Whiteness and Western Values in Global Advertisements: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Several advertisements are standardized worldwide. Which values are used when reaching out to a global multicultural segment with one advertisement? What are –in the minds of advertisers –meaningful and desirable values on a global level? Through a literature study it is reviewed which values are used in eastern and western advertising along with consumers' preferences for foreign/local advertisements. Through an empirical analysis values in global advertisements are examined through a content analysis of standardized advertisements applied in western and Asian countries in 2000–2003. The empirical analysis uncovers the values in the global advertisements in the sample with a special emphasis on Europe versus Asia. Results show that white faces and western values (hedonism, modernism, individualism) predominate which is in opposition to traditional Asian values (tradition, family, collectivism, subordination to authority) but not necessarily to the general advertising scene in Asia. The study shows that global advertisements do not represent global culture or universal values but are just a continuation of what is going on in the West. The findings underline the complexity of the global/local nexus discussed in the globalization debate.

Keywords:

• Global advertisements
• standardization/localization
• whiteness
• globalization
• global/local nexus