- •The importance of cross-cultural differences in marketing communications within Russia and Ireland in tourism and hospitality industry
- •Iuliia Starokon
- •Candidate Declaration
- •Dedication Acknowledgements Abstract
- •Iuliia Starokon
- •3.1 Overview 31
- •List of Figures
- •1Introduction
- •1.1 Overview
- •1.2 Research background and Significance of the study
- •1.1Research Purpose
- •1.2Research Objectives
- •1.3Structure of the Study
- •1.5 Draft Structure of Literature Review
- •2Literature review
- •2.1Overview
- •2.2 Cross-cultural marketing and its role in marketing communication context
- •2.2.1 The reflection of national features in promotion content
- •2.2.2 Cultural awareness about differences and similarities in marketing
- •2.2The impact of culture on marketing communication process
- •2.3.1 The influence of marketing promotional message on culturally different customers
- •2.3.2 The effectiveness of marketing communication mix
- •2.3Culture and cultural dimensions of Hofstede in marketing communication context
- •2.4.1 Defining culture
- •2.4.2 Hofstede’s dimensions and their application to marketing communications
- •2.5 Worldwide practices in addressing cross –cultural differences in marketing communications
- •2.5.1 “From smallest to largest” and “from largest to smallest” approaches
- •2.5.2 Emotional appeals
- •2.6 Online marketing as an important element of Integrated Marketing Communications with relations to cultural differences
- •2.6.1 The use of online marketing communications within Russia and Ireland
- •2.6.2 The effectiveness of using social media and word-of-mouth
- •2.6 Conclusion
- •3Methodology and Research Design
- •3.1Overview
- •3.2Research Philosophy and Approach
- •3.3Research Strategy
- •3.4Collection Primary Data
- •3.5 Secondary data
- •3.5Access and Ethical Issues
- •3.6Approach to Data Analysis
- •3.8 Conclusion
- •4Presentation and Analysis of Findings
- •4.1 Overview
- •Findings and discussion
- •4.3 Theme 1: Cross-cultural marketing and its role in marketing communication context
- •4.3.1 Subtheme 1: The reflection of national features in promotion content
- •4.3.2 Subtheme 2: Cultural awareness about differences and similarities in marketing
- •4.4 Theme 2: The impact of culture on marketing communications
- •4.4.1 Subtheme 1: The influence and effectiveness of marketing promotional message on culturally different customers
- •Theme 3: Culture and cultural dimensions of Hofstede in marketing communication context
- •4.5.1 Subtheme 1: Hofstede’s dimensions and their application to marketing communications
- •4.6 Theme 4: Worldwide practices in addressing cross –cultural differences in marketing communications
- •4.6.1 Subtheme 1: “From smallest to largest” and “from largest to smallest” approaches
- •4.6.2 Subtheme 2: Emotional appeals
- •4.7 Theme 5: Online marketing as an important element of Integrated Marketing Communications with relations to cultural differences
- •4.7.1 Subtheme 1: The use of online marketing communications within Russia and Ireland
- •4.7.2 Subtheme 2: The effectiveness of using social media and word-of-mouth
- •58 Conclusion
2.5 Worldwide practices in addressing cross –cultural differences in marketing communications
2.5.1 “From smallest to largest” and “from largest to smallest” approaches
Nowadays, a small number of marketers are working on communications to convince as many people as possible, when companies enter new markets. There are two possible consequences as a result of their work: target customers will either comprehend such marketing communications, what means that marketers will attain their crucial goals in persuading and selling, or customers will misunderstand a message or not comprehend in full and marketers will fail in attaining their goals.
The researches have stated that if international firms are looking for ways to enhance marketing message and penetration in accordance with difference in customers’ cultural identities, they should tailor marketing communications. Thus, there is a method “from smallest to largest”, that implies adaptation to every single nation, considering target market features and preferences. Or “from largest to smallest” method that means adjusting to already existing marketing communications to national settings. However, most brands build their marketing communications so that they are not completely “localized” or “globalized” and somewhere between these two methods. If a company’s marketing communication message is completely “standardized”, then it frequently fails to convey a message from the language and graphic design perspectives. On the other hand, if marketing communication message is fully “adapted” then it is not competitive enough comparing with host country marketing (Oosthuizen, 2004).
2.5.2 Emotional appeals
The issue about adaptation and standardization in marketing communications arose a long time ago and it still has actuality nowadays. Sixteen years ago on Cannes Advertising Festival it was noticed that the globalized approach to marketing communications creates difficulties in perception for countries different to Western, particularly in third world countries. The marketers, which pose Westernization in promotional messages despite the market, sometimes are unable to fairly evaluate marketing content from the perspective of the local peoples of the country. (Farquhar, 2000)
There is almost no difference in methods of international companies in marketing communication messages for such target markets as United Arab Emirates, China, or South East Asia, because marketers try to avoid failure by creating very neutral promotional message, depriving any creativity so that it miss the opportunity to challenge and excite a customers. This means that marketers lack many benefits simplifying their promotional content. In identifying features of target customers, marketers also identify humanity in its great diversity of manifestation and possibly similarity in emotional reaction. “From largest to smallest” method to marketing communications is effective in installing global companies’ names, simultaneously keeping the relevance in terms of every country needs, preferences and affiliations. These components develop a system in terms of which marketing communications are perceived and comprehended. Most practitioners tend to agree that communication messages should reflect at least relevance to needs and the importance of choice of language as individuals would not be convinced to make purchases which are not needed in both ways rationally or emotionally. Moreover, they would not be influenced by promotional message if it is not understood. Indeed, the aspect of “empathy” in communications message is the most powerful aspect, which is quite difficult to identify with cross-cultural marketing. This is the aspect which is usually lost in the direct translation of marketing communications. If there is no “empathy” then the strong conviction due to reflection of shared values and concerns is not possible. The situation is that it does not always matter whether marketing communications are telling a story to customer, but more importantly if customer finds it relevant and empathizes with it (Oosthuizen, 2004). This idea is backed up by Barbara Cooke, marketer from South Africa. She got a Protea Award for marketing sophistication due to her huge work in research with respect to the importance of language and emotional reaction in marketing communications. However, this still poses a challenge for marketers worldwide, to create international marketing communications and at the same time to keep local market attractiveness and uniqueness, which extend penetration into markets (Cooke, 1991).
Cultural values and empathy come from language, cultural background, social beliefs, legends, and the unique ways of nations around the world. Good examples are the linguistic differences in a given language, the idioms used in expression, for example Irish and British humour.(Oosthuizen, 2004)