A cross-cultural comparison of U.S. and Taiwanese print advertising strategy

Abstract

A CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARISON OF U.S. AND TAIWANESE PRINT ADVERTISING STRATEGY by ChunLin Wu This thesis addresses the topic of advertising strategy in the United States and Taiwan in 2008. The context of this study was based on the cross-cultural perspective between the United States and Taiwan. Content analysis of magazine food advertisements from both countries in 2008 was employed as the research method and the source of data. In terms of comparisons between multiple factors, this study examines the portrayals of multiethnic groups and the presentation of creative campaign strategies in magazine advertisements in both countries. The result of this research revealed that although Taiwanese advertisements used models more often in content of a food advertisement when compared to U.S. ones, the U.S. advertisements showed a more diverse range of models than the Taiwanese advertisements. In addition, Taiwanese advertising has moved toward the tendency to utilize the concept of individualism and low-context culture in advertisements while U.S. advertising still follows the same concept of individualism and low-context culture. Concerning comparative advertising, the results showed that most companies were still more likely to not directly mention a rival company or products. Contrary to expectations, it was surprising to find that there were more indirect comparative advertisements in Taiwan than in the United States. TABLE OF CONTENTS