Date of Defense

12-14-2011

Date of Graduation

12-2011

Department

Marketing

First Advisor

Roberta M. Allen, Business Information Systems

Second Advisor

Karen M. Lancendorfer, Marketing

Keywords

Marketing, Cultural Impact

Abstract

Globalization and technology have tear down boundaries, bringing us closer to other cultures. More and more companies have become mergers, joint ventures, or multinational corporations moving towards a globalized market. However, every nation and group of people has their own cultural identity that will always set them apart from others. Times may change and many factors might provoke a society to change or lose its identity, but there will always be things that may still remain the same, such as its values, traditions, verbal or non-verbal communication. These variables are what mostly affect consumers‟ perception and behavior. “Culture challenges the fundamental strategy of marketing, customer relations, definition of product, price and advertisement; it is all pervading.” ( Trompenaars, pg.7)

This analysis is being made to examine how cultural discrepancies influence the marketing areas of advertisement and promotion by evaluating the strategies employed to the Coca Cola product in both France and the United States. The research portion of this thesis was executed by gathering information from books, marketing professors and personal experiences. Observations and results suggest that due to the differences in communication context and cultural dimensions, which include the factors mentioned above, Coca Cola have approached different marketing strategies in both countries. Americans drink Coca Cola because it‟s a refreshing soft drink which is why advertisements and promotions in the United States focus more on the product and content. On the other hand, in France, it is marketed as classy social drink by focusing more on fashion and daily interactions in their leisure time. Advertisements in France are like art, leaving the message to the consumers‟ interpretation.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Campus Only

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