Abstract
In this paper, I will look at a low context society - the United States, and a high context society - Japan. Both cultures - Japanese and American - differ in the way they broadcast consumer advertisements. By comparing and contrasting TV commercials typical of both cultures, I will try to find answers to the questions that interest me. To do this, three points of comparisons will be made and examined: how the commercials in these cultures differ in styles, how both consumer cultures target children as consumers, and an image of contemporary woman in Japanese and American commercial ads.
Comparing and Contrasting Japanese and American Commercials
Japan and the United States are two large cultures on the world arena. They regularly broadcast consumer advertisements on TV to a very large extent. Many of us are aware of cultural differences between the two economies. The United States is a low context society, and Japan - a high context society. If we look at advertising in Japan, people there have a more positive view, in general. On the contrary, the United States is an individualistic culture with a high self-interest. For it, other cultures often view Americans as selfish people. In this paper, I will compare and contrast commercial advertising typical of both cultures to find answers to questions that interest me. To do this, three points of comparisons will be examined: how the commercials differ in styles, how both consumer cultures target children, and how they portray contemporary woman in commercial ads. Japanese and American commercials have certain differences that largely have to do with a ‘soft sell’ and a ‘hard sell’ approach, respectively.
For advertising, Americans tend to have a more negative view than Japanese. And more, they are often skeptic and their reaction is disbelief (Gaumer & Shah, p. 27). The Japanese prefer strong marketing of products and services. They market “hot” products on TV, to a large extent. Then, everyone tends to buy them. On the other hand, for average American, personal benefit is stronger than anything else. The Americans are autonomous in to their nature. Marketing in this country is customer-centered. The difference between Japanese and American consumer ads is that Japanese prefer emotional over informational commercials. For instance, in Japan it is common to stress a company’s reputation. It is culturally important. On the other hand, giving a product description is regarded insulting. For it, their ads will rarely boast product quality, and never its price. People in Japan have a ‘soft sell’ approach. Only this approach can win trust of their consumers. Then, they start to buy the advertised product. Japanese are fond of Western celebrities, music, and even foreign languages that help to sell. Many of their ads use elements of fantasy and run for 15 seconds (Lin, 1993, p. 42). You will often find a female advertising a product or a service there. It is because a female voice is softer to the ear. On the contrary, American consumer ads are more logical and direct. For instance, it is very common to describe the price, features, or the warranty on television. All of it goes in one advertisement. In short, Americans expect to see info-rich ads on TV. Besides, many ads use product comparisons. Such ads often feature males, not females speaking.
Similarly it is with children’s commercials in the U.S. Children as consumers are vulnerable and often target for commercial marketing. Each year the United States spends billions of dollars on advertising. No surprise that American children practically grow up watching different commercials. Statistically, advertisers in Japan spend much less on children’s advertisements. However, there has been a sharp increase lately, too. Both cultures daily advertise to children - it is a big business and a big controversy (Gaumer & Shah, p. 26). American kids often watch advertisements with a parent, or both parents. A mother can even strive to discuss TV ads with her kids. It shows that parents are concerned over the content their children watch on TV. Not so recent a study revealed that “American mothers held more negative attitudes toward advertising in general and toward children’s advertising” (Rose, 1998, cited in Gaumer & Shah, p. 28). For sure, marketing for children is different than for grownups. For Japanese, a company’s reputation is very important. Although, Japanese kids watch less television than American kids, they will react more positively to an emotional advertisement. For Americans, a hard sell approach means that children are targeted directly in ads. I also think that American kids can influence a family to buy a product, at large. For it, advertising in the U.S. is strongly controlled through regulations. It means that the government sets limits for commercials on children’s programs. On the other hand, in Japan, these regulations are less strict. In my opinion, Japanese kids, therefore, grow up less skeptical because their parents are less skeptical.
Besides men, women play an increasingly important role in Japanese and American TV commercials. I think that ads that depict woman share more similarities than differences across both cultures. Americans would usually emphasize the face, instead of the female form in their ads. They are largely meant to promote trust. The slogan is “Made in the USA”. Japanese go further by emphasizing exposed skin, catchy shots of woman, etc. (McCulloch, 2004, p. 6). This is a normal and a common practice in Japan. People there love to see sexy female images, both foreign and local, to hear nice background music, etc. On the contrary, some Americans regard such TV ads as sexist. They would see sexy women even as childish. For this reason, not many ads previously showed the female body in such delicate details. However, women as sex objects are very common in commercial advertising in the U.S. For instance, female models often sell alcohol, or promote condoms. Moreover, sexy women commercials sell better, too. This also shows that women are not equal in this country, as compared to men. And it is true, since “few advertisers today will remove a scantily-clad woman from a commercial if they are shown the dollar net loss to such an idea.” (Salberg, 2003). Because Americans are individualistic, they are even more skeptical to accept another individual that differs in his motives or values. The same goes for advertisements.
In conclusion, a low context society, the United States, and a high context society, Japan, differ. For this reason, it was interesting to compare and contrast their TV commercials. The findings showed that TV ads indeed differ in styles across both cultures. It has to do with a ‘soft sell’ and a ‘hard sell’ approach. The first characterizes Japan, and the second – the United States. Also, the main difference between Japanese and American ads is that Japanese prefer emotional ones over informational. From the research, I found out that ads directed at children are ‘bad’. Often, children are vulnerable, or too young to understand a message in commercials. However, American children might be more sophisticated viewers than Japanese. But basically, kids in the U.S. view ads just for entertainment. For Japanese children, ads communicate a message that is very important to achieve harmony. Therefore, many of their commercials advertise nature, and local traditions. On the contrary, for Americans information is the key. Therefore, ads in the U.S. are more challenging. Sometimes they are seen as confronting, too. Depiction of woman in Japanese and American commercial ads has many similarities. Americans would emphasize a woman’s face rather than her full form on commercials. For American ads need to promote trust. Their slogan is “Made in the USA”. Japanese go further by emphasizing exposed female skin. Their motive is harmony and sensuality over information and sexuality. Nevertheless, sexy women commercials sell very well in both cultures.
References
Gaumer, C., & Shah, A. “Television advertising and child consumer: Different strategies for U.S. and Japanese marketers.” The Coastal Business Journal, 3 (1), 26-35.
Lin, C., A. (1993). “Cultural differences in message strategies: A comparison between American and Japanese TV commercials.” Journal of Advertising Research, 40-48.
Salberg, L. (2003). The American Culture Defined by Television Commercials. Retrieved from http://www.forerunner.com/newarticles/american-culture-defined-by televisioncommercials.html
McCulloch, L. (2004). Japanese Ads Require Finesse, Not In-Your-Face Antics, Speaker Says. Northwestern University: Medill News.
