Cultural Awareness in Marketing
Culture is arguably the most critical aspect of human identity, as it enhances overall well-being and quality of life and has multiple social and economic benefits. As such, marketers must consistently demonstrate cultural awareness to ensure that the content they develop to boost their products resonates well with their target market (Song et al., 2018). In this regard, communication is enhanced with the target audience, with better brand loyalty and more robust relationships as the organizations get to individualize their product and adapt it to diverse cultural contexts through such awareness.
Therefore, multinational corporations must always integrate language, religion, education, attitudes, etiquette, dress code, communication style, material culture, and ethics and values to enter a foreign market (Song et al., 2018). With these, there is surety of success in such markets with optimized outreach and heightened brand visibility. This is why it is equally crucial for Meat & Livestock Australia to evaluate its new marketing approach to ensure it is suitable for the target market and delivers the desired outcomes.
Advertisement Analysis
Strengths
The new advertisement by Meat & Livestock Australia demonstrates particular strengths that are key to its success. Primarily, it integrates a pivotal aspect of humor, leading to an emotional connection with consumers, making them perceive it as more human (Poniwatie et al., 2022). Additionally, the message in the commercial about the lamb is clear, and it is presented in the most widely used language in the World, English (Poniwatie et al., 2022).
The advertising also includes multiple religions and cultures based on the numerous characters contained therein, which is critical to embracing diversity in the international marketplace (Most Watchable Videos, 2017). Moreover, the advertisement is creative and original, making the product memorable and using unexpected characters, resources, and formats, making it even more unique. These aspects propel it towards its overall goal of achieving success in the international market.
Weaknesses
However, the commercial has specific weaknesses that may limit its success. Despite the uniqueness shown through the commercial, some of the scenes may be offensive to particular individuals, as they may not get the humor. Some characters, like the human elephant, are mythical, draining the advertisement’s much-needed reality (Most Watchable Videos, 2017).
It also makes specific cultural references that are a bit stereotypical, which may eventually make a particular cultural group feel alienated and like the product is not meant for them. The advertising may also be misinterpreted for Christians only, as the word “Lamb” has been used in that particular religion to represent Jesus, believed to be the Lamb of God. In this regard, it may lose out on other religious facets. Such weaknesses must be reevaluated to make the advertisement inclusive and culturally accommodating.
Opportunities
Nonetheless, this commercial will still open the company to specific opportunities. The most critical will be brand awareness and visibility, as it delivers the message on lamb meat, which will also translate to more sales (Storbacka & Moser, 2020). It will also lead to cost savings as it is memorable, and thus, the corporation will not have to engage in other promotion techniques, which might be costlier and less effective.
Additionally, it will help Meat & Livestock Australia differentiate itself and its products from competitors, increasing its influence and scope of operations in the global lamb marketplace. Furthermore, the commercial will help the company gain relationships across borders and enter partnerships and alliances, sharpening its presence in the worldwide market (Storbacka & Moser, 2020). With these, the firm will be able to maximize sales and improve the quality of its products.
Risks
Regardless of the opportunities the advertisement will bring, its use will also have certain risks. The first will be the potential for controversy and backlash based on the characters and some of the depictions made in certain scenes. It may also lead to unending legal battles, as some may decide to sue because certain scenes are unethical and do not hold specific morally acceptable standards (Xie & Wei, 2018). There is also a potential for most people to fail to connect with the advertising as it is based more on one’s level of humor, understanding, and interpretation. In the long run, the company may lose more money and make even fewer sales from this particular commercial.
Recommendations
It is evident that the advert satisfies most aspects of a good commercial and has the potential to help the company achieve its intended goal. However, as it is, it is inappropriate and needs certain pivotal modifications. This is essential because of its limited cultural sensitivity and the high potential of its target audience failing to connect with it because of the humor.
It also uses religion and science as its central driving theme, arguably the most controversial issue in the world. In this regard, the company needs to consider more neutral characters, like using sheep in the advertising, as this communicates the message and does not lead to bias. The message should also be more about the lamb than drawing on controversial issues, as this will make it more objective and easier to understand. The company should also engage cultural experts from various regions to ensure the commercial portrays authentic cultural representations customized differently for different regions and countries. With these changes, Meat & Livestock Australia will have better chances of capturing the global marketplace and optimizing sales for its lamb meat.
References
Most Watchable Videos (2017). Lamb the meat more people can eat you never lamb alone [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Poniwatie, A., Noviandari, I., Kusumo, R. B., & Pratama, D. J. (2022). SWOT analysis in improving marketing strategies in Circle K Gunawangsa Surabaya. International Journal of Economics, Business and Accounting Research (IJEBAR), 6(1), 648–657. Web.
Song, R., Moon, S., Chen, H., & Houston, M. B. (2018). When marketing strategy meets culture: The role of culture in product evaluations. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 46(3), 384–402. Web.
Storbacka, K., & Moser, T. (2020). The changing role of marketing: Transformed propositions, processes, and partnerships. AMS Review, 10(3–4), 299–310. Web.
Xie, H., & Wei, H. (2018). Controversial marketing frontier analysis and future prospect. Open Journal of Business and Management, 06(02), 470–477. Web.