In addition to the previous post I decided to conduct independent research on how is advertising y perceived in different countries. I am lucky to have many international friends, so the sample is rather diverse. I asked everyone two questions:
#1. Advertising in Italy is not as aggressive as in the USA. Of course it is present everywhere but it is more elegant and elaborated than here. It tries to picture some scenes of everyday life or a perfect situation where the "object advertised" is at centre of the situation. Due to these consideration people sometimes enjoy to watch it. But most of the time they try to avoid it. Unfortunately there is no real way to do so especially on TV because you have ads on all the channels at the same time. The important thing to understand Italian advertising strategy is that we do not have as many channels as they do here, and we do not have "state" TV. All Italians watch the same programs and commercials. We pay a lot of attention to privacy and try to protect ourselves as much as possible.
#2. Elegance, polished commercials and contemporary themes and situations. To be original and different. The only companies that have similar commercials are the phone promoters all the other ads are different.
Amrita, India
#1. Television is one of the largest mediums of advertising in India. Most people have a TV and it ranks high on a sought luxury. I have noticed that TV advertising are more interesting and use narratives. They are excerpts from day to day life and have a lot of humor. Most ads are bilingual and use a lot of Hindi (national language) and English. Watching TV and movies are a big leisure and entertainment activity. Since DVR or Tivo are not readily available, most viewers sit through the ads. The ads are more musical (jingles) so that people can remember the product. Unlike US and Europe, the ads are not overtly sexual. India is very openly proud of its age old culture and they refernce a lot of culture in ads. Traditional dance and music forms are used frequently and the people are very proud and eager to glorify their culture further.
#2. Bollywood movies, their songs, and their movie stars are a BIG attraction. Cricket as a sport is also huge in India. Getting a celebrity from either Bollywood, or cricket is a sure shot success. Movie stars and Cricket sportsmen rule the media whether print or TV. The masses will blindly use any product that the stars promote. Most multinationals soap, cream etc. companies have a Bollywood star or a Cricket star as their brand ambassador. The affluent classes are more discerning, but very influenced by the west.
Fairness creams are openly advertised in India. This may seem unethical, but being fair is seen as a big advantage to social acceptance and for marriages ( most marriages are still arranged in India). I personally abhorr this aspect of Indian mentality and perception of beauty. Things are slowly changing though. Beauty creams, herbal remedies are very popular.
Most Indians have a cell phone. You may not have a TV but an Idian will have a Cellphone. Mobile advertising is one of the largest opportunities in current India. People use their mobiles as radios, newspapers and has become the present Indian's lifeline. Mobile phones are one of the big opportunities that advertisers can think of a medium.
Ksenia, Russia
#1.I find advertising in Russia mostly annoying. It has penetrated pretty much every sphere of my life, and it gets to the point when I cannot watch my favorite TV show without having it interrupted every ten minutes. In general, I feel that ads try to press and impose certain lifestyles upon people implying that you are a looser if you don't follow them.
Another thing I find frustrating is when a company cuts down on advertising budget and comes up with a simple totally unprofessional ad and thinks it will bring them a lot of clients and money in return.
To the brighter side - I really like those ads which are tailored specifically to the Russian audience. And I really appreciate humor in ads. Humor helps me 'swallow' it easier.
In general, I really appreciate hard work companies put into creating their ads. This makes me trust the product and the company. I don't tend to trust ads "copied" from The US without tailoring them to the Russian audience.
I think in Russia the range of advertised products is totally different from that of the States. I mean, I have never seen a lot of toilet paper or feminine pads or tampons or shaving cream advertised on TV in the States. In the States I think they advertise mostly service. Like, insurance, banking services, phone services.
I also think most American TV ads are built on the idea of either:
a. American dream (with persuasion, you can achieve anything)
b. happy family
c. single successful independent mom (which actually makes it totally different from Russia, since we don't have that many single successful moms).
#2. Don't just ranslate the European ad, actually do change it! To do that, do some preliminary research on archetypes of the Russian culture and some Russian realities. For example, single successful moms in the ads will not have a tremendous influence on women in Russia. Be careful translating slogans. Carelessness can end up in very unfortunate mistakes.
Bert, Belgium
#1. European commercials are more focused on bringing their products into "the spotlights" and then you'll decide whether to buy them or not. Dutch advertisements are however more explicit than Belgians ones. For example on the Belgian radio, you'll hear lots of commercials where one person is telling the other person how great a certain store is and then you'll hear a catchy tune. They'll inform you about the special offer they have, but that's it most of the time.
#2. I think, and this is probably the case in most countries, a commercial I experience as "good" would be an original and/or funny commercial.
The humor in Belgium is often subtle and/or sarcastic as opposed to the direct and superficial kind of humor they have in the Netherlands (I lived there for a while). This is definitely something to keep in mind I think.Originality: I think Belgians can appreciate a good storyline, beauty of composition (colors, graphics, atmosphere) in a commercial.
Annie, Mexico
#1. Advertising in México is so diverse because of the influence we have from our direct northern neighbors we have a lot of American products trying to position in Mexico with the same advertisements they use in the US, anyhow we have important Mexican firms who have in my opinion created Mexican advertising so influential, because they make it so meaningful, humorous and real, they try to find mexicans passions and they link their products towards it, soccer is a great example since mexicans are so proud and passionate about their soccer teams. I think mexican advertising has evolved into an interesting, meaningful kind of advertising where more than overvaluing the product they try to make you feel attached to it or just interested by using humor. I personally love mexican advestising, its funny, down to earth and they keep it simple. I think in general advertising creates a fake necesity in each one of us, creating a desire for something we really don't need, anyhow advertising is a great way to know your options and I believe it gives credibility to the brands and talks about quality.
#2. Find a passion people have and link your product to it, it can be an activity like soccer, or an important subject like family, mexicans are really close to their families. Its all about the culture and the values, mexicans tend to like parties, friends, family, rest, they like keeping their word, love soccer, and humor, so just find something like this that can relate your product to the mexican culture and make it fun, it doesn't have to be elaborate, people tend to get lost, just keep it simple.
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