Laura Marling - “Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)”
Due to the recent snowstorm (#Snowpocalypse2011) that’s frozen the Southeast, I’ve been on extended holiday and spending that time watching tons of brilliant British telly and subsequently, British adverts. To the average American consumer, it may be difficult to detect the differences between British and American commercials because after all, we speak the same language, right. Right? Advertising a product in an overseas market isn’t as simple as changing the language and picking up on colloquiums. In order to advertise globally, companies must think locally.
An easy to way examine the cultural differences between the US & UK is to look at Hofstede’s Five Dimensions, which is essentially a cultural analysis that examines the power distance (PD), individualism (IDV), masculinity (MAS), uncertainty avoidance (UAI), and long term orientation (LTO) of a country. These 5 dimensions provide a broad look at the major differences between countries. The US scores are: 40 (PD), 91 (IDV), 62 (MAS), 46 (UAI), and 29 (LTO). The UK scores are: 35 (PD), 89 (IDV), 66 (MAS), 35 (UAI), 25 (LTO). The numbers appear similar in print but can lead to very different things in media.
The US is the most individualistic country in the world according to Hofstede. This means that we protect ourselves and immediate family members and tend to be less concerned with others. Going along with that, we tend to be interested in instant gratification rather than looking towards long term achievement. We also tend to be more masculine, meaning we desire self achievement, power, and assertiveness. The US respects some hierarchal relationships, but it’s still towards the lower end of PD. For the most part, the same can be said of the UK. It is in looking at uncertainty avoidance that the biggest differences between the US and UK are seen.
Uncertainty avoidance (UAI) is how much a country needs rules, proof, and security. The higher the score, the higher the need. The US scores on the lower end of UAI but not as low as the UK. This means that the UK tends to take things as they are and go with the flow. There is less planning and less emphasis on religion. In advertising, low UAI means that UK citizens need less proof that a product works. Advertisers can use humor rather than product demonstrations in countries with low UAI. Statements also tend to be less direct. This is important because communication in the UK is more indirect; in the US, everything is upfront and direct. Direct communication can mistakingly appear to be offensive or arrogant in these countries. It’s easy to slipup.
Basically, there are tons of unforeseen cultural differences between countries, and if advertisers aren’t careful, their product message can easily fail. Hofstede’s Five Dimensions are just the tip of a massive exploration of cultural differences, but you’ve got to start somewhere!
