The volume of scholarly work in cross-cultural advertising has been increasing in recent years. This study examines empirical studies in this area from a methodological perspective. Cross-cultural research designs should include many critical facets that do not surface in studies involving single cultures. These facets are discussed within the context of cross-cultural advertising literature. It is apparent from this review that a sharper focus on cross-cultural research tools and considerations can strengthen studies of advertising, lead to more robust results, and increase validity and reliability. Both students and practitioners need meaningful and generalizable findings that will emerge only when strict methodological considerations are adhered to.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Adler, Nancy J.1983. "Cross-national Management Research: The Ostrich and the Trend."Academy of Management Review8 (April): 226-232.
2.
Adler, Nancy J.1984. "Understanding the Ways of Understanding: Cross-cultural Management Methodology Reviewed." In Advances in Comparative Management. Vol. 1. Ed. Richard N. Farmer. Greenwich, CT: JAI, 31-67.
3.
Adler, Nancy J.
and Susan Bartholomew. 1992. "Academic and Professional Communities of Discourse: Generating Knowledge on Transnational Human Resource Management."Journal of International Business Studies23 (3): 551-569.
4.
Andrews, J.Craig, Steven Lysonski
, and Srinivas Duravasula. 1991. "Understanding Cross-cultural Student Perceptions in Advertising in General: Implications for Advertising Educators and Practitioners."Journal of Advertising20 (2): 15-28.
5.
Aulakh, Preet S.
and Masaaki Kotabe. 1993. "An Assessment of Theoretical and Methodological Development in International Marketing: 1980-1990."Journal of International Marketing1 (2): 5-28.
6.
Bearden, William O.
and Michael J. Etzel. 1982. "Reference Group Influence on Product and Brand Purchase Decisions."Journal of Consumer Research9 (September): 183-194.
7.
Belk, Russell W.
and Wendy J. Bryce. 1986. "Materialism and Individual Determinism in US and Japanese Television Advertising."In Advances in Consumer Research. Vol. 13. Ed. Richard J. Lutz.Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research, 568-572.
8.
Belk, Russell W.
and Richard W. Pollay. 1985. "Materialism and Status Appeals in Japanese and US Print Advertising."International Marketing Review2 (Winter): 38-47.
9.
Berry, John W.1969. "On Cross-cultural Comparability."International Journal of Psychology4 (2): 119-128.
10.
Berry, John W.1980. "Introduction to Methodology." In Handbook of Cross-cultural Psychology. Vol. 2. Eds. Harry C. Triandis and John W. Berry.Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1-28.
11.
Boyacigiller, Nakiye
and Nancy J. Adler. 1991. "The Parochial Dinosaur: The Organizational Sciences in a Global Context."Academy of Management Review16 (April): 262-290.
12.
Brislin, Richard W.1980. "Translation and Content Analysis of Oral and Written Material." In Handbook of Cross-cultural Psychology. Vol. 2. Eds. Harry C. Triandis and John W. Berry.Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 389-444.
13.
Brislin, Richard W.
and Steve R. Baumgardner. 1971. "Non-Random Sampling of Individuals in Cross-cultural Research."Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology2 (December): 397-400.
14.
Brislin, Richard W.
, Walter J. Lonner, and Robert M. Thorndike. 1973. Cross-cultural Research Methods. New York: Wiley.
15.
Campbell, Donald T.
and Julian C. Stanley. 1963. "Experimental and Quasi-experimental Designs for Research on Teaching." In Handbook of Research on Teaching. Ed. Nathanial L. Gage.Chicago: Rand McNally and Company, 171-246.
16.
Campbell, Donald T.
and Julian C. Stanley. 1966. Experimental and Quasi-experimental Designs for Research. Chicago: Rand McNally.
17.
Casagrande, Joseph
. 1954. "The Ends of Translation."International Journal of American Linguistics20 (October): 335-340.
18.
Childers, Terry L.
and Akshay R. Rao.1992. "The Influence of Familial and Peer-based Reference Groups on Consumer Decisions."Journal of Consumer Research19 (September): 198-211.
19.
Chun, Ki-Taek
, John B. Campbell, and Jong Hae Yoo.1974. "Extreme Research Style in Cross-cultural Research."Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology5 (December): 456-480.
20.
Clark, Terry
. 1990. "International Marketing and National Character: A Review and Proposal for an Integrative Theory."Journal of Marketing54 (October): 66-79.
21.
Cutler, Bob D.
and Rajshekhar G. Javalgi. 1992. "A Cross-cultural Analysis of the Visual Components of Print Advertising: The United States and the European Community."Journal of Advertising Research32 (February-March): 71-80.
22.
Cutler, Bob D.
, Rajshekhar G. Javalgi, and M. Krishna Erramilli. 1992. "The Visual Components of Print Advertising: A Five-Country Cross-cultural Analysis."European Journal of Marketing26 (4): 7-20.
23.
Douglas, Susan P.
and C. Samuel Craig. 1992. "Advances in International Marketing."International Journal of Research in Marketing9 (4): 291-318.
24.
Driver, Harold E.
and Richard P. Chaney. 1970. "Cross-cultural Sampling and Galton's Problem." In A Handbook of Method in Cultural Anthropology. Eds. Raoul Naroll and Ronald Cohen.New York: Natural History Press, 990-1003.
25.
England, George W.
and Itzhak Harpaz. 1983. "Some Methodological and Analytic Considerations in Cross-national Comparative Research."Journal of International Business Studies14 (2): 49-59.
26.
Gilly, Mary C.1988. "Sex Roles in Advertising: A Comparison of Television Advertisements in Australia, Mexico, and the United States."Journal of Marketing52 (April): 75-85.
27.
Green, Robert T.
and Phillip D. White. 1976. "Methodological Considerations in Cross-national Consumer Research."Journal of International Business Studies7 (2): 167-179.
28.
Hofstede, Geert
. 1980. "Motivation, Leadership, and Organization: Do American Theories Apply Abroad?"Organizational Dynamics9 (Summer): 42-63.
29.
Holsti, Ole R.1968. "Content Analysis." In Handbook of Social Psychology. Second Edition. Vol. 2. Eds. G. Lindzey and E. Aronson.Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 596-692.
30.
Hong, Jae W.
, Aydin Muderrisoglu, and George M. Zinkhan. 1987. "Cultural Differences and Advertising Expression: A Comparative Analysis of Japanese and U.S. Magazine Advertising."Journal of Advertising16 (1): 55-62.
31.
Hornik, Jacob
. 1980. "Comparative Evaluation of International vs. National Advertising Strategies."Columbia Journal of World Business15 (Spring): 36-46.
32.
Jain, Subhash
. 1989. "Standardization of International Marketing Strategy: Some Research Hypotheses."Journal of Marketing53 (January): 70-79.
33.
Jeannet, Jean-Pierre
and Hubert D. Hennessey. 1992. Global Marketing Strategies. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
34.
Johnstone, Harvey
, Erdener Kaynak, and Richard M. Sparkman, Jr.1987. "A Cross-cultural/Cross-national Study of the Information Content of Television Advertisements."International Journal of Advertising6 (3): 223-236.
Kassarjian, Harold H.1977. "Content Analysis in Consumer Research."Journal of Consumer Research4 (June): 8-18.
37.
Keegan, Warren J.1989. Global Marketing Management. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
38.
Keown, Charles F.
, Nicholas E. Synodinos, and Laurence W. Jacobs. 1989. "Advertising Practices in Northern Europe."European Journal of Marketing23 (3): 17-28.
39.
Levitt, Theodore
. 1983. "The Globalization of Markets."Harvard Business Review61 (May-June): 92-102.
40.
Lysonski, Steven
and Richard W. Pollay. 1990. "Advertising Sexism Is Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Cross-cultural Differences in Criticism and Purchase Boycott Intentions."International Journal of Advertising9 (4): 317-329.
41.
Madden, Charles S.
, Marjorie J. Caballero, and Shinya Matsukubo. 1986. "Analysis of Information Content in the U.S. and Japanese Magazine Advertising."Journal of Advertising15 (3): 38-45.
42.
Malpass, Roy S.1977. "Theory and Method in Cultural Psychology."American Psychologist32 (December): 1069-1079.
43.
Martenson, Rita
. 1987. "Advertising Strategies and Information Content in American and Swedish Advertising: A Comparative Content Analysis in Cross-cultural Copy Research."International Journal of Advertising6 (2): 133-144.
44.
McCarty, John A.
and Patricia M. Hattwick. 1992. "Cultural Value Orientations: A Comparison of Magazine Advertisements from the US and Mexico." In Advances in Consumer Research. Vol. 19. Eds. J. F. Berry and Brian Sternthal.Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research, 34-38.
45.
Miracle, Gordon E.
, Kyu Yeol Chang, and Charles R. Taylor. 1992. "Culture and Advertising Executions: A Comparison of Selected Characteristics of Korean and US Television Commercials."International Marketing Review9 (4): 5-17.
46.
Mueller, Barbara
. 1987. "Reflections of Culture: An Analysis of Japanese and American Advertising Appeals."Journal of Advertising Research27 (June-July): 51-59.
47.
Mueller, Barbara
. 1991. "An Analysis of Information Content in Standardized vs. Specialized Multinational Advertisements."Journal of International Business Studies22 (1): 23-39.
48.
Naroll, Raoul
. 1970. "Galton's Problem." In A Handbook of Method in Cultural Anthropology. Eds. Raoul Naroll and Ronald Cohen.New York: Natural History Press, 974-989.
49.
Netemeyer, Richard G.
, Srinivas Duravasula, and Donald R. Lichtenstein. 1991. "A Cross-national Assessment of the Reliability and Validity of the CETSCALE."Journal of Marketing Research28 (August): 320-327.
50.
Orne, Martin T.1962. "On the Social Psychology of the Psychological Experiment: With Particular Reference to Demand Characteristics and Their Implications."American Psychologist17 (November): 776-783.
51.
Peng, T. K.
, Mark F Peterson, and Yuh-Ping Shyi. 1991. "Quantitative Methods in Cross-national Management Research: Trends and Equivalence Issues."Journal of Organizational Behavior12 (March): 87-107.
52.
Peterson, Robert A.1988. Marketing Research. Plano, TX: Business Publications, Inc.
53.
Pike, Kenneth L.1966. Language in Relation to a United Theory of the Structure of Human Behavior. The Hague: Mouton.
54.
Ramaprasad, Jyotika
and Kazumi Hasegawa. 1992. "Creative Strategies in American and Japanese TV Commercials: A Comparison."Journal of Advertising Research32 (February-March): 59-67.
55.
Renforth, William
and Sion Raveed. 1983. "Consumer Information Cues in Television Advertising: A Cross-country Analysis."Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science11 (Summer): 216-225.
56.
Roth, Martin S.
and Jean B. Romeo. 1992. "Matching Product Category and Country Image Perceptions: A Framework for Managing Country of Origin Effects."Journal of International Business Studies23 (3): 477-497.
57.
Ryans, John K., Jr.1969. "Is It Too Soon to Put a Tiger in Your Tank?"Columbia Journal of World Business4 (March-April): 69-75.
58.
Samiee, Saeed
and Kendall Roth. 1992. "The Influence of Global Marketing Standardization on Performance."Journal of Marketing56 (April): 1-17.
59.
Samiee, Saeed
and John K. Ryans, Jr.1982. "Advertising and the Consumerism Movement in Europe: The Case of West Germany and Switzerland."Journal of International Business Studies13 (1): 109-114.
60.
Sekaran, Uma.1981a. "Are U.S. Organizational Concepts and Measures Transferable to Another Culture? An Empirical Investigation."Academy of Management Review24 (April): 409-417.
61.
Sekaran, Uma.1981b. "Methodological and Theoretical Advancements in Cross-cultural Research." Unpublished paper.
62.
Shimp, Terence A.
and Subhash Sharma. 1987. "Consumer Ethnocentrism: Construction and Validation of the CET Scale."Journal of Marketing Research24 (August): 280-289.
63.
Somasundaram, T. N.
and C. David Light. 1991. "A Cross-cultural and Media Specific Analysis of Student Attitudes Toward Advertising." In Enhancing Knowledge Development in Marketing. Eds. Mary C. Gillyet al.Chicago: American Marketing Association, 669-677.
64.
Sorenson, Ralph Z.
and Ulrich E. Wiechmann. 1975. "How Multinationals View Marketing Standardization."Harvard Business Review53 (May-June): 38-56.
65.
Synodinos, Nicholas E.
, Charles F. Keown, and Laurence W. Jacobs. 1989. "Transnational Advertising Practices: A Survey of Leading Brand Advertisers in Fifteen Countries."Journal of Advertising Research29 (April-May): 43-50.
66.
Tansey, Richard
, Michael R. Hyman, and George M. Zinkhan. 1990. "Cultural Themes in Brazilian and U.S. Auto Advertisements: A Cross-cultural Comparison."Journal of Advertising19 (2): 30-39.
67.
Triandis, Harry C.1972. The Analysis of Subjective Culture. New York: Wiley.
68.
Triandis, Harry C.
and John W. Berry. 1980. Handbook of Cross-cultural Psychology. Vol 2. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
69.
Triandis, Harry C.
, Roy S. Malpass, and Andrew R. Davidson. 1973. "Psychology and Culture."Annual Review of Psychology24: 355-378.
70.
Triandis, Harry C.
and Gerardo Marin. 1983. "Etic plus Emic versus Pseudoetic: A Test of Basic Assumption of Contemporary Cross-cultural Psychology."Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology14 (December): 489-500.
71.
Tse, David K.
, Russell W. Belk, and Nan Zhou. 1989. "Becoming a Consumer Society: A Longitudinal and Cross-cultural Content Analysis of Print Advertisements from Hong Kong, the People's Republic of China, and Taiwan."Journal of Consumer Research15 (March): 457-472.
72.
van Raaij, W. Fred
. 1978. "Cross-cultural Research Methodology as a Case of Construct Validity." In Advances in Consumer Research. Vol. 5. Ed. H. Keith Hunt. Ann Arbor, MI: Association for Consumer Research, 693-701.
73.
Weinberger, Marc G.
and Harlan E. Spotts. 1989a. "Humor in U.S. versus U.K. TV Commercials: A Comparison."Journal of Advertising18 (2): 39-44.
74.
Weinberger, Marc G.
and Harlan E. Spotts. 1989b. "A Situational View of Information Content in TV Advertising in the U.S. and U.K."Journal of Marketing53 (January): 89-94.
75.
Whitelock, Jeryl
and Djamila Chung. 1989. "Cross-cultural Advertising: An Empirical Study."International Journal of Advertising8 (3): 291-310.
76.
Wiles, Charles R.
and Andres Tjemlund. 1991. "A Comparison of Role Portrayal of Men and Women in Magazine Advertising in the U.S.A. and Sweden."International Journal of Advertising10 (3): 259-267.
77.
Wills, James R.
and John K. Ryans, Jr.1982. "Attitudes toward Advertising: A Multinational Study."Journal of International Business Studies13 (Winter): 121-129.
78.
Zandpour, Fred
, Cypress Chang, and Joelle Catalano. 1992. "Stories, Symbols, and Straight Talk: A Comparative Analysis of French, Taiwanese, and U.S. TV Commercials."Journal of Advertising Research3 (February-March): 25-38.
