Who do Middle East marketers think they are talking to?

Saudi Tourism Authority

“Advertising is about one thing: happiness.” Don Draper, ‘Mad Men‘

Advertisers love aphorisms. They come with the territory. But the trouble with pithy truisms is they often belie a much more complex reality.

When an advertising guru says marketing is about “one thing” – happiness, security, convenience or anything else – that is probably not true for everyone. People’s cultural backgrounds influence how messaging affects them.

In the 1970s and 1980s Geert Hofstede, a psychologist working for IBM, came up with a theory of cultural dimensions. He used a series of factors to show how different societies held certain values over others.

His theories are still commonly applied to businesses today, informing ways for multinational companies to adapt to different markets and work across cultures.

In a region such as the GCC, where many markets are a melting pot of non-native nationalities from countries with very different mindsets, Hofstede’s insights can be applied to advertising. They show how one message does not fit all, and how reducing advertising’s purpose to the generation of a single emotion may work well in one country or culture but not in another.

By Hofstede’s measures, the UAE has high “Power Distance” (people are willing to accept unequal distribution of power, hierarchical structures are common, and subordinates expect guidance from their bosses); it also has high “Uncertainty Avoidance” (rules and codes of conduct are important, as is job security); and it scores low in “Individualism” (in a collectivist society, family ties and loyalty are important). 

Celebrity marketing is more effective in the GCC than in more individualistic cultures

Other dimensions examined by Hofstede include “Long-Term Orientation” (low in the UAE), “Motivation Towards Achievement and Success” (middling) and “Indulgence” (low). Other GCC countries tend to mirror these scores.

Essays and theses have been written about what these measurements mean for businesses and business in general. In terms of marketing and advertising, they have a number of implications.

High Uncertainty Avoidance means people like to be told what to do by advertisers. In a paper co-authored with one of his colleagues, Hofstede wrote: “Whereas high Uncertainty Avoidance cultures have a passive attitude to health by focusing on purity in food and drink and using more medication, low Uncertainty Avoidance cultures have a more active attitude to health by focusing on fitness and sports.”

A low Individualism score means that peer pressure is important. Influencer and celebrity marketing is more effective in the GCC than in more individualistic cultures such as those of Scandinavian countries. 

Many multinational brands aim for consistent brand “personalities” – particularly brands from individualistic cultures such as the United States – but consumers are likely to project their own personality preferences onto the brands. These might be at odds with how the marketing heads or their global agencies want brands to be seen.

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High Power Distance means people look up to business leaders and national rulers more, and are likely to emulate their consumer habits as well as following their instructions.

This contrasts with the often less respectful attitudes adopted in European monarchies. In high Power Distance societies, luxury items and fashion lines are popular ways to show social status. Does this sound familiar?

Within the geographical borders of regional states, not everyone is culturally identical, though. The populations of countries such as the UAE and Qatar include a high percentage of expatriates. 

While residents and visitors may adopt some of the norms and values of their countries of residence, they are unlikely to drop their own national identities altogether.

So, to speak to a UK audience, marketers must change their conversation to accept that Brits are less respectful of a Power Difference and are more Individualistic. India for example has a lower Individualism score, and is lower too on the Uncertainty Avoidance scale.

Hofstede’s theories are on display in the Middle East, where brands from around the world compete for local custom, and where local marketers must speak to a cosmopolitan audience with a wide range of cultural backgrounds.

A good ad agency can remove the blinkers from its own eyes to see what messages will work for the people it wants to reach.

But if your agency tells you the answer to selling your brand is simple, ask if they are only talking about themselves.

Austyn Allison is an editorial consultant and journalist who has covered Middle East advertising since 2007