The Moderating Effect of Individualism-Collectivism on the Differential Perception of One-Sided Versus Two-Sided Advertising Appeals

Abstract

Two-sided messages are generally more effective than one-sided messages when it comes to changing a strongly held attitude (Hawkins, Best, Coney 1995; Jackson and Allen 1987), and their use appears to be increasing in North America. However, with the globalization of business the question arises as to whether this message strategy is just as effective in other cultures. The focus of this paper is on examining the role of a major cultural dimension, namely, Individualism/ Collectivism (I/C) on the differential effectiveness of these two message forms.