Closing Time- Bittersweet

As happy as I am that the course work is over, I am sad to be ending this Ireland adventure. I cannot believe how fast the summer has gone by! I've been looking forward to this trip all year and now it is over. Words cannot describe how grateful I am to have the opportunity to go on this trip. I have made so many great memories, and even better friends. I have also gained a lot of knowledge about Ireland and is culture. Not only did I learn about the culture, I also learned about the advertising aspect of it and the products that are consumed over there. For example, I had no idea that Walkers Chips are owned by Lays. They are the same brand with the same logo, just different names and flavors. We have usual flavors such as BBQ, Sour cream and onion, and salted, while they have flavors like cheese and onion, prawn cocktail and roasted chicken. It was also fun comparing and contrasting American products and businesses such as McDonalds, Subway, etc. Being a marketing communication/advertising major, these terms and aspects that I learned will help me in my future courses.

See you in the fall Prof. Spotts for campaigning!

Value Maps: United States & Germany

I found commercials for two different brands of cars, broadcasted in two different countries. The Mercedes Benz commercial was aired in the US, and the Volkswagen Polo commercial was aired in Germany. For these two brands, I've created a value map for each.  A value map describes how  a particular group of subjects tends to perceive or think about a specific product or brand.

Here are the two commercials I based on value maps off of:

After watching these commercials, I observed that Mercedes uses the safety characteristics a lot in its advertising campaigns. They are known for safety because of their expensive price and hi-tech/top of the line electronics and parts. I think the newest commercial shows the car backing in itself into a parking spot and another commercial shows that it presses the breaks when an object is too close while in reverse. These cars are basically smart cars- they can do almost everything and everything you want. In the US, Mercedes is a luxury car that many cannot afford. It requires brand parts and premium gas, which can cost you a fortune. They are usually connected with the upper class, white consumer because of its price and sophisticated appearance.

While on the other hand, the Volkswagen Polo commercial focuses on the family and relationship aspect that the car provides. It is spacious and fuel efficient so very resourceful for traveling and families. The commercial shows normal day events that the car is apart of such as the pool, playing Frisbee, going shopping, etc. This car provides safe, eco-friendly transportation to consumers while being stylish and dependable.

Both of these ads show similar characteristics that the companies want their customers to recognize. Some of these characteristics are safety, family, and eco- friendly. There is more of an emphasis on safety for the US because there is a high accident rate and many people see this as their number one priority in buying a car. These ads hold similar dimensions from the Hofstede dimensions that impact how the products are advertised.

Ireland Ads: Hi/Lo Culture

A majority of the advertisements I saw in Ireland did reflect its countries Hofstede dimensions. Ireland Hofstede dimensions are as followed (out of 100):

Power Distance 28

Individualism 70

Masculine 68

Uncertainty Avoidance 35

Long Term Orientation 43

So basically, Ireland is a low power distance, individualized, masculine, low uncertainty avoidance country that is focused on the short-term orientation. Here are five examples of advertising from Ireland that show each of the individual Hofstede dimensions.

First, I found these advertisements from a previous political campaign in Dublin Centre. Many were also seen throughout the city. These advertisements show two different sides/beliefs that the citizen of Ireland could vote for. These posters are appealing to the public to try and get them to believe a certain way and are good examples of power distance.  Ireland is a low power distance culture which tends to favor independence, equal opportunity, equality, and look down on authority. These ads are examples of society looking down on authority and expressing how they feel about what the Irish government may do. This culture is based on equality and that everyone has the freedom of choosing and believe in what they want.

This second advertisement  I found across the street from the Camden Court Hotel in Dublin. I first so this ad while looking outside of Pat and Billy’s hotel room! It was a great way to help us locate where on the street our hotel was! This ad is a very good example of individualism, which is what Ireland is.  Individualized culture values individual decisions, prioritize tasks, have a strict division of time and are a low context culture. They are more of an “I” characteristic then a “we”.  The saying, “There is no I in team”, would not apply to them. This ad is a good example, because the number of people in the ad- one. People in this culture are okay with being by themselves, which many actually prefer. They do not seek company because if they did, they would be in a collective culture.

 

I found this ad in Ireland while walking through Limerick. This ad is a typical ad for Budweiser, because of its masculinity. Most Budweiser advertisements show men vs. female because men are their target market and a majority of its drinkers. Masculine cultures emphasize success, strong, and dominating. This advertisement is represents the sense of “strong” by showing male arms carrying the cooler. Males are most likely to drink this beer, while also hanging out with other male friends. Budweiser has a whole campaign based on this slogan- “Grab Some Buds”. While looking on their website, they show this ad tied with other events such as Happy Hours, where you can invite your friends to join you, via Facebook. They also show multiple versions of these advertisements, all with males. Buds is also interpreted as the beers brand so the slogan works both ways and is appealing to the consumers. This ad is an illustration of those masculine characteristics, and since this ad is used in Ireland implies that Ireland is in fact a masculine culture.

 This fourth advertisement is for throwing out your used gum and not littering. It does not have a brand displayed on it so I think it is just an ad produced from the government as a PSA. I think this is a great example to demonstrate the uncertainty avoidance dimension. Ireland is a low uncertainty avoidance culture, which means that the culture tends not to show emotion, uses common sense, and is more creative and innovative. This is a very creative ad, the purpose of it is to demonstrate that if you litter, you can get a 150 euro fine, but if you “bin it your way” then you will not receive this fine. This ad is adding creativity by showing the girl dance and makes the “shot” like it’s a basketball. Furthermore, this is a good example of how creative the companies in Ireland can and are allowed to be. Companies have this ability to be creative since Ireland is a low uncertainty avoidance country. I personally think this is a great advertisement and very eye catching. I think people will be more willing to throw out their gum when seeing these appealing and fun ads around the country. No one likes gum on the bottom of their shoes! 

Lastly, this advertisement is one I took in the Guinness factory, and it’s one of Guinness older advertisements. This ad is an example of Ireland’s short term orientation. Short term oriented cultures are focused on personal stability and the pursuit of happiness. This is a great example because it shows how a lovely day involves drinking a Guinness. Guinness represents a sophisticated and refreshing beer that will make anyone’s day lovely. As we learned from experience, Ireland is extremely proud of Guinness and enjoys drinking it. This ad demonstrates the idea of making yourself happy. This ad shows Ireland’s short term orientation and that Ireland is concerned with living in the present and doing makes them happy.