How advertising reflect culture and values: A qualitative analysis study

Abstract

A successful advertising campaign is linked directly to how its perceived by different societies. This has led international companies to structure their advertising campaigns according to the culture of the society they are targeting. Hence, it is critical to have a strong understanding of the general attitude and characteristics of that particular society in order to create a message that resonates with the needs of its individuals. This study aims to identify the impact of advertising campaigns in stimulating cultural communication. A comparative analysis between Pepsi's ads from Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which were presented at the same time, shows that different advertising strategies were employed to effectively communicate its product in these two markets. The analysis revealed that Pepsi's Advertisement in Saudi Arabia used shared values to preserve the national identity within the message of the advertisement to connect with consumers, while Pepsi's Advertisement in Egypt was entertaining in nature with little to no cultural value. Moreover, special effects were used in the Advertisement from Saudi Arabia, while the Advertisement from Egypt relied heavily on uncreative elements, mainly funny scenarios, and scenes from old Egyptian songs and movies. The analysis of both ads confirms that Pepsi's advertising campaign in Saudi Arabia was more aware of the social and cultural values of the society as oppose to the campaign in Egypt.