High/Low Culture

Masculine/feminine-The idea of this ad is that drinking Guinness makes you stronger. Strength is very much a goal to reach when aiming for masculinity, so Guinness is clearly trying to advertise towards the more masculine audience. According to the Hofstede dimension scores, Ireland is predominantly masculine, so this ad would be effective in Ireland because of its concentration on the masculine side of the culture.

Individualism/collectivism- This ad is supporting collectivism. Social networking is bringing people together to form a group. Therefore, Heineken is encouraging people to come together and apparently has been since 1873. Ireland is very much individualistic; therefore this ad doesn’t really conform to their values.

Power distance- Guinness is trying to advertise to even the lower-income consumers. At only €3.30 a pint, anyone can afford it. They’re trying to increase their pool of consumers by showing that anyone can buy Guinness. Ireland has a low power distance score, so this ad is reflective of their view towards social class.

Long-term orientation- This ad encourages people to eat healthier. They are trying to attract people to their company by advertising that famous, fit people also eat their food. Subway is trying to convey the idea that people will be healthier in the long run if they eat their products. Ireland has a lower long-term orientation score, so this ad doesn’t really reflect the culture very well. Since it’s aiming to encourage people to eat healthier for the long term, it wouldn’t be effective if people don’t have that same point of view.

Uncertainty avoidance- This ad for electric cigarettes is an example of weak uncertainty avoidance because the company doesn’t need to explain itself or provide facts to prove that the product works. Consumers trust the company and have enough information about it already to know that, if they use the product, it will work. Ireland’s uncertainty avoidance score is also low, so this ad works well in this culture, since people don’t require a lot of information and fact to trust that a product works.