the 95%: what people outside the u.s. think about — well, everything
DESCRIPTION
Jeffrey Foster, Seattle Wunderman Network Ben Sadler, Seattle Wunderman Network The 95%: What People Outside the U.S. Think About — Well, Everything In this session with two of Seattle Wunderman Networks global strategy leads, you’ll hear an overview of the six dimensions of culture developed by Geert Hofstede, Dutch Professor of Organizational Anthropology, and why they are important to the world of interactive. You’ll come away with ways to start using the dimensions of culture in your communication strategies and interactive-product development, and you’ll learn about methods to step back from a US-centric view of the world in order to help land your messaging, product, or other interactive work in non-US cultures.TRANSCRIPT
Who we are
Jeffrey Foster
Strategy and Insights for Wunderman Global Advertising Ben Sadler
The 95% THINKING ABOUT HOW THE REST OF THE WORLD
THINKS
How many of you expect to continue to work with people from other countries in your
lifetime?
How many hope that goes well?
Culture matters
What we will talk about
• The roots of culture
• How culture drives behavior
• Ways to measure the differences between
cultures
• How to use this information for fun and profit
In-group versus Out-group i s b io logy.
At the very basic level, those in an In-group can eat and reproduce.
It is a zero-sum game where outsiders threaten the survival of the In-group and so are treated with hostility.
The ro le of culture for Human In-Groups
In-groups provide protection in exchange for loyalty and in humans, a sense of identity.
Culture is learned not inherited
Foundations of Culture
America has the world’s best known culture.
Not to be confused with dominant.
There are more people living inside this circle than outside of it.
In a globalized world, culture matters more
than ever
Because culture affects everything
Culture is the foundation for communication.
Latin cultures: Black = Fear, Anger & Grief
Chinese culture: Black = Powerful & Expensive
Latin cultures: Black = Fear, Anger Grief Chinese culture: Black = Powerful & Expensive
Anglo culture: White = Purity & Happiness
Korean culture: White = Death & Mourning
In the US, a person standing alone is likely seen an independent free thinker, on his own path. This is positive.
In Japan, the same image likely conveys being without support and lonely. This is negative.
Cultural relevancy–now matters Changing behaviors
Changing expecta3ons
Changing loca3ons
Measuring the differences between
cultures
About measuring differences
There are a variety of tools
We will talk about an influential one: Geert Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture
There are more
Hofstede and the IBM Survey
Geert Hofstede analyzed surveys from 40,000 IBM employees in 70 countries and started to see paBerns in the answers that were country based. Crea3ng what he calls Dimensions of Culture
Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture
Power Distance
Low—I am very comfortable with questioning authority.
High—I embrace hierarchy and expect that the powerful will be appropriately responsible.
Collectivism versus Individualism
My needs and interests as an individual are my first concern.
The needs and interests of my group are often my first concern.
Feminine/Masculine
Feminine: men and women are equally modest, nurturing, and concerned with the needs of others. Power is shared.
Masculine: men have power. Women normally are modest nurturing and concerned with the needs of others.
Uncertainty Avoidance
Low—I am comfortable with uncertainty
High—I strongly prefer certainty.
Long-term Orientation
Short-term orientation: daily revenue from a fast food franchise
Long-term orientation: lifetime revenue from a walnut grove
Restraint versus Indulgence
There are good reasons for introversion and pessimism.
There are good reasons for extroversion and optimism.
Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture
Now an example of how to use the
dimensions of culture
USA by the numbers
Dimensions that make Americans American
High Individualism: A culture steeped in the narrative of the individual
Masculine: America is a culture driven by achievement, progress and winning.
Short-Term Orientation: A culture of the stock market and 15 minutes of fame
High Indulgence: Happiness is key to the American experience.
The American Story in Advertising
The American Story in Advertising
How the stories can differ
VIAGRA_PILULES_2010_06_26_PRESSE_3141211_0
Wait. Predict. Regain confidence.
Let’s compare some other cultures to
American culture
In the spider chart, we can compare the US and China, and see interes3ng and telling differences and similari3es.
US China
US: High Individualism/Short-‐Term Orienta3on
China: Collec3vist/Long-‐Term Orienta3on
Nearly iden3cal Feminine versus Masculine
Hofstede China scores as bar chart
Power Distance
Individualism
Long Term Orientation
Indulgence
Man who defeats oppressors: American version
Man who defeats oppressors: Chinese version
The American to Chinese comparison is
far easier than American to British
US UK
US and UK have very similar cultural dimensions.
Yet we know there are significant cultural differences. Why?
For UK/US differences the World Value Survey is a place to look.
US score on expressing compe//veness is much higher.
Looking at ourselves from the other’s side
• It is not about us thinking like a person from the Chinese culture or the UK or any other culture.
• From that, we can learn to work with them more effectively.
• It is about us realizing why we seem different to them and using that to understand them.
Applying cultural relevance to your work
Constraints push creativity
Know your audiences
Deliver the right content Effective content is culturally relevant
Develop products from a different perspective
Summary
Understanding the power of the differences among cultures creates
advantages for you as a thinker
and increases effec:veness of your work.
Open discussion/questions
Resources Hofstede Websites: hBp://www.geerthofstede.eu/ hBp://geert-‐hofstede.com/na3onal-‐culture.html
World Value Survey Website: hBp://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/index_html
Our Blog: hBp://bazaarzeitgeist.wordpress.com/ Our email and social [email protected] TwiBer: @Eljeffrai [email protected] TwiBer: @sadlerbr