The Role of Culture : A Study of Swedish Companies Advertising in China

Abstract: Background The Chinese market has been undergoing changes due to Chinas entry to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the government’s Open-Door Policy. As a result the Chinese markets attractiveness has escalated and consequently an increasing number of foreign companies have entered including Swedish ones. Since the Chinese culture differs to a large extent from the Swedish, the difference can affect business behavior and especially adver-tising decisions. Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to explore the role which culture plays in advertising with a sample of Swedish companies in different industries which have established themselves in China. Method A qualitative method was utilized when gathering the empirical findings. The researchers contacted a wide selection of companies which, then was narrowed down to four that fit the purpose. Primarily face to face and telephone interviews were conducted. All the recipients were in managerial positions. Samples of the advertisements were gathered in order to illustrate the result. Results This thesis aims to demonstrate that culture plays a role in advertising for the selected Swedish companies in China. This difference can lead to adjustments in advertising and brand image strategy. The degree of adjustment may vary across companies.