Lefa Teng and Michel Laroche
Executive Summary
As more firms operate globally in search of growth and profits in international markets, an understanding of how culture influences consumer purchase behavior is essential for marketers and advertisers. Although several studies have examined the effects of advertising appeals and arguments on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions separately, little research has focused on exploring how advertising appeals interact with arguments to influence how consumers process advertising information, evaluate the advertised brand, and form their purchase intentions.
A total of 165 North American consumers (54% female, mean age = 36.2 years) and 252 Chinese consumers (52% female, mean age = 32.5 years) participated in the experimental study. The study found that there are significant differences in how people from the two different cultures respond to the appeals and arguments in a focal advertisement and a competing advertisement. Overall, the competing advertisements and brands influenced consumer responses to a focal advertisement and brand. An advertisement containing an individualistic appeal and a strong argument was rated more favorably by North Americans when the competing advertisement contained a collectivistic appeal and a neutral argument than when the competing advertisement contained an individualistic appeal and a neutral argument. Conversely, an advertisement containing a collectivistic appeal and a strong argument was rated more favorably by Chinese consumers when the competing advertisement contained an individualistic appeal and a neutral argument than when the competing advertisement contained a collectivistic appeal and a neutral argument.
The results of this study have significant implications for marketing practitioners. Properly matching advertising to the distinctive cultural values of the target consumers is a vital component of international advertising and marketing campaigns. The application of such techniques takes on even greater importance when appealing to consumers from sharply contrasting cultures, such as those from North American and Chinese cultures. Marketers should use a more specialized approach when communicating with consumers in a foreign market, being sure to understand the cultural traditions and values of the consumers of that market, because culture influences advertising tactics and consumer decision making. In addition, the findings across the two cultures show that strong arguments bring about more favorable responses than do weak arguments for both North Americans and Chinese participants. Furthermore, the central informational cue in advertising is typically based on product attributes, which can be emphasized in a general manner and applicable to different markets across a diverse range of cultures. Consequently, it is imperative that the key arguments in the advertisements are believable and compelling, regardless of the target market.
Biography
Lefa Teng is Assistant Professor of Marketing in the Department of Marketing and Consumer Studies at University of Guelph, Ontario. He received his PhD in Marketing from Concordia University and his MSc from the University of Science and Technology, Beijing. He worked for five years in an international company as marketing manager. Dr. Teng has published articles in Journal of Business Research, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Journal of Services Marketing, and Advances in Health Care Management. His research interests include advertising, consumer behavior, cross-culture research, and retailing.
Michel Laroche is Royal Bank Distinguished Professor of Marketing at Concordia University, Montreal, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the American Psychological Association, a distinguished fellow of the Society for Marketing Advances and the Academy of Marketing Science, and the 2000 Concordia University Research Fellow. He received his MPh and PhD in Marketing from Columbia University, an MSE from Johns Hopkins, a DIng from Ecole Centrale (Paris), and a DShc from the University of Guelph. He has coauthored 27 books, including Consumer Behaviour: A Canadian Perspective and Canadian Retailing; numerous refereed articles; and is currently serving as Managing Editor of Journal of Business Research. He has received numerous awards for his accomplishments, including the Jacques-Rousseau and the Living Legend in Marketing medals. His research interests include several aspects of consumer behavior, particularly ethnicity, persuasion, information processing, and models of decision making, as well as services marketing, retailing, and ecological marketing.
Journal of International Marketing, Vol. 14, No. 4, December 2006
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