Comparing Arab and American TV ads!

Prepared by Yara Abboud

To Professor Darley

May 27th, 2011

MKTG 306
Suliman S. Olayan School of Business

Abstract
This report aims at summarizing the similarities and differences that exist between TV advertisements in the Arab world and the United States. For that, it briefly provides an idea of the prevalent Arab and American cultural values. Then it discusses the findings of Kalliny, and Dagher as well as other researchers regarding these similarities and differences. Finally, it deduces that contrary to popular belief TV ads between both cultures are more similar than different. It further addresses the reasons behind such similarities such as the emergence of reality shows, widespread use of satellite channels especially Pan- Arab channels like Aljazeera, and Lebanese TV channels LBC, FTV, and MTV, the pioneers in transmitting western influences to the Arabic peninsula. The widespread use of the internet has also impacted Arabs minds, for Arabs today strive for freedom, democracy and argue for human rights. Such values are clearly Western in nature derived mostly from an American individualistic culture. More convergence of values is taking place; many Arabic values are eroding; only some are left intact. The debate for Standardization versus adaptation of advertising is swaying more towards the standardization perspective; however, if a marketer prefers to say on the safe side it is best for him/her to abide by the contingency perspective whereby he/she adapts his/her advertising when and where necessary.

Part I- Introduction
The world today has changed significantly. Globalization has forced interconnectedness between nations. Advances in technology, communication, the internet and transportation have helped diminish boundaries. Thus, national borders are no longer clearly defined and international brands and products are now available everywhere. As a result, todays consumers are enjoying the privilege of selection, a privilege their predecessors did not have access to before. Hence, global marketers are faced with the question of whether to standardize advertising or to adapt it to the culture of the targeted country. The debate of standardization vs adaptation is an old one that dates back to more than 50 years. Standardization refers to using a common approach to promote the same product across different countries. Proponents of this approach argue that advertisers must focus on similarities of consumers around the world since globalization has helped homogenize consumers needs and desires. According to them, the world is one large market where regional, international, and national differences ought to be ignored. Moreover, standardization helps multinational firms maintain a consistent global image and greatly reduces costs by relying on economies of scale. Furthermore, it helps in familiarizing consumers with the product; thereby minimizing confusion among buyers. Despite the fact that many marketers acknowledge the benefits of standardization, few advertizing agencies execute it. Jain (1989) argued that standardized approaches in advertising are appropriate only when two cultures are similar. Many however still believe in adaptation, that they must consider cultural differences as well as economic development differences, media availability and legal restrictions in advertising. According to them, the advertising message should be tailored to the particular targeted culture.

Since cultural values influence consumer behavior and product choices, Durgree, OConnor, and Veryzer (1996) argue that studying a cultures values and value systems helps understand consumers and their behavior. The value system consists of sets of beliefs, attitudes and activities to which a culture or subculture subscribes (Kalliny 2010, p95). Hence, studying the advertising content of each targeted country can help us better understand the existing cultural and religious differences between them. Thats why, scholars like Albernethy and Franke 1996, Al-Olayan and Karande 2000 pointed out the need for more studies that compare advertising content across countries, especially the neglected parts of the world like the Arab countries. Moreover, Taylors studies in 2005 reveal that most international advertising papers 44% are about Asia, 22% are about Europe, 22% about developing countries, and only 12% about global or multiple countries. The Arab region has been severely neglected in international advertising research; therefore, studies dealing with the Arab culture are desperately needed. (Kalliny, 2010, p96) This report aims at pointing out the similarities and differences in the manifestation of cultural values in recent United States and Arab television advertisements. The report also identifies the type of cultural values conveyed in television advertisements in a sample of the Arab world including: Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and UAE compared to United States TV ads. The data is mostly from Kallinys findings 2007, 2010. To see how cultural values are manifested in TV advertisements, it is important to be aware of both the Arab culture, and the American culture.

The Arab culture

Since the Arab world is made up of many large independent countries that have their own histories, one cannot generalize all or most cultural values in the Arab world. However, Arabs share certain beliefs and values which can be summarized by Wilson (1996, p. 69) as follows: Everyone loves children; that age automatically confers wisdom; that men and women have vastly different personalities and characteristics; that a persons dignity, honor, and reputation are of primary importance and must be protected at all costs; that one must always behave in a way that will create a good impression on others; that loyalty to ones family takes precedence over personal needs; that piety is one of the most admirable traits in a person; and that there should be no separation between church and state statereligion should pervade all aspects of life. Obviously, Islam plays a great role in shaping Arab culture except in Lebanon. The Shariaa (Islamic Law) governs all areas of a Muslims life: duties, morals, behavior, and commerce (Luqmani, Yavas and Quraeshi1987). It dictates values people should hold like justice, truth, honesty, collective responsibility, roles of men and women, roles of buying and selling. This mostly prevails in the Gulf area: Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE (Rice and Al-Mossawi 2002). However, variations exist in the Arab culture: For instance, Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria do not force women to cover up whereas in Saudi they do. Also, the spoken and written Arabic language differs among countries, for there are as many as 20 different spoken dialects (AlOlayan and Karande 2000). Significant differences in education levels also exist between the states. The literacy rate in Egypt is 71.4% and 50.2% in Yemen compared to 86.7% in Bahrain and 93.3% in Kuwait.(World Fact Book 2010) Kalliny, 2010, p98). There are also differences in religious affiliations: For instance: 50% of the Lebanese are Muslim compared to 100% in Saudi Arabia, and 90% in Egypt. Such differences will affect advertising, for it is illegal to advertise condoms in Saudi Arabia but it is legal in Lebanon. (Rice & Al-Mossawi, 2002).

The American Culture

Just as Islam has helped shape the Arab culture, Christianity has helped shape the American culture. Americans are direct, competitive, informal, heterogeneous group who live fast, are practical and egalitarian, believe in the nuclear family, reject fatalism, and like self achievement. (Wilson 1996) As opposed to Arabic high context culture, American culture favors explicit messages and is considered a low context culture. Hofstede (1991) classifies it as the most individualistic culture among 53 countries analyzed with a score of 91 over 100. The Arab world however scored 38 over 100; hence is more collectivistic in nature. Americans value uniqueness and self determination; the focus is more on the individual than the group.

Purpose of the report

As previously stated, this report aims at summarizing the similarities and differences between Television ads in the United States and the Arab world based on the following group of cultural values: Tradition, Feminine Appearance and Beauty Enhancement, Respect for the Elderly, Harmony with Others, Interdependence, Thriftiness, Competitiveness, Attitude toward Nature, and Attitude toward Enjoyment. (Kalliny, 2007, p18) It is worth noting that Kalliny conducted this investigation once in 2005 and another time in 2007. Looking at his results will help us deduce the effect of globalization on Arab cultures. Hence, if Arab TV ads are more similar to US ads, we would argue for standardization; however, if there are both similarities and differences, then we would take a contingency perspective where we would advise the marketer to combine standardization with adaptation where necessary.

Researchers Studies & Findings

In 2005, Kalliny found out that enjoyment, economy and beauty were the most frequently manifested cultural values in both US and Arab world TV ads. In 2007, Kalliny took up the study again on a total of total of 866 television commercials from Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and the United States .He came up with hypothesis for each cultural value he perceived as important. Relying on his vast cultural knowledge, his hypotheses were the following: H-Trad: Arab TV ads will show more traditions as compared to US TV ads. This hypothesis is due to the notion that Arab society values traditions and old customs. Arabs still stick to their value of honor, generosity and hospitality. They cling to the past as opposed to American who are more modern and future oriented. HBE1: The focus on beauty enhancement product ads will be less in Arab advertising than in US advertising. HBE2: Larger stricter Islamic populations will have less TV commercials for Beauty Enhancement products. These two hypotheses are based on the fact that Islam stresses modesty in womens dress; thus, can advertisers advertise beauty enhancers without actually showing women using the product? H-ELD: Arab TV ads will show same respect for elders as US ads. Since both Christian and Muslim values stress respect for the elders, Kalliny (2007) assumed that this manifested value would be the same in both TV ads. H-Int 1: Arab TV ads will show more interdependence than US TV ads. H-Int 2: US TV will show more of the cultural value of independence than their Arab counterparts. 6

Since Islam stresses that Muslims should learn to live together, and Arab culture is mostly collectivistic while the US culture is individualistic, these two hypotheses make sense. H-Thriftiness: Arab and American TV ads will show thriftiness in the same proportion. This is a good assumption since both the bible and the Koran stress being economical. H-Comp: Compared to US ads, Arab Tv ads will use fewer competitive advertisements Since Islam states that a Muslim should avoid harming other Muslims with his tongue or hands (Al-Olayan, and Kanande 2001, p72); thus, Arab TV ads will not be as competitive as those in the US. H-Nat1: Arab TV ads will display more of the oneness with nature cultural value than US TV ads since the Koran teaches that man should respect nature, He has made men; there is no altering of Allahs creation; that is the right religion, but most people do not know(Koran 30:30). H-Nat 2: US TV commercials will display mastery over nature cultural value more than Arab TV ads since Christianity commands Christians to be good stewards of the earth and to master it. H-Enj: US TV ads will display the cultural value enjoyment in similar proportions to their Arab counterparts, since both religions warn against excess indulgence and both encourage men to be joyful. After conducting content analysis, Kalliny (2007) came up with the following outcome: Hyp-trad was partially supported since arab TV ads scored slightly higher on tradition than US TV ads. Hyp BE1 was not supported since table 4 shows that Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE scored higher than the US on beauty enhancer ads. Hyp BE2 was not supported too, since Egypt scored lower on beauty enhancer ads than the rest of the arab countries.

Hyp Eld was supported since this respect for elderly cultural value was hardly displayed by TV ads. The harmony hypothesis was partially supported since the United States scored higher than the others except for Kuwait. Hyp Int-1 was partially supported too since only Saudi and the UAE scored higher than the United States. Hyp Int-2 was partially supported since the USA scored only slightly higher than all the arab countries. (table4) Hyp-Thrift was supported. Hyp Comp was supported. Hyp Nat I was not supported because the United States scored higher than the other Arab countries on the cultural value oneness with nature. Hyp Nat 2 was supported since the US scored higher on mastery over nature manifestation in ads than all the other arab countries except for Kuwait. Hyp Enj was partially supported since Lebanon and Kuwait scored significantly higher than the United States. Also Egypt, UAE and Saudi scored higher but the difference was not significant. Commenting on the results, apparently beauty enhancement appears to be an important cultural value in the Arab world. This means that Arabs differentiate between the desire to look beautiful and the need to dress modestly. Respect for the elderly and regard for tradition was not that emphasized in Arab ads although we expected it. Interdependence and the harmony concept derived from collectivism did not score high as well. We also realize that enjoyment overall scored higher for Arab countries than for US although we had expected otherwise. The only hypotheses which were mostly supported were the thriftiness and comparative advertising hypothesis.

Another study on TV ads conducted by Dagher, Kalliny, Michael S.Minor , and Gilberto de Los Santos (2008) showed that women in Arab TV advertisements dress more modestly than the United States. Mostly they are depicted at home, and not working. This however was more prevalent in the high commitment Islamic countries like Saudi not in the low commitment ones like Lebanon and the UAE. In less wealthy countries like Egypt and Lebanon TV advertisements displayed less hedonism than in Saudi, UAE, and Kuwait. As for communication, Arabic TV ads were shown to contain less information cues than their US counterparts. This falls in line with Arabs high context culture and the United States low context culture. This high context Arab culture is also the reason why Arabic TV ads avoid stating price whereas American TV ads state it. Additionally, comparative advertising was mostly displayed in American TV ads and not Arabic ones. This is not a surprise since the United States is well known for its strongly held value of individualism.

Why Arab TV ads are more similar to US ads than different!

It seems that Arab TV ads are not that different from American TV ads. This shows that some aspects of the Arab culture still exist but many other aspects are eroding. The similarities might be attributed to the expansion of the Arabic media especially pan Arab stations like Aljazeera, which is watched by millions of Arabs. The influence of Western cultures is far reaching and that the Arab media is caught between regionalization and globalization. (Kalliny, 2007, p 30) The introduction of reality TV in the Arab world has led to the spreading of democratic values, and modern taboo shattering appeal. Many of the Western values are being transferred to Arab society through the cloning of Western TV shows.

Lebanese TV channels which span the whole Arab region act as main agents in shattering rigid Arab traditions, and ways of thinking. Examples include Lebanese stations like Murr TV which pioneered in buying internationally successful reality TV formats as early as 1996.(TBS journal, 2005) Arabic versions of Dutch and French TV programs like Family Feud and Everybodys equal were being produced. LBC (The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation) and MBC(The Middle East Broadcasting Center) produced the Arabic version of French fort Boyard and British Who wants to be a millionaire,( TBS journal, 2005) Reality TV shows in the Arab world first started in the 80s with Candid camera and Waakef taalek (Stop so that I tell you). Following came Star Academy (French format which LBC arabized) in 2004. Superstar later followed in 2003 and was broadcast on FTV (Future TV). It was licensed by FermantleMedias British version of Pop Idol. Super Star attempted a transparent Pan-Arab search for the next star singer, using casting calls, judges, live performances and, most importantly, the audiences right to vote. (TBS journal, 2005) Not only that, but LBC also produced an Arab version of Survivor. Hence, Lebanon was the founder of reality television production. Even the few shows produced outside Lebanon had Lebanese as their managerial, creative and technical crew. (TBS journal 2005) What more, the lack of censorship, and lack of control on Arab international networks has left the Arab viewer exposed to all sorts of programs. According to AME info 2006 the total number of free to air (FTA) satellite channels on ARABSAT and NILESAT had reached 263, and had been growing by 163 percent since January 2004. (Dagher, Kalliny, Michael S.Minor , and Gilberto De Los santos, 2008, p216). In addition to that, the lack of consistent television rating systems helps in reducing the bargaining power of TV stations; thus, TV ads come at a low price.

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Lebanese celebrities also influence the Arab world especially the Gulf region since women in the Gulf try to imitate famous Lebanese singers like Hayfa Wehbi and Elyssa in clothing style. A study conducted by Kalliny, Abdulrahman, Saran, and Gentry (2009) revealed that more celebrities appeared in the Lebanese sample of TV ads than in the US sample. Females and males appeared in the same ratio in both Lebanese as well as American TV ads; however, American TV ads used more athletes as their celebrity promoters. Lebanese ads mainly used actors. Lebanese celebrity TV ads however did not stick to the high context culture of the Arabs; they also did not use collectivist appeals. This may be primarily due to the western French influence on Lebanese culture. Hence, the Arab world is changing. Aljazeera (2005) reported that an Egyptian sociology professor concluded that the breaking down of family ties in the Arab world was due to the increased number of satellite channels and video clips, which is promoting a different lifestyle and culture.(Kalliny 2007, p30) Moreover, in Saudi, a young man was arrested after having been mobbed by male and female fans who wanted to kiss him in public. (BBC, 2005) Not only that, the recent changes that are happening in Tunisia, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen and Syria today and all the demonstration for democracy is proof of the changes that are happening in the Arab region. The BBC network (Feb 2011) quotes the following:

Popular opinion in the Arab Middle East only really emerged 50 years ago, through radios in cafes and village square. Leaders concluded they could manipulate the way people thought. Not anymore, Pan-Arab satellite TV has been tearing away at taboos about what can be discussed since the mid 1990s. Now social media mean that everybody can join. Countries cant shut off anymore, but rules have often continued to behave as it was stil 1960.

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Truly social media has also had its impact. Kalliny, Dagher, Minor & De Los Santos (2008) reported that 17.4% of Middle Easterners use the internet as compared to the world average of 20.1%. The period between 2000 and 2007 witnessed a huge increase in Middle Eastern internet usage which greatly exceeded the world average increase by 259.6 %. (Internet World Stats, 2008)

What the best TV advertising approach consists of!

Since legislation and censure of ads is minimal in Arab countries, advertisers have to be aware of cultural sensitivities when advertising. They should focus on universal values like enjoyment, and thriftiness. They also must avoid comparative advertising in the Arab world. The type of product they market will also dictate what approach to use be it standardization or adaptation. Therefore, for now, a contingency perspective whereby the advertiser adapts his/her TV ad when and where needed is best advised.

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REFERENCES
Scholarly Journals
Abernethy, A. and G. Franke (1996), The Information Content of Advertising: A Meta-Analysis, Journal of Advertising, 25(2), 1-17. Al-Olayan, F. and K. Karande (2000), A Content Analysis of Magazine Advertisements from the United States and the Arab World, Journal of Advertising, XXIX (3), (Fall), 69-82. Durgree, J.OConner, G.C, & Veryzer, R. (1996), Observations: Translating Value into Product Wants, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 36 (6), pp 90-00 Hofstede,G. (1991), Culture and Orgnaizations: Software of the mind, London, Mc Graw Hill Jain, S.1989, Standardization of International marketing Srategy: Some research hypothesis, Journal of Marketing, Vol 53, Jan 70-79 Kalliny M, Beydoun A, Saran A, and Gentry L.(2009), Cultural Differences in Television Celebrity Use in the United States and Lebanon, Journal of International Business Research 8, (1), 91-106 Kalliny M, Dagher G, Minor, M, and De Los Santos, G. (2008), Television Advertising in the Arab World: A Status Report, Journal of Advertising Research, 215-223 Kalliny M, and Gentry L. (2007), Cultural Values Reflected in Arab and American Television AdvertisingJournal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, Volume 29,(1), 15-32 Kalliny, M. (2010), Are They Really That Different From Us: A Comparison of Arab and American Newspaper Advertising, Vol. Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising,Volume 32, (1), pp 95-108 Kalliny, M (2005). The impact of cultural and religious values on television and newspaper advertising content and appeal: A cross cultural study of the United States Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Thesis: 2005; ABI INFORM Global. (UMI 3173432) Lugmani, M., Z. Quraeshi, and L. Delene (1980), Marketing in Islamic Countries: A Viewpoint, MSU Business Topics, 28 (3), 17-25.

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Rice, G. and M. Al-Mossawi (2002), The Implications of Islam for Advertising Messages: The Middle Eastern Context, Journal of Euromarketing, 11(3), 71-65. Wilson, M. (1996), Arabic Speakers: Language and Culture, Here and Abroad, Top Long Disord, 16(4), 65-80.

Trade Journals
Aljazeera Net (2005), Hifa and Heba and their Siblings are the Cause for Divorce and Drugs, accessed May 9, 2011, available at: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BF8BE1F048D5-4F01-ACFB-358CE14FA25E.htm. BBC (2011), Bowen. J (2011), Mid-East unrest: The discontent shaping new Arab world accessed May 10, 2011,.Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12503334 BBC News (2005), "Saudi Palaver over Pop Idol Fever, accessed May 9, 2011, available at: http://news.bb.co.uk/2/hi/ middle_east/4477459.stm. BBC (2007), Arab Youth Revel in Pop Revolution, (Accessed May 9, 2011), available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/ 6666725.stm. TBS journal, Khalil J. (2005), Inside Arab Reality Television: Development, Definitions and Demystification accessed May 10, 2011, available at http://www.tbsjournal.com/Archives/Fall05/Khalil.html

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