The recontextualization of American advertising by Russian consumers

Alta Carroll, Purdue University

Abstract

This study was an investigation of Russian understanding and reaction to American cultural artifacts in post-Soviet Russia. Advertising, as a form of mythic narrative, was chosen as an object of study because of: (a) the de facto transition of Russia from a centrally-planned to a market-based economy; (b) the key role of advertising in a market-based economy; (c) the incorporation of Western advertising concepts and procedures into the Russian media system; (d) the link among cultural variables, advertising, and myth in the United States; and (e) the limited amount of focused research on Russian cultural variables. Based on research findings in (a) cross- and intercultural communication, (b) advertising and myth, and (c) culture and mythic expression; differences were expected between Russian and American perceptions. Research was conducted in Moscow, Russia, where native Russian subjects (a) saw the video portion of three selected Coca-Cola television commercials (TVCs), (b) discussed each TVC with others in a group setting, (c) saw and heard a Russian-market adaptation of the three TVCs, and (d) completed an open-ended questionnaire individually. The same procedures were used for American subjects, but with the original English-language advertisement. Russian and American focus group discourse and questionnaire responses were analyzed using Ethnograph 4.1 and compared for objective and subjective reinterpretations by Russian consumers of the original advertising messages. For the first television commercial (TVC), the analysis revealed perceptual differences in habits, advertising techniques, lifestyle cues, and emotional/intellectual response. For TVC #2, differences included perceptions of authority figures, level of technology, heroes/villains, and nationality/ethnicity. For TVC #3, reinterpretations focused on health parameters, humor, and personal values. Overall, Russian respondents (a) often misinterpreted lifestyle cues, (b) understood facial expressions differently, (c) actively sought both product and cultural information, (d) had ambivalent feelings about foreign advertising, and (e) believed they would buy less Coca-Cola than they did before exposure to the TVCs. The implications of these findings and suggestions for further research were discussed.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Webb, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Mass media|Rhetoric|Composition|Marketing

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