the context and the setting and let the message evolve

without referring to the problem directly. Indian High context (HC) cultures ads

tend to use indirect, non-confrontational, and vague language, relying on the

listener or reader's ability to grasp the meaning from the context. LC cultures

American ads tend to use a more direct, confrontational, and explicit approach to

ensure that the listener receives the message exactly as it was sent.

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 31

The LC culture American ads used direct and expressive words/sentences and the

HC culture Indian ads used more poetic words/sentences

• The American ads lacked subheads, body-copy and scored very high on imagery

and tagline/logo. This is because the transparency is US ads are greater along with

the message speed and thus the prevalence of minimalist school of advertising. As

life is ‘fast’ in the US and Americans are exposed it greater number of messages

per day (247 according to most conservative estimates) the message speed has to

short precise and to the point.

On the other hand Indian ads were rich in Headlines, subhead and body-copy

because the HC culture were a lot of information is given to the reader and give

the user maximum information. Indian ads have various layers to it. It is rich in

information content with respect to quality, performance, availability cues,

features ingredients, safety uses components etc.

• In terms of portrayal of women, the Indian ads scored high on stereotypical

portrayal of women whereas American ads showed a higher tendency to show

them as sex objects. Both the countries scored low on showing either a neutral or

liberal portrayal of women in ads.

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 32

• More single men were shown in Indian ads as compared to American ads. It is a

reflection of the Indian society, which is male dominated and where male is

decision maker in purchase decision. Although even American ads showed a high

percentage of ads, which only had men in it, it was still lower than those

American ads, which showed only women. Family portrayal was higher in Indian

ads as compared to American ads which show that Indian ads had a collective

stance as compared to the individualistic stance of American ads.

• Ads in India showed more children and cartoons whereas ads in America

showed more elderly because of the demographics of both nations. While India

has a younger population, the population of America is getting older. Moreover

according to studies the children in India play a very active role in buying

decisions of the family both in case of durable or non-durable products as

compared to their American counter parts.

The demographics of India show that 0-14 years comprise 31.2% of India’s

population, 15- 25 year old comprises 30.8% of population. It is projected that the

population of India will remain ‘YOUNG’ till 2060. This justifies the use of

children cartoons etc in Indian ads. Since the population of America is ageing

more elderly were shown.

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 33

• Use of Celebrities is more in India as compared to US owing to the following

factors:

 Decline of Celebrity endorsements in US due to ageing population

 Celebrities play a major role in influencing the opinions of kids in India.

 Demographic Connect: Different stars appeal differently to various

demographics segments (age, gender, class, geography etc). Since India

has more youngsters, children, the use of celebs is justified in India.

 In India Stars are looked up to as “Demi-gods” as compared to US which

is a very individualistic society were self is most important.

 Ageing population of America justifies use of politicians, social workers

writers as celebrities.

• Indian ads use more vibrant colours like red yellow green etc. as compared to

American ads. American ads use more darker colours black blue or dull colours

like grey. Use of vibrant colours in Indian ads can be attributed to the fact that

colours like red yellow green etc are auspicious colours and reflective of Indian

culture. American ads use more of black, as it is a symbol of power, authority and

individuality. American ads use more sober and subtle colours.

• American ads rely more on rational arguments and humour along with

comparative arguments, whereas Indian ads rely more on emotional appeal and

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 34

insecurity of the customers. Once again a reflection of LC American culture and

HC Indian culture.

From a realistic point of view, the findings of this study provide useful insights

into the nature of advertising in Indian and the US over a period of time. The

results show which rudiments and characteristics of advertising are different or

similar between the two countries. From the point of view of international

promotional communiqué, such cross- cultural understanding is vital in order to

be able to formulate successful localized advertising or public relations

communication that would appeal to or mirror the cultural principles and models

of its intended audience. In a broader sense, a localized approach is advantageous

not only to international communicators but also to the larger host the public. The

findings of this study are especially applicable and timely in light if the fact that

now western and eastern culture has come into greater contact due to a

momentous increase in international trade. This augmented contact between the

west and the east has created a need for an improved perceptive of international

promotional communication.

From a sociological point of view, the analysis of variable “portrayals of women”

provides useful insights into how gender role norms are manifested in advertising

of the two cultures. Despite the differences in the level of portrayals, it is evident

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 35

that advertising of both cultures still portrays women stereotypical roles.

Although considerable changes have taken place within both cultures in terms of

gender roles following the women’s liberation movement, the images of women

in advertising are not keeping pace with social changes. Comparatively, the

Indian advertisements are more conventional than their US counterparts. This can

be attributed to the fact that the women’s liberation movements were slow to

develop in India. This is also partly due to the fact that Indian culture is “high

power distance” meaning that power is more unequally distributed, roles of men

and women are more clearly distinguished and the pressure to maintain these

distinctions is quite strong. On the other hand, because of a more traditional

orientation in society, advertising in India does not use sexual portrayals o f

women as much as US ads.

From a professional point of view the research tries to answer a question, which

many marketers and advertisers face. Whether to have standardized solutions or

localized solutions? The research finding clearly emphasizes importance to

localized solutions as compared to standardizations. The issue of cross cultural

analysis of advertising has also become significant in dealing with a recent debate

over outsourcing a service like advertising to other regions. It tries to answer the

question whether a service like advertising and advertising professional who are

deeply influenced by the culture of a particular region, will be able to deliver in

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 36

case of being pitched for international clients on assignments for different regions,

alien to their cultures.

From the standpoint of international marketing and advertising professionals, such

cross cultural understanding is very important in order to be able to devise

successful localized advertising that would reflect the cultural values and norms

of its proposed audience. In broader sense, a localized approach is more valuable

and advantageous not only to the international marketer (more useful and

effective in getting its message across) but also to the larger host society (its

culture is not adversely affected by alien values, beliefs, and lifestyles).

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 37

References:

Würtz, E. (2005). A cross-cultural analysis of websites from high-context cultures

and low-context cultures. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication,

11(1), article 13.

Desmarais, F. (2007). Issues in cross-cultural studies of advertising audiovisual

material. PRism 4(3):

Niaz Ahmed (1996), Cross-Cultural Content Analysis of Advertising from the

United States and India

• Emmanuel C. Alozie (2003), Critical Analysis of Cultural Values Found

in Nigerian Mass Media Advertisements, SMILE: Studies in Media and

Information Literacy Education, Vol 3, No 4, Pages 1-12

• Edward C. Miller, Thomas Griffin, Peter Di Paolo, Ed Sherbert (2009),

The Boundaries Of Business-The Impact Of Cultural Differences On The

Effectiveness Of Advertisements On The Internet: A Comparison Among

The United States, China, And Germany, 2009 ABR & TLC Conference

Proceedings, Oahu, Hawaii, USA

• Keown, Charles F., Laurence W. Jacobs, Richard W. Schmidt, and

Kyung-Il Ghymn, Information Content of Advertising in the United

States, Japan, South Korea, and the People’s Republic of China,

International Journal of Advertising, 11, 257-267, 1992.

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 38

 • Singh Nitish, Analyzing Cultural Sensitivity of Websites: A Normative

Framework,

• Jake Harwood & Abhik Roy (1999), The Portrayal of Older Adults in

Indian and U.S. Magazine Advertisements, The Howard Journal of

Communications, 10 :269–280, 1999

http://www.winadvisorygroup.com/High-contextLow-context.html

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_context_culture

High-context and Low-context Culture Styles - RED

A Cultural Analysis of American & Indian Advertisements 39