the 95%: what people outside the u.s. think about — well, everything

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  Jeffrey.Foster@Wunderman.com    TwiBer:  @Eljeffrai  Ben.Sadler@Wunderman.com              TwiBer:  @sadlerbr