I. INTRODUCTIONAdvertising is part of the increased globalization of mass media — rapidly evolving into a truly global media village. Nowadays, thousands of firms are spending millions of dollars to influence people all around the world. The growth and expansion of firms operating internationally have led to the rise of the growth in international advertising. However, how to define a successful advertisement? It is generally agreed that an advertisement, if aiming to be successful, should be informative, impressive, and persuasive. Then, how to completely achieve these effects? The answer is: to know consumers’ wants. And how to know consumers’ wants? The answer is that the advertisements should aim to the cultures of target consumers.In most circumstances, we are relatively unaware of the tremendous impact our culture has on us. We automatically drive on the right-hand side of the road, try to arrive on time for appointments, and shake hands when we first meet someone. Without thought we react to our environment in a manner that is socially acceptable because that is how we have been socialized. Edward T. Hall points out, “No matter how hard man tries, it is impossible for him to divest himself of his own culture, for it has penetrated to the roots of his nervous system and determines how he perceives the world ⋯ people cannot act or interact in any meaningful way expect through the medium of culture ”(Hall,1966: 177). When we move into another culture, we carry our culture with us, responding to the foreign environment in ways that would be acceptable in our own culture but that may or may not be acceptable in different surroundings.If one wants to understand and communicate with...
