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Since the cultural integration is a long and slow process in which culture maintains the characteristics of pluralism and persity, thus if an enterprise wants to take a seat in the international market for earning the biggest profit and showing the economical power in international concurrence, it should not make advertising campaign by imagination.
II. Culture and Advertising
2.1 Definition of Culture
Although culture is really hard to define, it is necessary to examine the definitions of culture before going on with the discussions later.
The definition of “culture” is as complicated as the culture itself. It is of much importance and also of much confusion. According to Raymond Williams: the culture is one of two or three English words which is the most difficult to explain (Hu 29). And the anthropologists Kluckhorn and Strodbeck have made a census of at lest 264 definitions of the word.
Although the definitions of culture are complex, accordingly, it can be concluded that all the definitions above-provided reveal some commonalities of culture.
First, it is generally agreed that culture is human, social and acquired. Second, culture is shared by members of a particular group; “culture is a social production created by a given community, so it is this shared aspect that enables communication between inpiduals within that culture, Third, culture is exclusive; culture often has the tendency of national cultural superiority. Fourth, culture has complementarities. Fifth, culture has two showing forms.
Given that this thesis focuses on comparison between two different cultures, so the author is particularly interested in the fifth characteristic of culture.
2.2 Definition of Advertising
In Article 2 of the Advertising Law of People’s Republic of China (1995) “advertising” is defined as any commercial advertising which a supplier of goods or services pays for, to introduce their goods or services whether directly or indirectly through the media in all its focus to public at large. On the basis of the above-definition, the principal economic functions of advertising can be seen clearly, that is so-called AIDMA, which means attention, interest, desire, memory and action (Cheng 106).
As its definitions indicate, the general role of commercial advertising is to inform and remind the consumers of industry’s goods and services, and to attract consumers’ attention, arouse their interests and desire, to persuade them into performing the purchasing action. But the modem advertising has much more wide range of functions than those mentioned points.
First, educational function; Advertising, as an educator ,not only informs, consumers of new and improved products and helps compare features of products with other similar goods. Second, social function: Advertising, in the dissemination of new inventions and new creations of science and technology, helps to enlarge the community’s vision, activate people’s minds and enrich their material and cultural life. Third, cultural function: Although the advertising is a kind of main means to gain the biggest economic interest as the first goal.
2.3 Relationship Between Culture and Advertising
Without any doubt, culture and advertising are inextricably linked. The study of advertising is always accompanied by the study of culture for the reason that advertising is in fact a typical carrier and mirror of culture. Almost all the elements of advertising campaign, including advertiser, advertising works, the mesa and audience, are all subjected to the constraints of cultural context. Thus not only the creation of advertising but also the consumers’ purchasing behavior is closely related with culture.