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Cultural Differences and Advertising Expression of American and Japanese Television Commercials

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Cultural Differences and Advertising Expression of American and Japanese Television Commercials
All television commercials strive to promote and sell products or services. Yet, how they go about reaching audiences is quite different from place to place. Compare and contrast American and Japanese television commercials to show how their different cultures shape the ads.

Cultural Differences and Advertising Expression of American and Japanese Television Commercials

The television commercial is a form of communication that companies intend to attract attention of audiences and persuade them to purchase their products, and there are enormous variations of strategies for promotion. American and Japanese television commercials both strive to promote products or services; nevertheless, there are overwhelming empirical evidences through their ways of promotions: Japanese commercials use the traditional appeals of group, consensus and soft-cell with social strategies which collate with collectivistic and high-context culture, while American advertisers utilize images of individuality and independence, hard-sell, youth and modernity with more individualistic strategies that collate with low-context culture. Commercial messages through American and Japanese advertisements reflect cultural values of each.

Japanese commercials are less informative than American counterparts, and American advertisements offer more facts and attributes to showcase product superiority while Japanese advertisements reveal an indulgence with sensitive crafting of product image and appearance slated within a subtle frame of references.

High-context cultures are characterized by extensive information networks among family, friends, associates, and even clients. Their relationships are close and personal. They keep well informed about the people who are important in their lives. This extensive background knowledge is automatically brought to bear in giving meanings to events and communications. Nothing that happens to them can be described as an isolated event; everything is connected

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