Ethics, Machiavellianism, and Social Values: Implications for Advertising

Abstract:

There have been several discussions on the benefits and challenges of having a standardized ad campaign versus one that is customized to selected markets (cf. de Mooij & Keegan, 1991). Besides cost efficiency, a uniform ad campaign is espoused particularly for international brands as the values of such brands are consistently communicated throughout the world. In contrast, researchers acknowledge that not all consumers are similar in their values and preferences. Even when the same ad is used, consumers from various cultural backgrounds may interpret the ad differently. Hence, there is a need to develop customized ads to suit the preferences of the target audience, especially when such a market is a significant one. Mueller (1987) showed that, in general, advertising tends to reflect the prevalent values of the culture in which it exists. One of the emerging markets that companies are interested in is the youth market. Called Generation Y, teenagers aged 12 to 19 form a huge market that is expected to grow at some 5% annually (“Understanding Generation Y,” 1998). Another market of interest is the Asian market, with a population of over 5.3 billion people or almost 56% of the world’s population. Although the economic crisis has slowed the growth in this region somewhat, its youth market remains a thriving one. In fact, as the crisis has hit the middle-income highly leveraged Asians, the youth market has become an alternative viable segment. Asian youths are not leveraged and generally live with their parents. Therefore, although their disposable income is

Año de publicación:

2004

Keywords:

Fuente:

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