Cultural Knowledge Gaps (Lacunas): Challenges in Cross-Cultural Advertising
Erika Grodzki
Kinga Kowalewska
Abstract
A cross-cultural comparative analysis focusing on the unique advertising strategies of top beer brands (Budlight, Coors Light, and Budweiser) in America and Poland was conducted in 2014. The top-selling American beers focused upon themes such as the fun party life with added pop culture references, comedy, and extreme sports, as well as tradition and respect. The top-selling Polish beers (Tyskie, Żubr, and Tatra), centered their campaigns on three different concepts. One of them refers to being a football fan of the national team celebrating matches together, another one employs a motif of a bison living peacefully in the forest yet another uses the idea of a Polish highlander, who is a man of integrity living up to his principles. Strategies common in both countries were an emphasis on fun-loving behavior, tradition, and sports. There were some noticeable cultural differences, namely, an emphasis on dietary information on the part of the American beers, prevalent on two of the three websites. Generally, the top-selling Polish beers presented rather national or local themes.
Keywords: Language and Media, Lacuna Theory, Cross-Cultural Analysis, Cultural Differences
Introduction
James P. Lantolf and Larysa Bobrova (2012) took a close look at multi-modal metaphors that appeared in beer commercials in the Ukraine and America and found that three metaphors were emphasized. The first was “happiness is drinking beer,” the second was, “beer is a person” and the third was “love for the motherland is drinking beer”. The researchers found that these metaphors were the most common. This study is quite relevant to the current study because it focuses on beer and the ideas surrounding the promotion of the product. The researchers found that when it comes to beer commercials, it “is not just a matter of divergent advertising strategies but is, in fact, a manifestation of differences in the conceptual understandings of happiness, beer drinking, friendship, and patriotism in both cultures” (p. 43). The authors of this study would agree. There are many similarities across cultures when it comes to beer advertising, however, the ideas of common concepts differ in their manifestation and are based upon very foundational psychological understandings of the respective cultures.
Cultural Differences in Advertising
Much literature has been written concerning cultural differences and advertising strategy. The current cross-cultural analysis will utilize a lacuna approach. Lacuna theory first emerged in language and translations studies in Russia. Lacunas are gaps in texts that are present in one culture but not in another (Antipov et. al..,1989, p. 85). Lacuna theory has developed greatly over the years due to further theoretical and conceptual research. The model was developed to address advertising concerns several years ago (Grodzki, 2002). The central question posed by lacuna researchers in every study is as follows: what lacunas would emerge if the text (newspaper, script, print advertisement, website, commercial, etc.) were to be viewed by a non-member of the culture?
The first part of the current cross-cultural analysis will be descriptive in nature. The second part will address possible lacunas that could emerge. The researchers are from different cultural backgrounds. In the descriptive stage of the research, the researcher from the country-of-origin of the artifacts will describe the beer campaigns. In the second stage of the research, the researcher from outside of the artifacts’ country-of-origin (in this case, a Polish researcher will focus on the American beer campaigns and an American researcher will focus on the Polish beer campaigns) will complete the analysis. The lacuna research method can vary in structure. At times, a group of non-members of the given culture interacts with the artifact or with one another. In this particular study, the lacuna analysis will rely on the interpretation of the researcher.
Description of the Campaigns
Description of the American Campaigns
The top-selling beers in America in 2013 were Budweiser, Budlight, and Coors Light. All three of the beer brands have different advertising strategies. A qualitative content analysis was conducted in April of 2014 to find out how each particular brand communicated its own unique brand identity to its consumers. First, the top-selling American brands were reviewed. Then, the top- selling Polish brands were reviewed. At the end of the analysis, the researchers compared the brands and noted whether or not significant cultural differences were present and if so, in what forms they presented themselves. The article concludes by applying central concepts of lacuna theory to the analysis.
Budweiser: Tradition and Patriotism
Budweiser focuses upon tradition and patriotism. The Clydesdale horses are often seen in the advertisements. They have been in many commercials over the years. This year’s Superbowl commercial featured a small puppy and a Clydesdale horse. It was very