Magazine Advertising

For this assignment we were asked to buy two magazines, one from Ireland (Right side) and one from the USA (Left side). I chose the magazine Cosmopolitan for both countries. Cosmo is a very raunchy magazine that discusses sex, fashion, and celebrities. The first difference I found was the size of the magazine. The Cosmo in Ireland was much smaller and more utilized for traveling, while the US magazine was the standard size. Also, I do not recognize the celebrities or models that are on the cover of the Ireland Cosmo. On the US Cosmo, I automatically recognize pop singer, Pink. Next, The ads in both magazines were very similar consisting of fashion, make up, and perfume ads. In the Ireland Cosmo, they had ads for products that mainly supplied. For example, their Coca-Cola ad displayed a picture of their glass bottles, which is found in a majority of stores and restaurants. Where in the US, we have plastic bottling and larger sizes. The articles in both magazine have very similar topics such as health and body- "Cellulite, you are under arrest" and sex articles- "8 ways to max your pleasure and his". At the end of the magazine, they both have classified advertisements for psychics, diet pills, and numbers to call for phone sex. In my opinion, I think the US Cosmo is more sexual and raunchy.  There are twice as many articles about sex than Ireland's Cosmo does. Ireland's Cosmo is more health/beauty and fashion. However, they are very similar in the aspect that they talk about the female body and ways to improve it. This just saws that no matter what country you are in, they are always trying to show/tell you the way a females body should look. This causes females to become depressed about their body and the way they look. This is an ongoing problem in the teens and young adults all over the world.

I looked online for the Cosmo that is issued in Russia, and although I do not understand that writing, the covers look the same. I recognized one world that I guess is universal- Sex. The publishers of Cosmo do a good job keeping the themes and topics the same all countries. They have similar ads including fashion, sex, and health/beauty. Relating it back to the Cultural Dimensions, The UAI is fairly low for both Ireland and US. This can be seen in the Cosmos because they are accepting the risk of producing this magazine. This magazine can offend some people, or alter the way females see themselves. For example, I have a subscription to Cosmo but my mother hates it. Whenever I get the magazine in the mail, my mother flips the cover over so no one can see what it says. Sometimes it can have very explicit quotes and topics on the cover of the magazine that my mother does not want my father knowing I am reading.  I can see where she is coming from because it is a very open and sexual magazine.

Activity #3 - Hofstede Cultural Dimensions

After visiting Ireland for about two weeks, I am able to compare and contrast its cultural differences with the United States. In my opinion, Ireland seemed to be about 20 years behind us in technology and marketing. An easier way to do this is with the help of Hofstede's 5 Cultural Dimensions. In my multinational marketing class I took last fall, we briefly talked about this chart and what the different categories meant. This chart is used to compare and contrast countries and their cultural differences. The categories are as follow: Power/Distance Index (PDI), Individualism (IDV), Masculinity (MAS), Uncertainty/Avoidance Index (UAI), and Long Term Orientation (LTO). When comparing Ireland and United States in PDI, the US has a slightly higher PDI of 40, while Ireland only has a score of 28. Countries that have a high PDI have characteristics of centralized countries, strong hierarchies, and large gaps in compensation, authority, and respect. While low PDIs, show that supervisors and employees are considered almost as equals. Another European country such as Russia has a very high score of 93. This shows that people are not considered as equal and is based off their job positions and salary. The next category is individualism. The US has a score of 91, while Ireland has a score of 70. Both are fairly high in this category. Having a high IDV means there is high valuation on people's need for freedom, respect for privacy, and lack of interpersonal connection. On the other hand, Russia has a much lower score of 39, which indicates they have a strong group cohesion, and large amounts of loyalty and respect for others in the group. The MAS of Ireland is 68, while US is 62. As stated in the text, countries with high MAS are where men are expected to be tough, strong, and the provider of the family. Again, Russia has a lower score of 36, where men and women are equal in the work place, and gender does not make a difference. The next category is the UAI. Ireland has a score of 35, US of 46 and Russia of 95. High scores indicate differences are avoided, and very formal business conduct with lots of rules and polices. Low scores are more informal, and accept change and risk. Finally, the last category is LTO. Ireland has a score of 43, US has a score of 29 and Russia does not have a score listed. High LTO shows characteristics that family is the basis of society, a strong work ethic, and high value on education and training. Low scores show characteristics that promote equality and high creativity. I am surprised that the US does not have a higher score because our government puts a lot of money and value into education with the 'No Child Left Behind Act'. In conclusion, I am surprised that the United States did not score higher on all the categories. The US is known for freedom and opportunity for all nationalities and cultures to live free.

Virtual visit

Today starts day 5 of our stay in Ireland and I've already been bombarded with advertisements though out the city and local attractions. For activity 2, we had to compare and contrast a global brand by observing their USA website and their Ireland/UK website. The brand I chose was Coca-Cola because I noticed they have a strong present in the cities we have been staying in. In the local restaurants, conveninent store, and pubs, I have greatly noticed this product over their competitor Pepsi. I learned In my promotional advertising class that The bottles are so different then ours in the USA is because Europeans have smallest refrigerators than us. The bottles that coca-cola specifically produces for their European market are tall and skinny. The smaller bottles I'm the vending machines are also skinner than ours and the ones in manyrestaurants are the small, old fashion glass bottles. Coca-Colas marketing plan is specifically altered to fit the needs of their european market. If they need not alter it and produced the same bottles for them as they do us, then they wouldn't fit in their fridges. When comparing the websites, I noticed that the Ireland/UK version was more geared towards substanabilty, charity and health. They attach links suggesting tips for substanabilty and helping the environment as well as articles to keep their customers healthy and happy. They even provide cooking recipes their consumers can try. It gives off a positive sense and provides the consumer with a sense of appreciation and respect. While on the other hand, the USA version is less inviting. They don't provide any articles or recipes. They include their social media outlets like Facebook and twitter, and an advertisement for their sponsorship of Jason Derulo and American idol. I believe the European culture is a lot more simpler and positive than the USA culture.