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Marketing to different Asian communities: The importance of culture for framing advertising messages, and for purchase intent

Marketing to different Asian communities: The importance of culture for framing advertising messages, and for purchase intent
Marketing to different Asian communities: The importance of culture for framing advertising messages, and for purchase intent

The purpose of this paper is to show that culture has differential effects on purchase intent, using respondents from four very different cultural groups within Indonesia, and two different advertisements (one ethical, another unethical). The study uses survey methods and a highly structured questionnaire to collect data from respondents in four cultural groups. In total, 100 responses were received from each of these groups within Indonesia (Bali, Batak, Java, and Minang). Data were analyzed using partial least squares. The results suggest that when advertising to culturally conservative groups, caution is required. Such groups have lower purchase intent when they do not like the advertisement. Moreover, other variables such as attitude towards the advertiser may become salient drivers of purchase intent for such groups if the advertisement is perceived to be unethical. Importantly, neither of these factors are salient for more permissive cultures, regardless of whether the advertisement is perceived to be ethical or unethical. In addition the authors identify a set of “universal paths” by which advertisement-related factors, and company-related factors indirectly influence purchase intent for both permissive and conservative cultures, regardless of the perceived ethicality of the advertisement. The research uses four samples, with 100 respondents per group. Future research could verify these results using larger samples. In addition, the study only uses low involvement consumer products, hence future research could test the model on higher involvement products. Managers should test their advertising messages on target audiences to assess whether they are likeable, as advertisement likeability can influence purchase intent. In addition, whilst factors such as ethicality (and likeability, and attitude towards the advertiser) tend to not affect purchase intent directly except in specific circumstances, these antecedent variables do have strong effects on each other via the universal paths. This is the first study which has examined the effects of ethical/unethical advertisements across four different cultures in Indonesia. The results also reveal an important set of relationships between the model variables, which the authors refer to as the “universal paths.” These paths have important implications for advertisers and their clients in their attempts to build brand equity and increase purchase intent.

Advertising, Conservative/permissive cultures, Consumer behaviour, Cross-cultural advertising, Ethical advertising, Ethics, Indonesia, Marketing strategy
1355-5855
8-33
Fam, Kim Shyan
401a5cc9-4282-4c7c-9b71-1227209eafbd
Cyril de Run, Ernest
6d8fec60-39af-47b9-8c33-64aff466fdb2
Shukla, Paurav
d3acd968-350b-40cf-890b-12c2e7aaa49d
Massey, Graham R.
84f69ada-9afb-4a79-9eae-e93c4688ea04
Waller, David S.
961acd8e-f497-4833-8251-e63f7fadc40e
Wang, Paul Z.
3d345fe1-4cfa-4ee8-bd88-fe2d286c0dc1
Fam, Kim Shyan
401a5cc9-4282-4c7c-9b71-1227209eafbd
Cyril de Run, Ernest
6d8fec60-39af-47b9-8c33-64aff466fdb2
Shukla, Paurav
d3acd968-350b-40cf-890b-12c2e7aaa49d
Massey, Graham R.
84f69ada-9afb-4a79-9eae-e93c4688ea04
Waller, David S.
961acd8e-f497-4833-8251-e63f7fadc40e
Wang, Paul Z.
3d345fe1-4cfa-4ee8-bd88-fe2d286c0dc1

Fam, Kim Shyan, Cyril de Run, Ernest, Shukla, Paurav, Massey, Graham R., Waller, David S. and Wang, Paul Z. (2013) Marketing to different Asian communities: The importance of culture for framing advertising messages, and for purchase intent. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 25 (1), 8-33. (doi:10.1108/13555851311290911).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to show that culture has differential effects on purchase intent, using respondents from four very different cultural groups within Indonesia, and two different advertisements (one ethical, another unethical). The study uses survey methods and a highly structured questionnaire to collect data from respondents in four cultural groups. In total, 100 responses were received from each of these groups within Indonesia (Bali, Batak, Java, and Minang). Data were analyzed using partial least squares. The results suggest that when advertising to culturally conservative groups, caution is required. Such groups have lower purchase intent when they do not like the advertisement. Moreover, other variables such as attitude towards the advertiser may become salient drivers of purchase intent for such groups if the advertisement is perceived to be unethical. Importantly, neither of these factors are salient for more permissive cultures, regardless of whether the advertisement is perceived to be ethical or unethical. In addition the authors identify a set of “universal paths” by which advertisement-related factors, and company-related factors indirectly influence purchase intent for both permissive and conservative cultures, regardless of the perceived ethicality of the advertisement. The research uses four samples, with 100 respondents per group. Future research could verify these results using larger samples. In addition, the study only uses low involvement consumer products, hence future research could test the model on higher involvement products. Managers should test their advertising messages on target audiences to assess whether they are likeable, as advertisement likeability can influence purchase intent. In addition, whilst factors such as ethicality (and likeability, and attitude towards the advertiser) tend to not affect purchase intent directly except in specific circumstances, these antecedent variables do have strong effects on each other via the universal paths. This is the first study which has examined the effects of ethical/unethical advertisements across four different cultures in Indonesia. The results also reveal an important set of relationships between the model variables, which the authors refer to as the “universal paths.” These paths have important implications for advertisers and their clients in their attempts to build brand equity and increase purchase intent.

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More information

Published date: 4 January 2013
Keywords: Advertising, Conservative/permissive cultures, Consumer behaviour, Cross-cultural advertising, Ethical advertising, Ethics, Indonesia, Marketing strategy

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 430707
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/430707
ISSN: 1355-5855
PURE UUID: ea47e36d-d654-4ef5-9541-c7688a5dd0b7
ORCID for Paurav Shukla: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1957-8622

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 08 May 2019 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:39

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Contributors

Author: Kim Shyan Fam
Author: Ernest Cyril de Run
Author: Paurav Shukla ORCID iD
Author: Graham R. Massey
Author: David S. Waller
Author: Paul Z. Wang

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