How do distinct cultural values align with: - consumer perceptions of brands? - brand positioning? - purchasing path in Japan? - the sale of life insurance? - adoption of innovative products? This presentation is based on: de Mooij, Marieke and Hofstede, Geert “Cross-Cultural Consumer Behavior: A Review of Research Findings” in Journal of International Consumer Marketing 23:181–192 (2011)

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Culture and Consumer Insights
Based on an Article by Mooij and
Hofstede

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Premise: Culture and Consumption
Differences
“When countries converge with respect to
GNI/capita, consumption differences often
can only be explained by cultural
variables.”
(SOURCE: de Mooij and Hofstede 2011: 189)

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Culture and Insights about Consumer
Preferences
• How do distinct cultural values align
with:
– consumer perceptions of brands?
– brand positioning?
– purchasing path in Japan?
– the sale of life insurance?
– adoption of innovative products?

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Hofstede’s Framework as a Model of
Culture
• This presentation references Hofstede’s
dimensions.
• For an introduction to Hofstede’s
framework, see ITAP PowerPoints on
SlideShare, or read pp. 182-3 of the
article which is the basis of this
presentation. See source on the next
slide.

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The Article that is the Basis of this
Presentation
de Mooij, Marieke and Hofstede, Geert
“Cross-Cultural Consumer Behavior: A Review of
Research Findings” in Journal of International
Consumer Marketing 23:181–192 (2011)
Link to the article: www.mariekedemooij.com/articles/
demooij_2011_int_journal_cons_marketing.pdf

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Insights #1: Culture and Consumer
Perceptions of Brands
Projecting their own personality
preferences, a global brand is labeled:
• “Prestigious” in high power distance
cultures
• “Trustworthy” in high uncertainty
avoidance cultures.
(SOURCE: de Mooij and Hofstede 2011: 184-185)

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Insight #2: Brand Positioning (p. 186)
“In individualistic cultures, brands have to
be unique and distinct with consistent
characteristics, whereas in collectivistic
cultures the brand should be viewed as
being part of a larger whole, a product of
a trusted company.”
(SOURCE: de Mooij and Hofstede 2011: 186)

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Insight #3: Purchasing Path in Japan
“The purpose of Japanese advertising is
to please the consumer and to build
amae (‘dependency’), and this is done by
the indirect approach. As a result, ‘feel’ is
the initial response of the Japanese
consumer, after which action is taken: a
visit to the shop to purchase the product.
Only after this comes knowledge.”
(SOURCE: de Mooij and Hofstede 2011: 188)

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Insight #4: The Sale of Life Insurance
“More life insurance policies, for example,
are sold in individualistic cultures than in
collectivistic cultures. In the former,
should one die early, one cannot count on
family to support one’s dependents.”
(SOURCE: de Mooij and Hofstede 2011: 189)

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Insight #5: Adoption of Innovative
Products
Combined % of Innovators and Early
Adopters:
23.8% UK
16.8% Germany 13.4% Italy
15.1% France 8.9% Spain
These percentages correlate with
tolerance for ambiguity and individualism.
(SOURCE: de Mooij and Hofstede 2011: 189)

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Catherine Mercer Bing
CEO, ITAP International, Inc.
cbing@itapintl.com
ITAP International, Inc.
353 Nassau Street, First Floor
Princeton, NJ 08540 USA
(W) 1.215.860.5640
(M) 1.609.937.1557
http://www.itapintl.com
…thank you…
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