Hofstedes Index

Country                            GVI/Cap               PDI         IDV         MAS      UAI

United States                    34,870                   40           91           62           46

Ireland                              23,060                   28           70           68           35

France                              22,690                   68           71           43           86

To start off, France is almost double the United States and is more than double Ireland in the Power Distribution Index. This means that the French are highly dependent on authority such as a manager or a boss and rarely criticize or critique them. On the other hand the United States is almost average in this category; however Ireland has a low PDI meaning they don’t rely on authority and communicate freely between their mangers and bosses.

In the Individuality index, Ireland and France are sitting the same at about 70, whereas the United States have a high score of 91. This means that people in the United States have loose ties to each other, enjoy making their own decisions and try to form their own identity. France and Ireland also have high scores proving they too show this trait, however it is the strongest in the United States.

The third Category is masculinity index. In this category the United States and Ireland stand just above average, leaning more towards masculine behaviors  meaning there are clear gender roles for men and women. Men tend to be tough, aggressive, competitive, and assertive. High MAS also means that the country puts more importance on economics than the environment. It is shown near the middle I presume because both Ireland and the United States are making strong recent pushes to ‘Go Green’ and recycle. The French on the other hand have low MAS, meaning they promote emotional relationships between members, and open displays of emotion, harmony and cooperation. In a country with low MAS people are more likely to be modest, honest, and not over-exaggerate themselves.

Finally there is the Uncertainty Avoidance Index which shows the amount that people prefer to be governed by rules, laws, and standard operating procedures, and accept uncertainty or ambiguity. In this category, the three countries vary in results. Again, Ireland and America being similar at 35 and 46 respectfully meaning that they are more relaxed and don’t tend to worry as much when things go wrong such as things starting early or running late. Ireland has a lower UAI than America and it was clear to see when visiting that people there are full of patients and are very nice open and inviting people. France on the other hand has a very high UAI at 86. Having a high UAI means that they prefer to have things well planned, ordered and run on time. They also believe that life should be governed by rules and laws, thus removing uncertainty. Now the United States certainly has rules and laws which is why they still have a 46 rating, however a lot of the rules can be bent or vary from state to state, therefore people are less likely to follow them without strict consequences. 

Coca cola website US vs Ireland

The coca cola website for the United States has a URL with a .com at the end where as the Irelamd version has a .ie. after visiting both websites items there were a few key differences that I noticed almost instantly. The Irish version was a lot more packed with links and information about the product such as brands, slogans, facts, Enviromental facts and a recyclometer. They also had a few brands that the US version didnt have such as Kia Ora and 5 Alive. another difference is that they have a picture of the Olympic touch on their website and make reference to the upcoming Olympic games in London. Other differences I noted where that the Irish website clearly advertises in euros where as the US itwould be dollars, and finally the irish sell bottles in mililiters versus ounces. On the contrary the US version is very simplistic with the there major types, coke, diet coke and coke zero, along with their traditional polar bears. These differences can be accredidited to the differences in cultures and values of both countries. To start the US is very accustomed to coca cola and it's products since it was born in America and it is a distinct part of our culture. Therefore there is little need to make and extensive homepage because there is a great product awareness, almost every American can tell you the different brands of coke simply from going out to a restaurant. However the Irish version hasto appeal to the people more since it is not as strong tied into their culture. As a result their website has recycling; which is very big there. It also touches on the upcoming olympics which is a very inticipated event. Both websites relate to their unique people's cultures and try to win over the consumer by relating to themona personal level.

The first advertisement I noted was an M&M advertisement. It had the traditional red and yellow M&M'S dressed as Irishmen holding a soccer ball saying "put M under pressure, score lots of great prizes." This ad was designed for the upcoming Euro2012 on Sunday June 10th vs Croatia. This ad is attempting to appeal to Ireland's culture and values by promoting through soccer. Euro2012 will supposedly be huge on Sunday because they haven't qualified in over two decades.

This strays from M&M's usuall approach of showing the two different colors getting looked at by hungry eyes either in a club, bar, grocery store, or other location? They chose to vary the apperemce of their icons I order to appeal to the upcoming event that all of Ireland is going crazy for. The company is attempting to get the support of the consumer by showing support for something the consumer is really pashonate for.

Hey everyone! My name is Billy Hahn and I am a senior account major about to partake in a study abroad trip in Ireland. I'm really excited about it because I have never been to Europe before. I've had a little experience with other cultures in the past when I traveled to Mexico and Canada. While abroad I will be noting the difference in advertisements from the US, in techniques, celebrities, and targets.