Customers' Perceptions of American and Japanese Products in France Related to Cross- Cultural Miscommunications

More and more companies are turning to international marketing in order to reach new customers beyond the borders of the country where they are located. However, many of these companies find it difficult to translate their success from one market to the other. Such a situation can be explained by the inability of these multinationals to adapt the content and the language of their marketing messages to the cultural uniqueness of their target markets. These international companies could be more successful if they knew how to take into account the nuances of the culture of a target country when designing their international marketing strategies. A study exploring the cultural and linguistic issues that arise in the marketing strategies of well-known international companies could help any international company design better marketing strategies across cultures. The present study was designed to achieve that. This qualitative research was conducted using a multi-case study approach. The research used data from the interviews with 8 French participants about their understanding of and their impression on the advertisements/slogans used by General Motors, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Honda, Toyota, Nike, and Apple in France. The study explored the cultural and linguistic misunderstandings that native French speakers may have of the slogans and advertisements used by the above-mentioned American and Japanese companies in France and how those misunderstandings influence their perception of the products marketed. It focused on the language of the advertisements used as well as the interpretation given to the advertisements by the target markets. The study was underlined by two concepts: consumer behavior and cultural differences. The primary focus of the study was to explore how the above-mentioned companies incorporated the concepts of consumer behavior and cultural differences in the design of their international marketing. The study found that the French participants watched the advertisements of the American and Japanese companies from a French cultural standpoint and could not understand them the way American or Japanese citizens could. Therefore, in order for these advertisements to be successful in France, they had to incorporate specific nuances of French culture as identified in Hofstede's cultural dimensions. The findings of the study can help any international company that wants to avoid culture-related problems in marketing its products across different cultures. Further research is recommended to support or expand upon the findings of this study. Future researchers may focus on specific areas of international business using other methodologies and theoretical frameworks. These recommendations may result in additional knowledge valuable to both researchers and business executives.