Final Post

I would just like to use this post to express my true appreciation for the experience I had in Ireland. Ireland is bar far one of the most beautiful places on Earth. With everything from thousands of years old buildings and castles, to rich heritage and tradition that still lives on today, the pride in Ireland is seen in everything throughout the country.

My time learning about Ireland has been very insightful. I always had a grasp on what American culture and the marketing and advertising practices, but once I was awoken to Ireland, it made me realize that there is a whole other side to world advertising. I now understand everything from cultural dimensions, personality models, humor, needs, as well as the many other experiences I picked up along the way. So many new companies have been brought into my focus and it was also great to learn about the Irish business structure as well. I would have never been interested in hearing about the Celtic Tiger or tax free zones until I got to actually talk to the people it was affecting and see the bigger picture.

There are not words to express how thankful I am that I took this experience and allowed myself to learn and further develop my business sense of the world. I would highly suggest to anyone to visit Ireland at least once in their lifetime, there is so much to gain from it.

So for now my journey is over, but my development doesn't stop here. I am certainly going to stay updated in Ireland's business world, and who knows, maybe I'll be lucky enough to visit again one day!

Dai Guit!

A Look at How Far Advertising Has Come - Guinness Edition

As we all know, there is always a beginning to a story. This story is Guinness. Guinness, one of the most effective and most popular brands in Ireland, was started in 1759. To think that there was still the concept of advertising back then is amazing! When visiting the Guinness brewery, there was an entire section of the tour that was filled with advertising from its past all the way to today. It was quite a unique thing to see. I luckily brought along a camera to capture one of the advertisements; the first one that they ever put out!

I tried to make this one as big as possible so that it is readable. As you can see, advertisements were less attractive back then. It is almost as if it is a newspaper article. Much before Hofstede's Dimensions were developed, this ad showed a very informative piece to advertise. This is strange because in today's culture, Ireland is at a low UAI, meaning this type of ad isn't very effective towards the culture. However different times have different values.

It is quite amazing to see how advertisements can change over time. They change as the culture changes. With more media outlets, from newspapers, to radio, to television, to the computer and the Internet, to who knows what's next, there is certainly going to be changes in advertising. Below are examples of more developed print ads.

Today, print ads have developed even more into more modern print ads as well as video advertisements found online and on television.



Guinness Commercial > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pgA8Z7lFVE

There is no real analysis to be made in this blog post, I've already touched upon how culture can influence advertising to consumers, but this post is mainly to show my appreciation for how amazing it is in how far advertising has come over the ages. It's gone from something so simple as an article in a paper, to something so complex and meaningful such as in the commercial. It's quite astonishing, and I'm sure it will only get better as time goes on! I also, wanted to touch upon the fact that Guinness is a great force in advertising in Ireland. They are EVERYWHERE, and it is easy to tell why they are so beloved by their country. A national symbol indeed.

Humour - Making Advertising Enjoyable

During my time in Ireland, I noticed a lot of humorous advertisements in magazines, commercials, and on the radio. I found a very common link between Irish advertising and American advertising in the sense that humor is a very successful way to get the consumer's attention. In the United States, we see a lot of humor in beer commercials and other high profile companies, especially during the Super Bowl. It's almost as if there is a competition as to who has the better commercial. Here's a link to one of last year's examples (one of my favorites).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0

In this commercial you can see the humor in the little kid being surprised by the trick that the father is secretly playing on him. It's enjoyable and allows the viewer to remember it, and in doing so, hopefully the brand too.

In Ireland, there were similar commercials that do the same thing. Here is an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3cL8GGu0EU

In this ad, you are to be thinking the group is cheering for the soccer team, but the surprise shows that it's just the TV installation man. Just like the US ad, the humor in this one makes the audience remember the commercial, and even the product it is advertising.

Many advertisements use humor, not just in the US and Ireland, for this very reason. It is effective! Also, with low UAI cultures, there is less need for detail or resources to show how good the product is, a simple advertisement mentioning the name and associating it with some quality humor does just as well in promoting the product. In my opinion, I saw far more humor while in Ireland. I don't know if it is because the Irish accent in general makes everything funnier to me, I don't know why, or if it's because their culture has value and needs in humor. In Ireland's history, there was a lot of economic troubles and civil unrest. People worked extremely hard. For this reason humor may indeed have found its way into the culture to lighten the hardships they faced. It wasn't just in advertisements where I saw humor either. There were so many characters I met along the way who carried a humorous tone. When a culture values such things, they are apparent in many aspects of their life, advertising being one example.

Product Categories - Culture Driven or Product Driven?

Very similar to my last post, I would like to take a look at some product categories and see if ther are similarities among cultures in the advertisements. Are they culture driven or product driven?

Here are two ads for 3 different countries. I will examine two separate product categories for analysis.

Cars

USA > http://www.youtube.com/user/thanasiskaplanis?feature=results_main

France > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5BPhQ-xkek

Canada > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72t0uld3XyE

In the USA ad, it is showing effinciency and the high quality of the product, also the price. France however shows a more humorous crack at the features of the car. And the last commercial which Canada used, was a bit odd, but it focused on the body and how it fits you better than other cars. These ads show that the actual product is important, but the means of selling it are different. Therefore, from these ads, I am given the impression that culture drives the advertising, not the product. People are different in understanding and wanting and needing. The culture they are raised in is what they are comfortable with, therefore car companies take notice and use this towards theri advantage in ads.

Beer

USA > http://www.youtube.com/user/redstripebeer?v=dUWkaP2coEQ

Spain > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BrgBEl6raw

Germany > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI3OBtiwRRk

In these ads, there is a very similar aspect as in the cars. The product is beer. In each ad, there are different means of advertising. The US ad for example and German example use humor whereas the Spanish ad uses two NBA basketball players, who happen to be brothers. There is a feeling of togetherness and quality coming from that ad, whereas from the humourous ads, it is a sense of masculinity and independence.

As we can see, advertising is not simply product driven. Yes, while some products may be universally the same, the means of getting people to consume them is different. As explained in my previous post, different cultures around the world make way for different environments, which create different needs for everyone. With different needs, companies need to focus on specifying ads to fit the cultures so that they can make sure they are reaching and making an impact on the consumers. Therefore, my conclusion is that product remain culture drive across the board of product categories throughout different countries.

Needs Across the World, One Product at a Time

What I want to look at with this blog post is if the needs that are seen in one product advertisement in on e country, are the same throughout others. For this case I am going to choose McDonald's, a worldwide brand. So to begin, below are a few links from different countries.

USA > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf_f1FWaJug

Ireland > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMP-QFpfJ7M

Japan > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UKLncvGxQ8

Germany > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3yAHwd5Ucc

France > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d28qj2h_uVk

Each of these ads have commonalities in their needs. The one main focus I found in each of these, except Japan, is that people were surrounded by others, mostly family members or a significant other. This shows that most of the ads showed that McDonald's provides a means for the need of inclusion and togetherness. Japan, who doesn't do this, is mainly because the ad that I chose is made for a different purpose, I could not find one online for what I was looking for, but I'm sure they're out there.

Another need that a lot of them showed, specifically the US, Ireland, and Japan was pricing. Affordable prices being shown in advertisements is a very big thing in some countries. Those with different UAI levels may or may not need the extra information to drag them in, others just use it as a selling point.

Another thing I notice was in humor. Each of these ads, though at different levels, all used different forms of humor to get the advertising across. The US, Ireland, and France with it irony, Germany with its humor in continuing a joke that was common throughout the commercial, and Japan with the way the original Ronald McDonald was being changed into a more modern figure (though it may not truly be focusing on humor, it is there). Though at different levels, humor is used in advertising throughout the world. Needs for happiness and enjoyment are expected.

As you can see in the advertisements, there are certain needs that can be common among different countries and their advertisements. However, there is never going to be a complete commonality throughout the entire world because we all have different needs due to our different cultures. Take the Hofsteded Dimensions for example. It specifically shows us that we all have different levels of cultural dimensions, therefore what we need is going to vary depending on where we come from. Also, different countries have different needs mainly because of where they are in the world. Someone in a masculine culture such as the US will have preference for beer whereas someone from a feminine society like Sweden would prefer something like whiskey or wine. While some ads may show commonalities, there will always be certain differences among products and advertising.

Personality of Me...and Beer

When looking to describe personality, one of the best ways to do so is through the Five-Factor Model. This model consists of five factors labeled neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Those who are have high neuroticism tend to experience emotional instability, anxiety, moodiness, irritability, and sadness. Extraversion is a trait includes characteristics such as excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness and high amounts of emotional expressiveness. Openness to experience has characteristics such as imagination and insight, and those high in this trait also tend to have a broad range of interests. Agreeableness includes attributes such as trust, altruism, kindness, affection, and other prosocial behaviors. And last but not least, conscientiousness includes high levels of thoughtfulness, with good impulse control and goal-directed behaviors. Those high in conscientiousness tend to be organized and mindful of details.

When looking at my own personality I can gladly say I am emotionally stable. I do not get upset easily and it takes quite a lot to get me emotionally upset. In terms of extraversion, I would say that I am more introvert than extrovert, simply because if I am in a situation with people I don't know, I tend to be a little shy and don't become the "life of the party" so to say. However, I'm not socially awkward that being said. I do like smaller groups of friends, but on the other hand I don't mind large groups at other times. I am very open to new experiences, I enjoy experiencing things I never have before. I am agreeable simply in the fact that I tend to get along with almost everyone I meet. I think communication is easier with cooperation between two parties, so it helps being agreeable. I am a very conscientious person mainly in the fact that I like to have things planned out in advance. I like knowing what will be going on ahead of time rather than "winging it" and wasting my time.

When looking at brands, they are categorized under different categories. They are analyzed under the Five Brand Personalities. These five personalities include sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness. Sincerity includes traits of being down-to-earth, honest, wholesome, and cheerful. Excitement features characteristics of being daring, spirit, imagination, and being on the cutting edge. Competence is interpreted as reliable, intelligent, and successful. Sophistication has traits of charm and being higher class. The last dimension is ruggedness, which is when a brand is characterized as rough, tough, outdoorsy and athletic.

A good way for me to explain this concept is for me to compare two different brands. For this, we will discuss something that was very prevalent in Ireland: beer. The two brands that I will talk about is one that I saw a lot of in Ireland, Guinness, and one that can be found in the U.S., Sam Adams. Guinness is certainly sincere, it is a very honest brand that has been around for a long time. Everyone knows it, its distinguished and people drink it around one another to enjoy it, providing a very down-to-earth and cheerful experience. I would say that has excitement because it is basically the spirit of Ireland, there is a lot of pride in it and the advertisements for it are always making be at the top of its game in Ireland. It is very competent. As I said before, it has been around as one of Ireland's top beverages for a long time, so there is definitely reliability and success there. I wouldn't say it is sophisticated because it is a beer that all classes can enjoy. It's everyone's beer. The only ruggedness that Guinness has is that its name is old and it has the history of being every man's beer in Ireland. The Irish themselves are pretty rugged people, therefore I would say there's definitely an element of ruggedness to it.



For Sam Adams, there are very similar traits. It is sincere because its reputation has created a transparency with its maker and the consumers. Sam Adams is definitely on the cutting edge. There's many flavors, the company is always going the extra mile, and the spirit of the whole "Boston" feel is there with it. It is competent due to its innovation and success alone. It is very reliable in taste and product as well. There is not a very strong level of sophistication with Sam Adams either because, like Guinness, it is made for the everyday man. It is not very high-class, though it can be enjoyed by all. There is definitely a level of ruggedness because Sam Adams has a certain history to it that relates itself to Boston and the ruggedness of the city and its people. It's not athletic or outdoorsy, but it is very masculine and certainly has a level of ruggedness to it.

Value Structure Map

While looking for advertisements, I found an American commercial for Miller Light and an Irish commercial for Guinness. With each of these advertisements I have created a value map to show how a certain group of people perceive or think about the brand and its product. First off, let me give you the link to the commercials:

Miller Light > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUJ36nFdOyg

Guinness > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX_IfxPg8Aw

Below are the Value Structure Maps:



After viewing the ads, I noticed that in the American ad for the Miller Light beer, there was more of a focus on falling out of the stereotype of a light beer and showing that it can be a drink for all people, even masculine men. Normally, other beer companies or the social expectation of beer drinkers try to say that light beers aren't like real beers. However, Miller Light has continued to separate itself from these characteristics and market itself as a top selling beer in the market. This beer is not really top of the line, but the way it is marketed proves that it can cross barriers into becoming a socially acceptable, less filling, enjoyable beer.

With the Guinness beer commercial, there is a focus on being different, being the bigger man. With the ad showing a man going across the world to apologize, Guinness shows its ability to have class all while staying true to its traditional market. It's different, pleasing, enjoyable, and creates friendship and good times. Overall the enjoyment is what makes everything better.

In both of these advertisements, there are similar Hofstede's dimensions, such as low UAI and masculinity, also a low PDI. This is of course because of the similar scores the two countries share. The messages are essentially the same: everyone can enjoy the product and it makes you enjoy the moment and feel better about yourself. I believe that Hofstede's dimensions are the reason why they are so similar; the markets and cultures are very similar.



Magazine Advertising

          While I was over in Ireland, I made sure to purchase a magazine, not only for entertainment purposes for the long flight, but to also see if I could get a feel for how the Irish advertise and see how they are similar or different to how the U.S. advertises. The magazine I purchased in Ireland was a sports magazine about Emerald Rugby, and the U.S. magazine I used to compare it with was an American sports magazine, Sports Illustrated. It just so happened that both of these magazines were celebrating the championships of two teams. Pictures of the magazines are below:

Irish Advertisements

Each of these three advertisements came from the Emerald Rugby Magazine. They all carry the same values of standing out and being above the competition. The first ad is from Heineken and can be found on the back cover of the magazine. It says "back to back success"" with two beers back to back. It is obviously talking about the Leinster team for their back to back success in championships, but the double entendre makes Heineken seem like the best choice. It values success above its competition. The second ad is similar when it comes to values as "the best". As one can see in the big print, it says that Bus Eireann is "Ireland's Biggest", hinting to consumers that it's better than all of the rest in size, customer base, and overall success. Its values include success, standing out, and being the better and bigger business in the market. The third ad is for a Tommy Hilfiger wristwatch. It say almost nothing in the ad, but from the picture you can sense a cool type of style that is desirable to men who want to look good while wearing a watch. Being a masculine culture, it is easy to see the masculinity in these ads. They are all promoting the biggest and the best and top notch of the business and their products. The low UAI is also seen in each of these because there's not to much information or explanation going on in the ads. There's no need for fact or reasoning to back up the opinions, the Irish culture tends to embrace it.  Hofstede's other dimension of cultural individuality is also present in the ads, for they each try to separate themselves from the competition. Heineken is the best in success, Bus Eireann is the biggest in Ireland, and Tommy Hilfiger is the best looking and most stylish out of all other designers. They actually are all very similar to the U.S. ads as you will come to find out shortly.

U.S. Advertisements

 These three ads are from the Sports Illustrated Bruins Stanley Cup Championship Edition. Each have similar elements to those of the Irish, seeing as though Ireland and the U.S. do share some cultural similarities. The first ad is for John Hancock Insurance. It is portraying the values of a championship. "sweat, blood, tears, and champagne". All elements of winning and being the best. It is a congratulatory advertisement to the Boston Bruins, however, by expressing the affiliation with the world champion team, the insurance company is connected with top notch success and being the best of the best, or at least partners with them. It is success by association. The second ad is for Geico insurance. It is also advertising based on sports. This one is about golf. Having a perfect swing is hard to do, but getting good insurance isn't. The speed and quality you can get insurance is what's being advertised. great quality that can help you shows Geico being better than something that is difficult, such as signing up with other companies. The values in this ad are superiority and quality assurance. The third ad is from Reebok. Much like the first ad, it is making an affiliation in a congratulatory ad. The affiliation gains Reebok the credibility of success being a sponsor, therefore them and their product is superior to others. Each ad shows off the Hofstede dimensions as well. The U.S. scores as individualist on the IDV category, meaning people don't tend to collectively identify with others outside of immediate family (however it can be different in some situations). This being said, in each ad, one can see that each company separates itself form the competition. there's no collectivism going on. In the MAS category, the U.S. is masculine much like Ireland. This can be seen in the advertisements through it's "blood sweat and tears" and their attributes pertaining to being better than the competition. Like Ireland, the U.S. also has low UAI, so they don't need to much explanation or reasoning behind what they are presented with. They will embrace it for what it is. The last thing I would like to discuss in the Hofstede Dimensions for the U.S. is long-term/ short-term orientation. The U.S. has short- term orientation and this can be seen specifically in the Geico ad when it says it only takes 15 minutes to save on the car insurance. Doing it now rather than later is a perfect example for short-term orientation.

The reason I believe these magazines are so similar are not only because they are both sports magazines and will be read mostly by males of the same market group, but the fact that both countries are very similar in terms of Hofstede's cultural dimensions. The same cultural values and personalities can easily explain why the ads are virtually very similar.

China Advertisement

I am going to also throw China in on this to make the advertising spectrum a little more diverse. This is a Chinese advertisement is for the Beijing Olympics back in 2002. There are a few connections that I can make with this based upon the Hofstede dimensions. The first connection I can make is with is the MAS category. China scores a 66 in this, meaning they focus on masculinity in their advertisements. This can be found in this advertisement with all of the athletes on the pages. They are the best of the best, and even though I can't read what's on the ad, I know it is about watching the Olympics and seeing all of the world's finest athletes compete in the world's biggest tradition of excellence. The next category is UAI. Like Ireland and the U.S., China also has a low UAI, therefore there is no need for too much information on the ads to explain what is going on or what the product being sold is. In this case, the consumers will see the ad and embrace the idea of watching the Olympics, a fine and traditional competition. The only connection I can make with LTO, which China is very high in, is that the glory in victory that China may get from the Olympics is certainly long term for the Chinese and their pride. Therefore, this ad presents a feeling of glory that comes along with the Olympics and the Chinese will want to keep that with them for the long run.

Analyzing Irish Advertisements - Hofstede Dimensions

          For each of the following advertisements, I have connected one to each of the different Hofstede dimensions. All of these advertisements were found while traveling in Ireland, and I must say, it was an excellent experience to see the similarities and differences we have in advertising (but that's a whole other discussion).

Power Distance (PDI) - 28

With a very low score on the PDI scale, Ireland is seen as a low power distance culture. This means there is no real hierarchical distance between the people of Ireland in the culture. Everyone treats each other as equals for the most part. Elders or the wealthy aren't held to a higher regard as would a high PDI culture. I believe that this advertisement which is found at the Jameson Distillery in Dublin shows this relationship well because in the ad we see that Jameson Whiskey has stated that "most people", meaning common people, prefer their whiskey. It's the average person who enjoys the consumption, therefore everyone in the culture can connect with it and automatically identify. The fact that the average people like it shows that there is no real distinction being made, it's not meant for the rich or the poor, the young or the old; it's simply meant for everyone. This is a perfect example of a low PDI culture.


Individualism/Collectivism (IDV) -70

Ireland's IDV score comes in at a 70, meaning it is an individualistic society. There is a common conception of people looking after themselves and their immediate family only with individualistic societies. There is no need to feel a sense of belonging to a group or identify with others outside of their immediate family. When looking at this advertisement I saw in a mall, you can see why it may be a bit confusing, based on this advertisement for the Samsung Galaxy phone, that Ireland is highly individualistic. The ad identifies a group of people that would identify themselves with one another: the "fans", most likely of soccer or Rugby (I can't quite make out the jersey and I'm not too familiar with their sports, but you can tell it's a sports team). This identification being made in the advertisement seems to go against what Hofstede's dimensions tells us about Ireland. Then again, there's always different methods of marketing and advertising that may not always agree with the limits of certain textbook assumptions. While Ireland may be mostly individualistic, which for the most part is true in the culture, there is certainly an identification with groups, especially when it comes to sports teams and Ireland's pride and loyalty to their teams.


Masculinity/Femininity (MAS) - 68

Ireland has a masculinity/femininity score of 68, which means it is a masculine culture. In advertising, a masculine culture will have advertisements that are making its product seem like it is showing off for the most part. It will boast things such as being the biggest, the best, the boldest, the one in control. When looking around the Guinness Brewery, I found these advertisements which perfectly fit the mold of Ireland's masculine identity. Guinness is "grand", "number one", "a league of its own". These advertisements show how Guinness is identifying with the masculine tendencies of being the best or the biggest. Showing off does get the attention of the consumers in the culture. These advertisements do confirm the findings of a masculine culture.

Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI) - 35

The score of 35 puts Ireland at low uncertainty avoidance, meaning they embrace difference or change easily. They do not need all of the facts or to seek out the resources or evidence to support an answer or reason. They can "go with the flow" so to say. With this billboard I saw while riding in a taxi in Dublin, I at first had to take a picture for its strangeness. But then as I was looking for an ad that could incorporate the low UAI culture, it works great. In this ad you can see a man about to reveal something. It turns out the ad is for Ladbrokes, a gambling business. However with not much information, it is uncertain at first what it is. A high uncertainty avoidance culture would not identify with this ad because they need information or explanation to fully identify with something. In Ireland and other low uncertainty avoidance cultures, they can enjoy and identify with the ad simply because it is interesting and offers an invite to the business, no matter how different it may seem. They aren't going to dent something attention because it doesn't offer an explanation or resources. This ad is a great example in showing how Ireland in low UAI in advertising, as well as culture.

Long-term Orientation (LTO) - 43

For  Long-term/short-term orientation, I chose the advertisement on a Kit Kat bar that I saw in Dublin at one of the local convenience stores (don't worry I didn't buy it, though I was tempted). At first I just took the picture because I was interested in the small difference in design they have from the U.S., but as this assignment cam about, there was perfect use for it. In the LTO dimension, Ireland scores a 43, meaning there it is a short-term orientation culture. Short-term orientation has more of the living in the moment mindset. You want to act now or do have something now rather than later as to not waste time or wait until tomorrow. This advertisement telling the consumer they can win instantly shows that short-term orientation that Ireland is part of. This "do it now, have it now"  advertising appeals to the short-term orientation cultures because they are not thinking in terms of longevity or down the road. It is in the moment and ready for the taking. This is a great example of how Ireland has the short-term orientation culture. Who knew a candy bar could teach you something?

High Value Brands

          After taking a look at Interbrand's website (http://www.interbrand.com/en/best-global-brands/best-global-brands-200 8/best-global-brands-2011.aspx) I got to become familiar with some of the top brands around the world. When looking them over, I was able to make many connections that have been taught throughout class, specifically surrounding Hofstede's Dimensions.
          When a company is successful, that means the consumers have value in what it provides, either a service or product. According to De Mooji, Values are defined as "broad tendencies to prefer a certain state of affairs over others". What Interbrand does is show us, as well as helps consult other companies, the value of the world's top companies. If I were to have first looked at these companies a few months ago, I wouldn't have really thought much about how or why they have been so successfully globally, but now after learning about the many elements in value, I can make those connections. To more fully understand some observations, let's take a few companies for example.
          The first and most successful company I would like to talk about is Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola has been around and on top of the charts for so long because of it's ability to adapt globally to cultural dimensions. Being an American company, you would think that it would only incorporate those principles in their advertising and business strategies. However, what has made them so successful is that they cover many different cultural ranges simply by adapting to the dimensions of that country or group of people. For example, Coca-Cola has recently partnered up with the Olympics in a recent promotion that can reach the more masculine cultures who have value in strength, competition and the likes. To reach a feminine culture, coke gears its advertising strategies towards"Open Happiness" campaign. This campaign focuses on happiness, helping reward consumers, and overall caring; all feminine values. Coke does such a great job at adapting worldwide there is no wonder why it is so successful.
          Another company I can look at comes in at #25 on Interbrand's list: Nike. Nike can adapt to many of its cultural markets simply because it has two ways it can be looked at. Nike has been around as the top sporting goods company for quite some time, delivering quality and top of the line products. People can trust these products and can do so simply due to its history of success. Those with high uncertainty avoidance will be able to connect with Nike because of its ability to stay true to the original basic idea of comfortable quality athletic gear. While they may hold off on trying the newer products, they can always trust the simple, more original styles. Those in low uncertainty avoidance cultures will gladly accept Nike and their new innovative products. They don't mind change and embrace it. The best part about Nike is that the company never truly has changed from its original, there's no dramatic change ever since its establishment. However, there is constant improvement so that both high and low UAI cultures can feel comfortable and accept it.
          As you can see, the Interbrand site does help me understand more with its descriptions and rankings of each of the most successful companies around the world. It is definitely useful to anyone looking to understand or develop what it takes to be a successful business. With the lessons I have learned thus far in the class, I certainly can use it to connect more. Each set of values can be easily understood thanks to its unique site.

Value Paradox

          A paradox is a statement that seems contradictory, but in actually is true. Therefore, when we talk about value paradoxes, it is a value that seems like it is contradicting itself in a society, but in reality it is present. It's much like saying we should be healthy because we don't want to be fat, but in reality we will indulge in junk food and we get fat. As de Mooji states in the book Global Marketing and Advertising,

"Value paradoxes reflect the contradictory and meaningful things in life. A value paradox reflects a dilemma. It includes choice, preferring the thing one ought to do over what one wants to do or the other way around. Value paradoxes reflect people's motives and include the elements that trigger people's feelings and emotions, and thus they are used in marketing and advertising."

Value paradoxes are different in every culture. It's effectiveness varies in marketing and advertising as the cultural systems change.
          An example of a value paradox that can be found in the U.S. is our value of equality. America values equality and the fair treatment of each other, however, in reality, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow wider. There's also the example of the freedom-belonging paradox as mentioned in the book. Americans value very much the ability to be individual and be able to do things independently from others (it's basically what the country was built on), however there is always that sense of need to belong and be included. You get lonely if you don't belong. This is a paradox because there is the need to be separated, but there is also a need for belonging as well.
          One product that I can think of as an example of value paradox in the U.S. (as well as internationally) is Facebook. Facebook and other social media sites are created so that people can express their thoughts and feelings freely to friends, family, and other connections they make on the internet. This value of freedom of speech or expression of individuality is a large part of people's lives today. This value of free expression is a paradox value because, although one may be able to express whatever they want, or so they may think, there is the ability for others to "flag" or report comments, delete pictures, basically one can take down or get rid of something by complaining about it to have it taken down if it is offensive or not appropriate. People can also delete or block people as well, so one can't truly express to everyone. However a lot of these restrictions are used for safety as well, so they're not all bad.

Example of Facebook's specifications for restrictions

          Ireland also has it's fair share of value paradoxes in its advertisements and products as well. Take Guinness for example. The famous slogans for Guinness are based around Guinness being good for you. Now Guinness may in fact have good qualities to it and has traditionally been a common cure for many "ailments", however, the facts may not be as actual as they make it seem. The value of "good for you" is not as present when you think of the effects beer has on the body. Sure every now and then a beer can be nice for you, but if you drink too much, there are lots of calories in the beer so you will gain weight and alcohol can be harmful to the liver and other arts of the body if you abuse it. The paradox behind Guinness is that although it may be "good for health", one has to be careful and responsible with consumption because alcohol can be a harmful thing.

Guinness advertisement from the Guinness brewery in Dublin, Ireland. Expresses the "good for you" value.

          Value paradoxes are present in all cultures. As they spread through different cultures, they will not hold the same meanings or contexts, so one must be careful when looking at the audience and consumers to advertise and market to. As for value paradoxes, there will always be another side to the value that is at hand.

Survey - What am I, a monochrone or polychron?

          I recently took a survey for class that helped me judge whether or not I could be categorized as a monochron or a polychron when it comes to completing tasks and making business decisions. Not only did I not know what these were before taking the survey, but I had no clue there were separate levels of each.
          The survey began by asking questions that one could rate on a scale whether or not they leaned more towards one answer or the other, or even if they felt neutral by rating it in the middle. Once completed answering the questions, which mainly asked about preferences for decision making, how one likes the business setting, how one works with teams, managing styles, etc..., the answers were added up and a score was given. I found out that I had been given a score of 54, meaning I was in the moderately monochronic rage. To my surprise, it was right on point. I'll insert for you the description:

"These individuals demonstrate an organized approach to projects and are committed to their completion on time. They ultimately prioritize the successful completion of projects, and tend to address tasks in an analytical and information-oriented manner. These individuals tend to prefer an isolated and uninterrupted work environment; social interaction has its appropriate time and place. Their significant communications are usually to the point, logical and written. Though group input is an important element in these individuals’ decision-making process, they ultimately rely on personal judgment to make important final decisions."

In my opinion, this description is accurate because I do encapsulate most of these attributes. I do like to be organized when starting projects so that it can come out effective and making sense. I make sure that it is completed on time, if not sooner. I try to analyze everything that needs to be in order to complete a tasks and make sure all of the information I need is there, Whether it be in a research report or a simple task. The only thing that is debatable in this description is when it comes to interruptions and communication. As a visual learner, I like to have others around me to help explain things if I don't immediately understand it, especially if it's a verbal instruction or assignment. I do have to have it written down, but when giving information or directing people, I do not need to have it written down. Once I look at the tasks and understand it, I can communicate verbally just as effectively. Therefore, I do not mind being interrupted when working because usually talking with others and having explanations helps me understand the tasks better and more efficiently complete them. Going off of this, I do like having group input because others do make good points, but when it comes to being a manager, I believe they need to be able to make final decisions based on what is needed and not necessarily what someone else says could help. It is their job to make sure the right things are being done to complete tasks. Yes, group input can make the decisions easier, but it's not always the best one. They have the experience and knowledge to make the right decisions.
          I am very surprised at how accurate this survey was in pinpointing my business style. I think that it is important for people to understand their styles so that they can more effectively and efficiently learn how to work with others, or themselves, to complete tasks, make decisions, and run successful business practices.