When working to create successful advertising campaigns, it is critical to understand of distinct patterns of communication in the various cultures that you are trying to reach – it is one of the many elements you need to know about your target market.
This is especially true when you have to adapt a product for different cultures – different cultures have different tastes, acceptable social guidelines, etc. Even if you have a product that is the same regardless of the country you are marketing it to, the way you advertise that product in the various markets is critical. For example, colors, numbers, symbols, and images do not all translate well across cultures. In some cultures there are lucky colors, such as red in China and unlucky colors, such as black in Japan.
Consider cultural values as well. In some cultures teamwork is most valuable – so using messages that focus on the “you can do it” or have references to “I”, “independent success”, etc. would not be viewed favorably.
Like there aren’t already enough components to consider when analyzing your target audience – cultural background it one that should not be missed!
