Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
International Advertising Strategy
Argentina
Germany
United States
Prepared By: Nicole Arena, Ryan Bowie, Domitille De Saint‐Exupery, Tony Majdalani, Hegai
Smadi
San Diego State University
May 5, 2010
Table of Contents
Selected Media ……………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 1
Nescafe’s International Advertising Strategy……………………………………………………...Page 1
Environmental Analysis
Argentina………………………………………………………………………………………………..Page 2
Germany…………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 4
United States …………………………………………………………………………………………..Page 6
Recommendations and Modifications…………………………………………………………………Page 8
Works Cited………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Page 12
Appendix
A1.Cross‐Comparative Table: International Advertising Strategy’s in Argentina, Germany and
United States……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. i
A2.Environmental Analysis Table: Argentina, Germany and the United
States………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ii
A3.Nescafe Advertisements : Argentina, Germany and United States………………………………… iii
Selected Media
The proceeding analysis of Nestlé’s Nescafe international advertising strategy is based on the
following information.
Media Outlet: Print Advertisements
Media Year: 2009
Advertisements:
Argentina: “Change the day, Start within”
Germany: “Give Yourself a Break”
United States: “The Smart Choice”
Nescafe’s International Advertising Strategy
Nescafe employs a “think globally, act locally” marketing strategy. According to Keegan
and Green, “Nescafe Coffee is marketed as a global brand, even though advertising messages
and product formulation vary to suit cultural differences” (438). Nescafe’s marketing campaign
is global in the sense that the company uses the same symbols worldwide, such as the
renowned coffee mug and Nescafe logo. However, Nescafe tailors its campaigns to suit diverse
consumer attitudes and preferences. For example, marketing advertisements targeting
different locations and regions often are different in terms of copy (message and language) and
advertising appeal (rational vs. emotional). A detailed cross‐comparative table of is located in
the appendix in section A1.
The language is tailored to fit the home countries in all three ad examples (See Nescafe
Advertisements Appendix A3): Spanish for the Argentine market, German for the German
market, and English for the U.S. market. However, the Argentine ad uses the “tú” form instead
of the standard Argentine “vos” (used for 2nd‐person “you”). This could allude to Nescafe using
a pan‐regional marketing strategy for the entire Latin American market, instead of focusing
solely on Argentina. Although some symbols and the logo are the same throughout the ads, the
messages conveyed are focused on the specific region or country. Argentina’s message/tagline
is “change the day, start within”, Germany’s is “give (offer) yourself a break”, while in the U.S. it
is “make the smart choice”.
Nescafe uses emotional appeals in the German and Argentine appeals and rational
appeals in the U.S. market (see figure A1 in appendix). For the emotional appeals, Nescafe is
trying to tug at the heartstrings of coffee drinkers. However, the specific appeals differ in that in
the German ad is geared towards appealing to a person’s need for a break from his/her busy
life, whereas the Argentine ad is focused on starting the day on a positive note with the help of
a tasty coffee. The emotional appeals are similar in that Nescafe wants to be a part of their
consumer’s day but it is positioned as an escape in Germany and as helpful pick‐me‐up in
Argentina. In the United States, Nescafe employs a rational appeal. The company compares
itself to Starbucks and positions itself as the “smart choice”, thus appealing to the consumer’s
intellect and encouraging them to be logical in their choice of coffee.
The U.S. ad is geared to those who are constantly on the go, i.e. busy individuals such as
students and members of the workforce. The German ad is targeted towards an older audience,
especially those that work for a living or have busy daily schedules. The Argentine ad is geared
more towards younger professionals, such as Generation Y who has more modern attitudes,
can read between the lines and need more visual stimulation to find ads appealing.
Environmental Analysis
Argentina
Economics and Politics
Argentina’s economy is one of the largest in South America. Historically, Argentina has been
prone to economic instability and dramatic crises, occurring quite frequently during the past 30
years. Global marketers must be aware of these risks and plan accordingly. The type of
government in Argentina is a federal presidential representative democratic Republic.
According to Country Watch, Argentina is scores a 6 out of 10 due to factors such as political
stability, economic risk, market conditions, and crime. In 2004 Argentina also received a score
of ‐0.24 for political stability on a scale from ‐2.5(poor governance) to 2.5(high governance)
showing that the country is on the verge of instability.
Legal
Although there are no specific regulations regarding advertising, there are segments pertinent
to advertising that are mentioned in sections of various laws. For example, the Fair Trade Act
stipulates a general prohibition of any misleading, deceitful, or inaccurate representations in
advertising (Pardo). Also, the Consumer Protection Act requires marketers to provide the
consumer with “exact, clear, and detailed information”, and prevents the marketer from using
ads that intimidate the consumer. Comparative advertising, while historically prohibited, is now
permitted so long as the advertisements are “truthful, accurate, objective, and referring to
essential, substantial and verifiable qualities of the compared products or services, while not
causing consumer confusion” (Richelet).
Cultural
Approximately one‐third of Argentina’s 40 million inhabitants reside in the Greater Buenos
Aires conurbation, therefore making the city the center of public life. The people of Argentina
are generally very family‐oriented; the family plays a major role in every day life and children
typically do not move out of the parental household until their mid‐20s. A relatively
individualistic country, Argentines pride themselves on being successful and, to a certain
extent, being able to evade paying taxes. Argentines are some of the most creative people in
the world, as evidenced by their award winning advertising industry. People are known to
discuss advertisements in everyday life as well as expect ads to be top‐quality as well as
creative. The Argentine people are highly emotional and are largely driven by their passion for
family, food, romance, and success.
Technology
Argentina is ranked 22nd in number of mobile telephone users in the world and ranked 28th in
terms of number of internet users (CIA). Users of both mobile phones and internet are
increasing however, and present opportunities for advertising. As well the
“Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1988” has encouraged foreign investment and
growth within the industry (CIA).
Germany
Economics and Politics
Germany is the fifth largest economy in the world and Europe’s largest in terms of PPP. One of
its core competencies is its highly skilled labor force. Thanks to steady consumer demand and
relatively high manufacturing exports, Germany crept out of the global recession in the second
and third quarters of 2009 (CIA).Germany has a stable and viable economy that presents good
demand potential and little economical risk. Germany is a federal republic administratively
divided into 16 states. There are six main political parties and six influential political pressure
groups (CIA). According to Country Watch, Germany scores 9 out of 10 in terms of political risk.
Germany has a relatively stable political background and presents minimal political risk.
Legal
Previously, Germany had been very strict regarding its advertising legislation. However, recently
there has been a trend toward legislative standardization between the EU members (CIA). This
has a positive impact for marketers who target the German market. For example, since
Germany decided to follow the EU directive 97/55/EC (“The comparative advertising
directive”), the legal barriers of comparative advertising have become less restricted (e.g.: it is
now legal to compare two different products as long as they reply to the same consumer’s
need). There are still more limits on advertising than in the United States.
Cultural
The German culture is influenced by militarism, meaning that structure and order is very
important in life. Germans are conscious of time and put an emphasis on promptness and
perfection (Gannon 188, 192). They are forward thinkers concerned with the future due to
their long‐term orientation (Gannon 190). German society is an individualistic and masculine
culture which spurs competitiveness. Another facet of German culture is the importance of the
privacy of home. The home is a place to get away from the outside world, where they do not
have to be so serious (Gannon 187).
Technology
Germany is the 8th largest consumer market of cell phones and has the 6th largest number of
internet users in the world (CIA). Germany also has the largest television market in Europe with
37.7 households. According to the CIA World Fact Book, Germany has one of the world’s most
technologically advanced telecommunications systems in the world. This presents marketers
with many opportunities and mediums to reach consumers.
United States
Economics and Politics
The United States is a market capitalist country that has a market‐oriented economy (Keegan,
and Green 45). Consumers and firms are key players in decision‐making. The government’s role
both at federal and state level is to promote competition. The US has been in a recession since
2008, causing changes in consumer attitudes, which now place more emphasis on price and
value rather than brand image. However, the US is still the largest economy in the world and its
large consumer base presents enticing opportunities for marketers from around the world. The
United States is a federal republic and provides its fifty states sovereignty over their
corresponding territory as long as their state law doesn’t interfere with federal law. The
president is elected by the people and has two major powers; chief of state and head of
government. The US scored 9 out of 10 in terms of political risk, according to Country Watch,
therefore presenting low to no political risk.
Legal
The United States is categorized as a common law country, but it also implements legislative
and comprehensive law. According to an article by Cubitt, firms advertising or collecting
consumer information online have to be careful not to violate legislation enforced by the FTC
that was created and amended to protect the consumer against spam, internet fraud, phishing,
and spyware. The US allows comparative advertising. In the US advertisers can explicitly name
or implicitly refer to their competitors and emphasize similarities or differences, positively or
negatively. Advertisers may state that their product is superior to the competition by making
parity claims. The US is very open to competition and only requires that copyrights and
trademarks be respected to prevent trademark infringement (Cleff).
Cultural
The United States has a fast‐paced society that is always in constant movement. This makes a
“doing society” in which members are primarily interested in building and accomplishing goals
(Gannon 263). This constant movement makes them very conscious of time and thus most
Americans believe it is in limited supply; therefore a popular American phrase is “time is
money”. This consciousness of time has also created the fast food lifestyle since Americans are
monochromic, doing one activity at a time rather than several. U.S. society is aggressive and
competitive and therefore many times pay is linked to performance (Gannon 254). The U.S. is
also classified as the most individualistic nation, which means members identify one’s own
interests and opinions first and make decisions accordingly. Individualism also effects U.S
nationalism, which sometimes generates ethnocentric behavior (Gannon 270, 255). Americans
also love to be entertained and are in constant search of new things to do and new media to
consume.
Technology
In the United States innovation and modification are encouraged, which has lead to
advancement in technology. The United States has more Internet hosts in the world and has
the second largest amount of internet users. The US is also the third largest user of cellular
telephones in the world (CIA). Since the United States is the global leader in technology, there
are numerous opportunities for marketers to utilize new and innovative mediums in order to
reach potential consumers. According to Nielsen, the average American watches over four
hours of TV a day, and over 99% of households have at least one television. By age 65, an
average person will see over 2 million commercials. On a given day, the average American will
see 3,000 advertisements; the advents of ambient advertising and digital media distribution
have both contributed to this increase.
Recommendations and Modifications
We believe that for the most part these advertisements do make sense when compared to the
cultural factors of each specific country. However, there are some aspects that are not
especially relevant and we have recommended some changes. The following recommendations
may be applied in each specific country:
Argentina
Argentines believe that creativity is important in advertising; therefore it is a strength that the
ad is relatively creative and is able to stand out from the clutter. The ad has an emotional
appeal rather than rational; it seeks to associate drinking a Nescafe with having a pleasant day
that coincides with your pleasurable coffee‐drinking experience. The ad also appeals to the
Argentine’s individualistic nature, in that it is all about the consumer, i.e. the coffee drinker – it
gives respite to the consumer’s need by being inside their head and brightening their own day
even when the outside is gloomy. However, we do believe that this ad may in fact be too
creative; in other words, an ad is only creative if it can sell the product – it can’t just be a piece
of art. The tagline is too small and the viewer barely sees the coffee mug and could possibly not
make the connection between the ad and the product (possibly creating poor brand recall).
Nescafe’s use of the generic “tú” form in the ad could pose a problem in creating a connection
between consumer and product. Since the “tú” form is hardly (if ever) used in Argentina, a
simple fix to the tagline (“Cambiá el dia, empezá por dentro” instead of “Cambia el dia, empieza
por dentro”) would not be costly and would help to give the ad a distinctly Argentine feel.
Overall, we would suggest a lower‐context ad that places more focus on the product; the ad
can be creative as long as the creativity doesn’t overshadow the product itself.
Germany
The German ad is relevant in many ways to different aspects of German culture. As Germans
place great emphasis on structure and routine, Nescafe’s placement of the product as being
used during a specific moment during the day (the “break”) makes sense. Germans are typically
busy people; therefore positioning the product as a respite from the hectic daily schedule is
well done; even the simplicity of the ad adds to the feeling of tranquility and getting away from
the rigors of every‐day life. The ad positions the product in such a way that it is intended to give
a feeling of comfort; this could remind the German consumer of the calmness and comfort that
they feel while in their homes, away from the stresses of work or school. All of these factors
contribute to the relevance of the emotional appeal employed in this ad. Germany is a
predominantly masculine country and therefore it makes sense to use feminine hands, giving
the viewer the feeling of comfort. However, the signature red coffee mug is conspicuously
absent from the ad; although there is still a coffee mug, the missing red mug results in a failure
to reemphasize a global brand symbol. If Nescafe is attempting to build a global brand, it should
incorporate as many world‐renowned symbols as possible. Overall, we believe that the ad is
effective notwithstanding a minor cosmetic change to the coffee mug color.
United States
Several factors in the ad pertain to cultural factors that are significant and pertinent to
American culture. Nescafe is promoting the visual of the individual packet in order to appeal to
the typical highly individualistic American, as in this package is made “just for you”. Geared
towards people that are on‐the‐go, the ad appeals to the American that is constantly moving
and views time as indispensable and finite. Nescafe is making a copy‐cat ad similar to Starbucks;
which appeals to the culture of competition and aggression typical of the US. The ad appeals to
consumers going through the recession of 2009; its message is that Nescafe’s coffee is a better
value, although it is not positioned as a prestige brand like Starbucks. As consumers trade down
and become more focused on value, this ad would then appeal to those consumers. As
consumers become more money‐conscious, Nescafe offers help to those customers that could
potentially be “fooled” by Starbucks marketing campaigns (the “tall” is actually “small”).
Nescafe is trying to reverse the notion that “you get what you pay for” by offering the same
level of quality for a lower price. The rational appeal is relevant in this case, as the product
(instant coffee) is not typically consumed in the US. There is no connection (emotional capital)
linking instant coffee to American consumers and Nescafe therefore must provide rational
reasons for consumers to buy the product.
However, although we feel that in theory this strategy should work, our belief is that it
fails to make its point effectively. Nescafe is essentially creating more advertising for Starbucks;
when someone views the ad they still are reminded of Starbucks so it is giving their competition
more advertising and exposure and therefore taking away from Nescafe’s publicity. Moreover,
the whole point of this ad is that Nescafe is giving a better product at a lower price; this is in
direct contrast to the American notion that essentially you get what you pay for. We
recommend that Nescafe promote itself as a brand instead of trying to compete with nationally
recognized and celebrated brands. Because consumers are relatively ignorant regarding instant
coffee, we recommend that Nescafe educate the consumer about the advantages of instant
coffee in order to build product category demand.
Works Cited
Argentina, Germany, and the United States. CountryWatch. 2010. Web. 1 May 2010.
CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 2010. Web. 30 April 2010.
Cleff, Evelyne Beatrix. "Effective approaches to regulate mobile advertising: Moving towards a
coordinated legal, self‐regulatory and technical response." Computer Law & Security
Report 26.2 (2010): 158‐169. Business Source Premier. EBSCO. Web. 30 April 2010.
Cubitt, Emily. "US DMA welcomes anti‐spam legislation." Precision Marketing 19.6 (2007): 9.
Business Source Premier. EBSCO. Web. 1 May 2010.
Gannon, Martin. Pillai, Rajnandini. Understanding Global Cultures 4th Edition. SAGE Publications,
Inc, 2010. Print.
Herr, Norman. Television and Health. Internet Resources to Accompany The Sourcebook for
Teaching Health and Science. Web. 20 April 2010.
Keegan, Warren, and Mark Green. Global Marketing. Fifth edition. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.
Morrison, Terri, and Wayne A. Conaway. Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands. Second Edition. Avon, MA:
Adams Media, 2006. 544‐54. Print.
Pardo, Dámaso A. “Argentina”. Gala‐marketlaw.com. n.p., 2008. Web. 28 April 2010.
Richelet, Ricardo. “Argentina”. Buildingipvalue.com. Richelet & Richelet, n.d. Web. 28 April
2010.
Wentz, Laurel, and Charles Newbery. “Nescafé builds buzz using viral e‐mail effort”. Advertising
Age 76.18 (2005): 24. Business Source Premier. EBSCO. Web. 14 April 2010.
Appendix
A1:
Cross‐Comparative Table: Advertising Strategies in Argentina, Germany, and United States
Visuals and Symbols Appeals & selling Language, Copy Creative
proposition, creative Strategy, Taglines
execution
Argentina Small red mug with Nescafe Emotional‐ shows the The ad is written in “Change the day, start
logo. Two open eye sockets contrast between what life Spanish, but the Spanish is within”. Drinking Nescafe
which look out towards a could be like without not distinctly Argentine. will make your day better,
stormy and rainy outside world, Nescafe (i.e. your world is The copy is not the focus even if the outside world
filled with darker colors. dark and stormy). Pulls at of the ad, the print is very seems to be bleak. Even if it
Meanwhile, inside the eyes is a the heartstrings of the real small and the viewer must seems like things aren’t
Charlie and the Chocolate coffee drinkers; Nescafe is search for it after taking in going your way, Nescafe will
Factory‐like paradise, filled with there to help those who the visuals of the ad. make you feel better.
lush gardens, vivid images of need coffee to help them
greenery and colorful flowers start their days. Dramatic in
and butterflies. the use of contrasting
colors‐ the ad looks more
like a piece of art than
anything else.
Germany Female Hands cupping a Emotional‐ The ad conveys The ad is written in “Give (offer) yourself a
steaming mug of coffee. Coffee feelings of relaxation and German, using an artistic break”. Drinking Nescafe is a
is foamed on the top, sprinkled calmness. The selling font. Copy is secondary to way to get away from the
with either chocolate or proposition infers that the the image, in that it is off stresses and rigors of
cinnamon. Gives the impression user will be relaxed as a to the side and smaller, everyday life.
of softness and comfort, and result of drinking Nescafe. meaning the viewer will
alludes to a warm, comfortable The overall ad is very clean notice the image first and
environment. The colors are and not very busy, in that then look for the copy.
contrasted between a sharp the viewer is not
black background and a light, overpowered by numerous
attention‐grabbing focus point. stimuli. The ad uses an
Nescafe logo is located in the emotional and psychological
bottom right corner appeal, “those calm mom
hands” that offer a sense of
tranquility and relaxation.
United States The copy is a significant eye‐ Rational‐ Argument that Large, bold, all‐caps, “Make the smart choice” –
catcher, modeled after recent Nescafe has been around stacked copy that the strategy is to not be
Starbucks ads in the same longer than Starbucks and encompasses over 50% of fooled by Starbucks; Nescafe
product category. There is also therefore delivers a better the ad space. The font size makes and had made good
coffee‐filled the red mug, with a product. The user will varies to enhance and quality instant coffees for a
Nescafe logo alongside a benefit from Nescafe’s highlight certain parts of lot longer than Starbucks.
“Taster’s choice to‐go” packet. experience in providing the message. Written in They have the knowledge
The mug is a sharp red color, coffees without the frills and English. The brown words because they have been
which contrasts the whitish‐ deception of Starbucks. in the text are all past‐ around a long time. Nescafe
beige background. The color of Nescafe has copied the tense verbs, whereas the is not trying to pass off their
text is alternated between layout of the Starbucks ads red words are adjectives. coffee as a status‐prestige
brown and red. but has changed the copy brand.
and cup. It is presented so
that the viewer
automatically focuses on the
message in the text.
A.2
Environmental Analysis’ Table: Argentina, Germany and United States
Economic Political Legal Cultural Technology
Argentina One of the largest economies Federal presidential Fair Trade Act stipulates Very family‐ CONICET provides
in South America. Rich in representative a general prohibition of oriented. A important education
natural resources, highly democratic Republic. any misleading, relatively in fields such as
educated workforce. Suffered Scores a 6 out of 10 due deceitful, or inaccurate individualistic science, technology,
a large‐scale financial to factors such as representations in country. Very and product
meltdown in 2001, prone to political stability, advertising. Consumer creative. People are innovation. Expanded
economic crisis. economic risk, market Protection Act requires known to discuss into new ways of
conditions, and crime. marketers to provide the advertisements. advertising using
consumer with “exact, Highly emotional techniques such as
clear, and detailed viral marketing.
information”. Produced a new form
Comparative advertising of advertising called
permitted so long as the fiat advertising.
advertisements are
“truthful, accurate,
objective, and referring
to essential, substantial
and verifiable qualities
of the compared
products or services,
while not causing
consumer confusion”.
Germany Large export sales by capita, Federal republic Advertising legislation is Influenced by Excels in the fields of
leader in machinery, administratively divided less strict than it used to Militarism, science and
chemicals, household into 16 states. The be thanks to a trend monochronic, technology. Uses
equipment and vehicles. executive branch of the toward standardization Individualistic, various sources of
st th
Europe’s 1 economy and 5 power is composed of with EU members. Masculine, technological
at a world scale. Highly skilled the chief of state, the Comparative advertising Long‐term advertising that
labor force. No inflation. head of government and is now possible. Orientation, Privacy include audio, video,
Good market potential, safe the cabinet. There are six of home, electronic media,
environment main political parties. Promptness , radio, cinema, and
Safe and stable Perfectionists, mobile advertising.
government Conscious of time More resistant to
innovative advertising
techniques until they
are actually proven to
work.
United Market capitalist country. Democratic country. Common law country, Conscious of time, More internet hosts in
Individuals and firms allocate Government is a federal implements legislative Fast paced, the world and has the
States resources and production. republic. Each state is law. 49 States adopted Monochronic, second largest amount
Market‐oriented economy. sovereign. The president the UCC. Firms cannot Individualistic, of internet users. third
Consumers and firms are the is; chief of state and send spam or use Aggressive, largest user of cellular
key players in decision head of government. The phishing or spyware to Competitive, telephones in the
making. Governments’ role is electoral college elects collect consumer Like to be world. Undisputed
to promote competition. the president. Low information, it violates Entertained world leader in
High‐income country. political risk. FTC. Nuclear family technology.
Postindustrial country. Bureaucracy is small risk
depending on region of
the US.
A3.
Advertisements
Argentina 2009
~Change the day Start within~
Germany 2009
~Give yourself a Break~
United States 2009
~The Smart Choice~