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Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory

International Journal of Advertising

AbstractRecent years have seen increasing interest in the consequences of culture for global marketing and advertising. Many recent studies point at the necessity of adapting branding and advertising strategies to the culture of the consumer. In order to understand cultural differences, several models have been developed of which the Hofstede model is the most used. This article describes elements of this model that are most relevant to branding and advertising, and reviews studies that have used the model for aspects of international branding and for advertising research. It provides some cautious remarks about applying the model. Suggestions for more cross-cultural research are added. This article is part of the following collections: International Journal of Advertising: 40th anniversary Additional informationNotes on contributorsMarieke de MooijMarieke de Mooij studied English literature at the university of Amsterdam and Textile Engineering in Enschede, the Netherlands. She received her PhD at the university of Navarre in Spain, at the department of communication. She was advertising manager for an international company, account executive at an advertising agency, was a director at the Dutch institute for professional advertising education and director of education of the International Advertising Association. She has worked on the application of the Hofstede model to consumer behaviour and advertising since 1990. She is a consultant in Cross Cultural Communications and advises both companies and advertising agencies on international branding and advertising. She is visiting professor to various universities in Europe. Her books Global Marketing and Advertising (third edition 2010) and Consumer Behavior and Culture (2004, second edition to be published in 2011), both published by Sage Publications, are used at universities worldwide. Her website: www.mariekedemooij.comGeert HofstedeGeert Hofstede is Professor Emeritus at the university of Maastricht. He holds an MSc in mechanical engineering and a PhD in social psychology. He had a varied career both in business and in academia, retiring as a professor of organizational anthropology and international management from the university of Maastricht, the Netherlands, in 1993. Since the publication of his book Culture’s Consequences (1980, new edition 2001) he has been a pioneer of comparative intercultural research; his ideas are used worldwide. A student-level book Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind (1991, new edition 2005 with Gert Jan Hofstede) has so far appeared in 15 European and 3 Asian languages. Geert Hofstede was listed in the Wall Street Journal of May 2008 among the Top 20 most influential business thinkers. He holds honorary doctorates from seven European universities, and is a Fellow of the Academy of Management and the Academy of International Business in the uSA. His website: www.geerthofstede.nl

The Hofstede model