Standardization Or Adaptation - An Endless Debate

An Introductionmost internal drifts are bound to adaptation in
International advertising was a concept introduced asadvertisement. Countries that are a little more broad
back as in 1923 by a personality none other than theminded in their approach have a larger scope of
manager of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company,Globalization.
David Brown. He was of the view that there existedThe biggest disaster to the world in the year 2003
the same humanitarian feeling in every soul round thewas 'The Iraq War'. It caused a number of fissures in
globe. He wasn't aware of the complexities this ideathe relation of USA with its allies. The result could be
consists of. After about three quarters of a century,projected. In the first half of the year everyone was
the debate continues with Globalization supportingconvinced for a downfall of Globalization in USA. But
standardization and heterogeneity supportingthe second half of the year proved the world wrong.
adaptation.The extensive use of technology took USA to the
top 5 in Globalization. This very example is
On the contrary, adaptation means to go accordingly.self-sufficient to prove that Globalization has caused
Companies are concerned with local issues ina revolution. It has its dependencies on technology,
advertisement. They believe that not every countryspanning trade and international political engagements.
is developed to the same extent so there should beThe year saw Singapore leading the charts of
a difference in ideologies. Companies use adaptationGlobalization. The only reason was its increased
to prevent failure due to a lack of synchronizationbilateral relations worldwide. The world's perception of
between the promotion of product andSingapore as the leader was due to its involvement
understanding between the customers1.with the activities of UN. It's a lesson for every
A Chronological surveycountry that has scarcity of resources.
The debate over standardization and adaptation hadUSA was initially behind in the chart. This was
taken a prominent shape in the 1950's. One can talkbecause, for a country as big as USA, foreign trade
over the issue from the perspective of anis not all that necessary. Its self resources are
academician or a practitioner. Many a times thissufficient to suffice the needs of the people. But the
controversy has lead surveyors to prefer bothadvancement in technology, took USA way above
standardization and adaptation to a certain degreemany nations striking out all other factors.
depending on the situation.China is engaged incessantly in the development of
The scenario in the 1950's was more towardsinfrastructure. So, it has an obvious demand for
adaptation than anything else. The members of theforeign trade. Standardization is a perfect technique
ad agencies believed that a company must considerused here. But the question is that globalization is
the culture, capacity, buying behavior andbased on per-capita statistics. Owing to a large
characteristics for advertisement. They believed thatpopulation, it is not one of the leaders in global trade.
a company is supposed to make proper translationSo, places in China that have a lower literacy rate are
when adapting advertisement in a particular country.still stuck with adaptation. This is the importance of
Advertisement had to be adapted according toeducation for the masses.
culture during translation. There was an oppositionCountries that are a part of the European Union are
from Cornejo of Washington Corporation whoinvolved in cross border trade. Such countries are
believed in standardization on grounds of avoidance inCroatia, Romania, and Ukraine etc. The influence of
duplication and efficient use of resources. Mostunion has helped them climb the ladder of
academicians came to the same conclusion ofGlobalization but there are other countries in the
adaptation just that there reasons were different.same European Union which have a slip in
They were in favor of adaptation because theyGlobalization, going towards adaptation. This is due to
considered education, language, customs anda lack of foreign trade in these countries. Other
methods of living to be different2.countries in the world that are not members of
1960's saw an improved inclination towardsEuropean Union do not have a satisfaction in investing
standardization. Practitioners were of the view thatin such countries. So, there can be cross border trade
advertisement should be followed by surveying thebetween them but only in the vicinity of the union.
product or the service, quality, market intended etc.So, if forming a union is a boon, it is also a bane at
It was for the first time that substantial benefits ofthe same time in the context of Globalization. In
standardization could be seen in the form of strengthtimes to come, the countries of the union are much
of uniformity and advantage of economy.prone to face global problems, so advertisement
Development in communication was another factorproducts that are not imported from among these
responsible for the increment of standardization.members should be adapted.
Practitioners were of the view that it was the needWhile India is busy over discussing the pros and cons
of the hour to look for common denominations thanof Globalization, it has taken a good shape in Canada.
differences. This could be debated by the differenceThis is only due to a betterment of communication
in nature of attitudes. Even during these periods, itskills in the country. So, with USA next door, cultural
was the difference in culture that kept manylinks across the world and lower labor costs Canada is
practitioners in support of adaptation. But, it can beon a soar in Globalization. Here again, we can6 see
concluded that practitioners favored standardizationthat a higher literacy rate in Canada as compared to
to some extent because of the homogeneity inIndia has been beneficial.
motives. There was a common example of XeroxA Notion against Globalization
that wasted a lot of resources due to duplication.If standardization has been increasingly used for the
The academicians were of both views. It is highlypast decade and a half, there have a number of
justified that a marketer should work according tochanges in what Globalization promised and what it
the market. He should consider the physicallived up to.
environment, Government tariffs, homogeneity orFirstly, the World Trade Organization was formed in
heterogeneity and availability of media beforecollaboration with the World Bank. Many developing
advertising. So, while some of the practitioners werecountries that borrowed money from the World
in favor of standardization on ground of economy,Bank have made pre-required returns having a feeling
some were against it on grounds of culturalnever to borrow again. The step is inevitable as the
differences. Academicians went according to theWorld Bank had been central to the problem of
situation. If the product cleared all restrictions ofstructural adjustments which left the countries under
adaptation, it could be standardized.higher degree of poverty as earlier.
In the 1970's, there was a turnaround in the thoughtsSecondly, Globalization was a little too hyped. Most of
of practitioners. They came back to the idea ofthe trade even today, continues to take place in the
adaptation as they believed in the talent of localwithin the country itself. Only a few of trade
media. They said that translation in accordance withcorporate have been allowed across the border. The
customs and beliefs was the order of the day. Thereason is the incompetency in meeting the cultural
academicians once again went as the situationrequirements.
offered. They opt for complete adaptation on theA few years back, Globalization was given a clean
basis of psychological characteristics, consumptionchit in form of free trade, today it is practiced only
pattern and cultural criteria. They said that completefor protectionism. For example, the Bush
standardization could also be followed by overcomingadministration works on the policy of free trade for
factors such as demographic characteristics of thethe world but protectionism for its own country.
foreign market, cultural behavior, perception of theGlobalization with its promise of free trade has been
product, criteria used by foreign customers insettled to neo-liberal policies. The advancement of
evaluating a product class, pattern of communicationGlobal finance much over Global products has caused
and understanding of silent languages.chaos more than prosperity. In fact very few
In the 1980's there was a distinguished debatecountries like China have progressed on the lines7 of
between the academicians and practitioners. Theprosperity, that too because of interventionist state
former went for standardization and the latter wentpolicies rather than the neo-policies. Disasters such as
for adaptation. The word-Globalization was introducedthe Asian financial crisis and the collapse of the
in this decade. Practitioners said that though strict buteconomy of Argentina have caused evident revolts
if standardization was carried out with positiveagainst Globalization.
attitudes, one could attain it. Coco-Cola and PepsiFinally, Globalization is responsible for over exploitation
were strong examples of standardizedby energy giants in countries of Latin America. They
advertisement. Better communication facilities,are now forced to nationalize these resources. The
increased travel and economies of scale were inconditions have gone from bad to worse as countries
support of standardization, though one could debatelike Argentina have forced its investors to take back
in favor of adaptation on grounds of expense andjust 25% of what the countries owed them, hence
difficulty. One could say, it is successfuldecreasing national pride. The countries now function
communication that matters not accent of speech.on the idea of general co-operation rather than free
The academicians, once again were more in favor oftrade.
adaptation. They believed in the importance of typesAn integration of Adaptation and Standardization
of appeal, content of themes, and emotional cues forTill now we have seen ideas in support and against
advertisement. Again cultural sensitivity came into theGlobalization. So, it is the need of the hour to come
picture. They felt the need of extent and conditionsup with a solution to fit both forms of advertisement
for coming to a conclusion about advertisement.such that differences are met and at the same time
The debate continues since then till today. Thecommonality is regarded. We know the significance
subsequent sections prove the fact that neitherof websites in Globalization. Firms can advertize their
standardization nor adaptation can be given uniformproducts globally on the web. But what if they
use all around the world.integrate adaptation with the web? Cultural
Influence of Product Type:differences have a vital role to play in adaptation.
Product type has a vital role to play in advertisement.Most of the ad agencies, academicians and clients
Products that are of universal significance or carryhave had fears of globalization because they were
context free messages are given the form ofnot able come up with a unified culture. Now, that we
standardization. Such products could be tobacco,have the web at hand, cultural differences can be
banks, airlines and many more. But products that likemet on the web. Hofstede's cultural values give a
food or motor that are of local significance are givenmechanism to suffice the diversities of culture on the
the form of adaptation. There are certain productsweb.
that do not come under any of the two categories.Websites can offer options for languages of
Such products depend on durability or type of usepreference on their home page. One needs to work
(whether personal or not). For them any form ofaccording to the following Hofstede's cultural values
advertisement is acceptable. Summarizing thebefore advertisement on the web.
influence of product type, one can say that productSmall vs. Large Power Distances: It is the common
influence has a reciprocate relation with culturalperception of people in countries like Australia to
influence. Countries that are different in culture havetreat people equally. This doesn't remain the same in
a less prominent product influence and vice-versa.countries like Malaysia where people are ready to
Influence of Technology:follow from a higher authority. So, web pages should
The basic reason for adaptation in advertisementbe designed according to the nation of preference
was communication. Now, with the advent ofopt by the consumer.
technology, the trend communication around theIndividualism vs. Collectivism: In countries like USA
world is just a thought away. IT has compressed thepeople are of the individualistic view compared to
meaning of isolation. Now, everyone wants to see orother countries like China. So, it is more probable for
experience things that he hears about. The veryan American citizen to look for individual benefits
meaning of Globalization is convergence. Technologyrather than society's benefits. On the contrary,
is a stepping stone towards global community. Thepeople in China related8 their needs to the needs of
wings of technology have spread into every crevicethe society. So, they look for a commodity that is
of life. The facilitation of Mc. Donald's, Coco-Cola andbeneficial for themselves and the society as a whole.
Pepsi throughout the world is an outcome ofSo, web designers should go accordingly when
technology. Technology has given industriesdesigning a website.
software, by virtue of which an online market priceMasculinity vs. Femininity: The USA demographics
of commodities is controlled. The whole world canshow a higher percentage of women accessing the
know the products by just accessing online.web. So, features like beauty, quality of life,
Influence of Country of Origin:traditional themes, family themes and relationships
The words "made in", are of great concern inshould be more prominent in pages for American
customer attitudes in buying a product. Before theusers and the countries having a similar ratio of
intervention of "made in", there were a number ofwomen. Opposite to the case in America, countries
revisions to survey the quality of product. There arelike Mexico favor a masculine culture to be signified
certain products that are thought to be to best ifon the web. Characteristics like ambition,
they are of a certain nation. French products are saidassertiveness, profits and material possession should
to be the most luxurious where as English productsb included in Mexican web pages. So, one can
are said to be unreasonably priced. Consumers built inconclude that demographics has a major role to play
a much higher quality perception of imported goodsin adaptation of ads.
from certain specific nations. A survey resulted in theUncertainty Avoidance: Many cultural laws appreciate
conclusion that in the minds of people all over thethe uncertainty avoidance. Such cultures follow rules
world, products from USA are of highest value.and regulations with a structured format. Rather than
When it came to views about Japanese products,showing dreams of thinking different, web designers
only automobile and food had a global significance. So,should adapt to the usual methodologies of living the
for the goods made in Japan, adaptation was thesame way.
right choice. The German market is high-yielding asConclusion
always. But Germans are not influenced as such byHence, we can conclude that neither adaptation nor
branding of products. So, it is useless applyingglobalization rules the world. It's the situation that
standardization of products in Germany. One canrules. There are enough evidences to prove the fact.
witness a large swing between standardization andIt happened in history and it has been happening till
adaptation on the basis of pattern followed intoday. The advantage of a better economy in
advertisement. A schema based knowledge, resultedglobalization and resolution of cultural differences in
in the conclusion that country of origin was significantadaptation, play an integrated role in advertisement.
for globalization only if it is mentioned beforeWe have seen that with a view of utilizing the
attribute description. So, country of origin is moretechniques of Globalization in totality, many countries
significant than brand name for globalization only ifhave faced grave problems. These could be
the trend is followed as mentioned5.restricted by the use of adaptation to some extent.
So, it's a necessity for firms to refer an internationalThe overall strategy is the satisfaction of the
statistics before selecting between standardizationconsumers. A marketer should do a home work of
and adaptation.past trends in a region. If the people are broad
An International Surveyenough in their views, go for Globalization but if
Here's a brief outlook of Globalization in the yearrecent examples show an obvious digression in it,
2003. This section shows that countries that havethen adaptation is the only other option.