A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Advertising Appeals in Hong Kong and Korean Television Commercials
ABSTRACT - This study attempts to investigate similarities and differences in the advertising appeals in Hong Kong and Korean television commercials. Literature review suggests that the differences between the two countries in terms of advertising industry and national culture can be related to the differences in advertising appeals and value portrayal and the hypotheses were developed in terms of two value dichotomy (Western vs. Eastern, utilitarian vs. symbolic) and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. A sample of 803 prime-time television commercials from the two countries was analyzed using Cheng and Schweitzer’s (1996) framework. Hypotheses testing showed the mixed results. Hong Kong advertising contained more Western values than Korean advertising, while utilitarian and symbolic values were employed in a similar manner in both countries. It was found advertising appeals were related to the two cultural dimensions (uncertainty avoidance and masculinity/femininity) to some extent, while the notion of value paradoxes was found to exist in the television advertising in both countries. This study also confirmed that advertising appeals have much to do with product categories advertised in the two countries.
Citation:
Young Sook Moon and Kara Chan (2003) ,"A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Advertising Appeals in Hong Kong and Korean Television Commercials", in E - European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 6, eds. Darach Turley and Stephen Brown, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 120.
This study attempts to investigate similarities and differences in the advertising appeals in Hong Kong and Korean television commercials. Literature review suggests that the differences between the two countries in terms of advertising industry and national culture can be related to the differences in advertising appeals and value portrayal and the hypotheses were developed in terms of two value dichotomy (Western vs. Eastern, utilitarian vs. symbolic) and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. A sample of 803 prime-time television commercials from the two countries was analyzed using Cheng and Schweitzer’s (1996) framework. Hypotheses testing showed the mixed results. Hong Kong advertising contained more Western values than Korean advertising, while utilitarian and symbolic values were employed in a similar manner in both countries. It was found advertising appeals were related to the two cultural dimensions (uncertainty avoidance and masculinity/femininity) to some extent, while the notion of value paradoxes was found to exist in the television advertising in both countries. This study also confirmed that advertising appeals have much to do with product categories advertised in the two countries. Reference Cheng, H. and Schweitzer, J. C. (1996), "Cultural values reflected in Chinese and U.S. television commercials," Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 27-45. ----------------------------------------
Authors
Young Sook Moon, Hanyang University, South Korea
Kara Chan, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
Volume
E - European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 6 | 2003
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