Culturally responsive marketing strategies and implementation

Culturally Responsive Marketing

It could be stated that culture is what differentiates people from animals, in the sense that culture consists in a set of values and norms which guide our behaviour, helping us to control our instincts. It is obvious that the cultural paradigm in which one lives will play a major influence upon his tastes and preferences. This is something that all the companies should have in mind when conceiving marketing techniques.

While it is true that customers invest their money in various objects and services in order to benefit from the intrinsic characteristics of these items, it is just as true that the psychological traits through which the acquired item responds to the psychological needs of the buyer are even more important. In fact, a company offering a similar product with that provided by its competition can obtain a strategic advantage by creating an attractive brand identity.

It is very important to realize that not every body sees things in the same manner. The historical background and the cultural one influence the perception of the surrounding reality. What is good and appealing in a certain cultural space may be disgusting in another one. A customer-based marketing perspective is one which benefits from a strong understanding of the cultural differences and archetypes. Consumption behaviour differs according to region and country exactly because the cultural perspective has shaped people's mentalities differently. Physical attributes such as size, smell, colour and taste are fundamental criteria for a wide range of products included in the consumers goods category. Psychological attributes such as youth, dynamism, respect, sobriety are other factors which relate to the cultural archetypes that one finds in different cultural environments. another example that could be made in this area regards people's attitude to time. On the one hand there are the ones who are future -oriented and demonstrate a preference for innovation and technological development. On the other hand, there are those who believe that the solid values derive from the past and prefer things with a rather conservative character. A brand selling its products world wide must adapt its PR and promotion tactics to the local specific cultural preference in order to make sure that its message will be properly conveyed and its product sold.

There are of course numerous challenges. The criteria of acceptance is something that a company must identify right from the very beginning. In addition, it must be underlines that within the same society, different social groups may have different perspectives and preferences and therefore, different consumer behaviour. The language is a key factor because it is the main tool which communication uses. A brand name might be meaningful in a country and absurd in another. Slogans must be locally adapted and even the names of the products, the packaging and the advertising. For a company operating worldwide this constitutes a high challenge in the sense that it must maintain synergy while managing to address the different cultural needs with the very same product or service.