Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Culture& Branding
Social glue
The collective memory of a society
dynamic blueprints for action and
interpretations that enable a person
to operate in a manner acceptable to
other members of the culture
(Arnould et al 2004)
Culture is an interpretation
system
Accumulation of
Cultural principles:
Values, ideals, norms, and beliefs
Cultural indicators:
Language, dress, practices, social
institutions
Cultural manifestations:
Rights of passage, myths (stories with
symbolic elements), rituals, the sacred and
profane
Is marketing a reflection of culture or
is culture a reflection of marketing?
Brands
A brand is a mixture of tangible and
intangible attributes, symbolized in a
trade mark which, if properly
managed, creates, influences and
generates value (Interbrand)
Brands are interpreted by people
(through cultural lens?)
They mean different things to
different people in different places
across different times
For manufacturers
helps create loyalty
defends against competition
creates differential advantage
allows premium pricing
helps targeting/positioning
increases power over retailer
Hofstedes Cultural
Dimensions
Individualism-collectivism
Masculinity-femininity
Power distance
Uncertainty avoidance
Hofstedes Cultural
Dimensions (contd)
Work-related value dimensions
Most influential effort to group by
cultural values
Surveyed over 116,000 employees in
more than 70 countries
Created maps of pairs of dimensions
Individualism-Collectivism
Self-perception as individual or part
of a group
Most widely studied
Most complex
Dimensions different across cultures
i.e., Asian vs Latin American collectivism
Individualism-Collectivism
(contd)
Individualism
High value on
autonomy
Individual
achievement
Privacy
Collectivism
High value on
group
Family, clan,
organization
Loyalty
Devotion
Conformity
Masculinity-Femininity
Describes Importance of
Achievement versus
Relationships
Success
Assertive
acquisition of
money/power
achievement
Equality of genders
Caring for
disadvantaged
harmony
Power Distance
Acceptance of differences in
power
High-Power Distance
Accept position
Follow authority
Concentrated &
centralized authority
Hierarchical
Low-Power Distance
Avoid concentration of
authority
Decentralized
Fewer layers of
management
Uncertainty Avoidance
Reaction to ambiguous
events
Low Uncertainty
Avoidance
Embrace
unpredictable
Less adherence to
rules, procedures,
or hierarchies
Risk taking
desirable
High Uncertainty
Avoidance
Threatened by
ambiguity
Need stable &
predictable
workplace
Reliance on rules