This document discusses cultural differences and how understanding culture can help improve communications and business strategies. It introduces Geert Hofstede's model of cultural dimensions that measures differences between cultures in areas like individualism vs collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and long vs short-term orientation. Examples are given comparing cultures like the US, China, and UK. The document advocates understanding a culture from their perspective rather than expecting them to think like your own culture. Applying cultural relevance can help constrain creativity, know audiences better, and develop more effective products and content.

2. Who we are
Jeffrey Foster
Ben Sadler
Strategy and Insights for Wunderman Global Advertising

3. The 95%
THINKING ABOUT HOW THE REST OF THE WORLD
THINKS

4. How many of you
expect to continue to
work with people from
other countries in your
lifetime?

5. How many hope that
goes well?

6. Culture matters

7. What we will talk about
• The roots of culture
• How culture drives behavior
• Ways to measure the differences between
cultures
• How to use this information for fun and profit

8. In-group versus Out-group is biology.
At the very basic level, those in an
In-group can eat and reproduce.
It is a zero-sum game where outsiders
threaten the survival of the In-group
and so are treated with hostility.

9. The role of culture for Human In-Groups
In-groups provide protection in exchange for loyalty
and in humans, a sense of identity.

10. Culture is learned not
inherited

11. Foundations of Culture

12. America has the world’s best known culture.

13. Not to be confused with dominant.
There are more
people living
inside this
circle than
outside of it.

14. In a globalized world,
culture matters more
than ever

15. Because culture affects everything

16. Culture is the foundation for communication.

17. Latin cultures: Black =
Fear, Anger & Grief
Chinese culture: Black =
Powerful & Expensive

18. Anglo culture: White =
Purity & Happiness
Latin cultures: Black = Fear, Anger Grief
Korean culture: White =
Death & Mourning
Chinese culture: Black = Powerful & Expensive

19. In the US, a person standing alone is likely seen an
independent free thinker, on his own path. This is positive.
In Japan, the same image likely conveys being without
support and lonely. This is negative.

20. Cultural relevancy–now matters
Changing
behaviors
Changing
expecta3ons
Changing
loca3ons

21. Measuring the
differences between
cultures

22. About measuring differences
There are a variety of tools
We will talk about an influential
one: Geert Hofstede’s
Dimensions of Culture
There are more

23. Hofstede and the IBM Survey
Geert
Hofstede
analyzed
surveys
from
40,000
IBM
employees
in
70
countries
and
started
to
see
paBerns
in
the
answers
that
were
country
based.
Crea3ng
what
he
calls
Dimensions
of
Culture

24. Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture

25. Power Distance
Low—I am very comfortable with
questioning authority.
High—I embrace hierarchy and
expect that the powerful will be
appropriately responsible.

26. Collectivism versus Individualism
The needs and interests of my group My needs and interests as an
are often my first concern.
individual are my first concern.

27. Feminine/Masculine
Feminine: men and women are equally Masculine: men have power. Women
modest, nurturing, and concerned with normally are modest nurturing and
the needs of others. Power is shared.
concerned with the needs of others.

28. Uncertainty Avoidance
Low—I am comfortable with
uncertainty
High—I strongly prefer certainty.

29. Long-term Orientation
Short-term orientation: daily
revenue from a fast food franchise
Long-term orientation: lifetime
revenue from a walnut grove

30. Restraint versus Indulgence
There are good reasons for
introversion and pessimism.
There are good reasons for
extroversion and optimism.

31. Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture

32. Now an example of
how to use the
dimensions of culture

34. USA by the numbers

35. Dimensions that make Americans American

36. High Individualism: A culture steeped in the narrative of the individual

37. Masculine: America is a culture driven by achievement, progress and winning.

38. Short-Term Orientation: A culture of the stock market and 15 minutes of fame

39. High Indulgence: Happiness is key to the American experience.

40. The American Story in Advertising

41. The American Story in Advertising

42. How the stories can differ
Wait. Predict. Regain confidence.

43. Let’s compare some
other cultures to
American culture

45. In
the
spider
chart,
we
can
compare
the
US
and
China,
and
see
interes3ng
and
telling
differences
and
similari3es.
US:
High
Individualism/Short-­‐
Term
Orienta3on
China:
Collec3vist/Long-­‐Term
Orienta3on
Nearly
iden3cal
Feminine
versus
Masculine
US
China

46. Hofstede China scores as bar chart
Long Term
Orientation
Power
Distance
Individualism
Indulgence

47. Man who defeats oppressors: American version

48. Man who defeats oppressors: Chinese version

49. The American to
Chinese comparison is
far easier than
American to British

50. US
US
and
UK
have
very
similar
cultural
dimensions.
Yet
we
know
there
are
significant
cultural
differences.
Why?
UK

51. For
UK/US
differences
the
World
Value
Survey
is
a
place
to
look.
US
score
on
expressing
compe//veness
is
much
higher.

52. Looking at ourselves from the other’s side
• It is not about us thinking like a person from the
Chinese culture or the UK or any other culture.
• It is about us realizing why we seem different to
them and using that to understand them.
• From that, we can learn to work with them more
effectively.

53. Applying cultural
relevance to your work

54. Constraints push creativity

55. Know your audiences

56. Deliver the right content
Effective
content is
culturally
relevant

57. Develop products from a different perspective

58.
Summary

59. Understanding
the
power
of
the
differences
among
cultures
creates
advantages
for
you
as
a
thinker
and
increases
effec:veness
of
your
work.

60. Open discussion/questions

61. Resources
Hofstede
Websites:
hBp://www.geerthofstede.eu/
hBp://geert-­‐hofstede.com/na3onal-­‐culture.html
World
Value
Survey
Website:
hBp://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/index_html
Our
Blog:
hBp://bazaarzeitgeist.wordpress.com/
Our
email
and
social
Jeffrey.Foster@Wunderman.com
TwiBer:
@Eljeffrai
Ben.Sadler@Wunderman.com
TwiBer:
@sadlerbr