Acculturation and advertising communication strategies: A cross‐cultural study of Chinese and Americans

The development of a world economy produces more and more marketing efforts that cross cultural boundaries. Sometimes these boundaries are a function of nationality; other times they are defined by culture in a broader sense. In any case, marketers and advertisers are becoming increasingly aware of the need to be culturally conscious in their efforts to communicate with people of various cultural origins. Effective communication depends, to a large extent, on the understanding of the dynamics of culture. Acculturation therefore describes the changes in attitudes, values, and behaviors of members of one cultural group toward the norms of the other cultural group. This article examines the relationship between levels of acculturation and consumer attitudes toward advertising‐related variables in a cross‐cultural empirical study. Based on the discussion of acculturation and empirical results, useful managerial implications are also provided.