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.