Explore our Digital Marketing Strategy and Planning ToolkitBy Fiona LomasFiona Lomas has over 15 years’ experience gained as a senior marketer developing and turning aroundleading consumer FMCG brands working in UK, EMEA and Global roles for Beiersdorf (NIVEA), Kraft Foods,Fox’s Biscuits, AVON Cosmetics and Bravissimo, Fiona Lomas (MCIM) foundedThe Brand Detectives, astrategic marketing consultancy focused on hunting down sustainable growth for courageous consumerbrands. Fiona is also a guest lecturer and mentor on the BA Marketing and MSc Brand & Design Managementprograms at Plymouth University. Connect with her onLinkedIn.Understanding the impact of culture on marketingcontentBy Fiona LomasUnderstanding differences in culture can help you build moreeffective content to reach beyond bordersYou only need to travel abroad or spend time with people who don’t come from the same place as you to seethe impact of culture. The way a person acts, interprets or responds to different situations will be, to a greatextent, influenced by their own cultural context.There are many examples of brands trying to take culture into account and unfortunately, the results are notalways positive. Whilst some receive industry appreciation and sales uplifts, some are left writing officialapologies.Toyota went to great lengths to integrate cultural differences and motivations into their communications, withtheirsix-version TV ad for the Camryin the United States. On the other hand, Pringles in the United Kingdomappeared to have merchandised bacon crisps onpoint of sale units celebrating Ramadan, managing to offendwhen the aim was quite the opposite.[Image Source]While these are clearly extremes, what about the global communications released every day by internationalbrands? How can you improve the power and effectiveness of your messages across borders?Getting to grips with cultureGreater awareness and understanding of the key dimensions of culture can help us to communicate betterwith customers across different markets and regions in more subtle ways. By being both more culturallysensitive and communicating more compelling messages, you can significantly grow your business beyondyour home market.How do you define culture?Before we can look at the practical implications of culture on marketing content we need to get a betterunderstanding of what culture is and how it can be broken down.Since the 1970s Professor Geert Hofstede has led pioneering research into cross-border culture differences.According to Hofstede Insights, the company founded to build on his works, "…culture is defined as thecollective mental programming of the human mind which distinguishes one group of people from another. Thisprogramming influences patterns of thinking which are reflected in the meaning people attach to variousaspects of life and which become crystallized in the institutions of a society."Professor Hofstede identified six dimensions of culture, the country score for which can allow you to comparecountries to understand key differences between the collective cultures.
