A Comparative Content Analysis of Women's Magazine Advertisements from Hong Kong and Australia on Advertising Expressions

Abstract

There is an increasing desire among advertisers to utilize similar advertising campaigns throughout the world to achieve the benefits of uniform brand image and cost saving. However, cultural differences in advertising expressions and the different perceptions of the information received are barriers for advertising effectiveness. Therefore, it is challenging for advertising creative to be able to communicate to audiences of diverse cultural backgrounds. This study focuses on the cross-cultural advertising by comparing print advertisements from Hong Kong and Australia in terms of information content and emotional appeals. A content analysis of advertisements from the top circulated women's magazines of Hong Kong and Australia revealed that Hong Kong advertisements contain more information cues, sexier and less emotional content compared to the Australian advertisements.