Social and Cultural Environments

Overview

Basic Aspects of Society & Culture

Analytical Approaches to Cultural
Factors
Impact on Industrial Products
Impact on consumer Products
Cross-Cultural Complications
Summary
 Learning Objectives

Understanding how important cultural & social

differences are in global marketing
Learning fundamental concepts that provide an
understanding of cultural differences
Understanding where potential conflicts may arise in
global business relations
Knowing how cultural differences impact the
marketing of products and services
 Basic Aspects of Society and Culture

Culture as ways of living

Conscious and unconscious values, ideas, attitudes, and
symbols that shape human behaviour
Culture is learned, not innate
Culture defines the boundaries between different
groups
All facets of culture are interrelated
 Brand Names & Slogans With Offensive Translation

Countr
Company Product Brand Name/Slogan y Meaning

Mitsubishi Automobile Pajero Spain Jerk

KFC Fast Food Finger licking good China Eat your fingers off
Pepsi brings you back to Pepsi brings your ancestors
Pepsi Beverage life China back from grave

Schweppes Beverage Tonic water Italy Toilet Water

American
Motors Automobile Matador Spain Killer
 The Search for Cultural Universals
Universal = Mode of behaviour existing in all
cultures; is a pattern, trait, or institution that
is common to allhuman cultures worldwide.
Universal aspects = opportunities to
standardize some or all elements of a
marketing program
Cultural universals: athletic sports, body
adornment, religious rituals, music
Increasing travel & improving
communications are
leading to convergence of national attitude
towards clothing , music food & drink
Coke, McDonalds, Levis
 High- and Low-Context Cultures

Low-context culture:
Messages are explicit
Words carry most of the information in communication
United States, Switzerland, Germany
 High- and Low-Context Cultures

High-context culture
Less information is contained in the verbal part of the message
More information resides in the context of communication
(background, associations, basic values of communicators)
Japan, Saudi Arabia, China
 High- and Low-Context Cultures

Factors High-Context Low-Context

Lawyers - less important - very important
A persons word - his/ her bond - get it in writing
Time - everything is dealt - time is money
with in its own time
Negotiations - lengthy - quick
Competitive - infrequent - frequent
Bidding
 Communication and Negotiation

Challenges in:
Verbal communication
Non-verbal communication

Knowledge & understanding of cross-cultural differences is crucial

during negotiations

You can buy in your home-country language but you need to learn
your customers language to sell.
Analytical Approaches to Cultural Factors (1)

Maslows hierarchy of needs

Analytical Approaches to Cultural Factors

Maslows hierarchy of needs Asia

Equivalent
STATUS
ADMIRATION
AFFILIATION
SAFETY NEEDS
PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS