Beyond the Net

Abstract

This study examines the individualism-collectivism dimension reflected in Japanese multinationals' web communication, hypothesizing that the firms tend to adopt a “value paradox” strategy to stimulate consumers' hidden needs. After developing an original typology consisting of 20 cultural values, a content analysis of 150 product-based websites was conducted in Japan, Spain and the U.S. The comparison was made between websites created for the home country market and those created by the same firms for the host country markets. The findings reveal that Japanese multinationals are likely to employ more individualist values in websites created for the Japanese and Spanish markets, while emphasizing collectivist values in those created for the U.S. market. Further, individualist values are more accentuated in verbal cues than in non-verbal cues in the Japanese market sample. The authors conclude that Japanese firms tend to use opposing values in web-based product presentations so as to capture more consumers' attention. Managerial implications and limitations are then discussed.

Key Words:

• Content analysis
• Internet
• culture
• individualism-collectivism
• multinational corporations
• marketing communications