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Cultural values reflected in corporate pages on popular social network sites in China and the United States

Cultural values reflected in corporate pages on popular social network sites in China and the... Purpose – Social network sites (SNSs) have been recognized as an important marketing communication tool for marketers to connect with today's internet‐savvy consumers. At the same time, the popularity of SNSs has become a worldwide phenomenon with the rise of many local SNSs. The purpose of this paper is to examine cultural differences in the use of communication appeals on corporate pages of leading SNSs in two culturally distinct countries, China and the USA. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a content analysis to identify cultural orientations observed in communication appeals of the corporate pages on leading SNSs in China (Renren) and the USA (Facebook). Findings – Appeals to interdependence, popularity, high social status, luxury, emotions, and symbolic association are more frequently used in societies with a more collectivistic, greater power distance, and high‐context culture such as in China; whereas appeals to individuality and hedonism are more frequently used in an individualistic society like the USA. Overall, findings indicate that communication appeals on SNSs reflect the dominant cultural values in each country. Originality/value – Despite the numerous hypes and speculations regarding the effectiveness of SNSs as a marketing tool, few studies have explored how marketers use SNSs to interact with consumers. Findings based on this study advance our understanding of marketing communications on social media from a cross‐cultural perspective. The paper provides new evidence indicating that global marketers should adapt their communication strategies and styles when communicating with consumers in different societies on SNSs. The authors also provide guidelines for the localization attempts. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing Emerald Publishing

Cultural values reflected in corporate pages on popular social network sites in China and the United States

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References (48)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
2040-7122
DOI
10.1108/17505931211241369
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – Social network sites (SNSs) have been recognized as an important marketing communication tool for marketers to connect with today's internet‐savvy consumers. At the same time, the popularity of SNSs has become a worldwide phenomenon with the rise of many local SNSs. The purpose of this paper is to examine cultural differences in the use of communication appeals on corporate pages of leading SNSs in two culturally distinct countries, China and the USA. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a content analysis to identify cultural orientations observed in communication appeals of the corporate pages on leading SNSs in China (Renren) and the USA (Facebook). Findings – Appeals to interdependence, popularity, high social status, luxury, emotions, and symbolic association are more frequently used in societies with a more collectivistic, greater power distance, and high‐context culture such as in China; whereas appeals to individuality and hedonism are more frequently used in an individualistic society like the USA. Overall, findings indicate that communication appeals on SNSs reflect the dominant cultural values in each country. Originality/value – Despite the numerous hypes and speculations regarding the effectiveness of SNSs as a marketing tool, few studies have explored how marketers use SNSs to interact with consumers. Findings based on this study advance our understanding of marketing communications on social media from a cross‐cultural perspective. The paper provides new evidence indicating that global marketers should adapt their communication strategies and styles when communicating with consumers in different societies on SNSs. The authors also provide guidelines for the localization attempts.

Journal

Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing – Emerald Publishing

Published: Mar 23, 2012

Keywords: China; United States of America; Social networking sites; Marketing communications; Cultural differences; Cross‐cultural comparison

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