UNIVERSITY of FINANCE and ADMINISTRATION Xenophobia In
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
UNIVERSITY OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION Faculty of Economic Studies Field of Study: Marketing Communication Follow-up master’s study programme in the full time. Bc. Iana Pavlenko Xenophobia in Asia: exploring media environment and marketing solutions DIPLOMA THESIS Prague 2019 Final Thesis Supervisor: Mgr. Jitka Cirklová, M.A., Ph.D Acknowledgements First of all, I would like to thank my thesis supervisor Ms. Jitka Cirklová, for her continuous guidance, support and understanding during the whole process of writing this paper. This study would not be the same without her meaningful recommenda- tions and feedback. Secondly, I would like to thank my family and friends who have always been there for me during this busy period and showed sincere interest in my work. Declaration I hereby declare that I have compiled this final thesis on my own and all the quoted literature as well as other sources used in the thesis are listed in the bibliography. The electronic copy of the thesis is identical with the hard-bound copy. I approve that this diploma thesis is published pursuant to Section 47b Act No.111/1998 Coll., on Higher Education and on the amendment and modification of other acts (the Higher Education Act), as amended. 15.04.2019 _________________________ Abstracts In the contemporary VUCA world, topics of xenomania and xenophobia are being discussed more than ever and are affecting societies and businesses worldwide. The advertising and media industry is a direct reflection of the zeitgeist and topical social issues, including xenomania and xenophobia. Since the media landscape has become a highly sensitive ground with emergence of social media and blogger culture, companies need to be very cautious and careful in their messages to consumers. While these topics are widely discussed in the Western world, one cannot ignore such player as China, as the world top producer and the second advertising market in the world. The following paper provides an exploration of contemporary Chinese advertising environment and how it addresses issues of xenophobia and xenomania. The purpose of the research was to find out whether there were explicit manifestations of these phenomena in Chinese video ads. In this paper, xenophobia was explored from the pespective of racial representation of cast, while xenomania was considered from the translated lifestyle point of view. A qualitative content analysis of 40 Chinese video commercials compared and referenced to US commercials of the same brands and products was conducted. The findings of the research show that, even with a low represention of black cast, no explicit xenophobic or race-wise discriminitive manifestations could be observed in Chinese video commercials produced by international brands. In contrast, Western attributes and the promotion of the Western lifestyle seem to be widespread and common. However, Westernization in video advertising goes hand in hand with promoting national attributes and culture. This may show a high level of glocalization of products as well as a reflection of cultural nationalism, which is a prominent social movement in contemporary China. In general, the findings suggest that brands and advertising professionals need to be clear and transparent in the communication with consumers and involve intercultural expertise in crafting their messages for different markets. Keywords Xenophobia, racism, xenomania, China, Asia, Asian lifestyle, advertisement, Western lifestyle, marketing, discrimination. Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................6 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................7 CHAPTER 1. LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................11 1.1. Phenomena of Xenophobia and Xenomania ...................................................11 1.2. Xenophobia and Xenomania in China ..........................................................14 1.3.Functions of Advertising Today ..................................................................16 1.4. Controversy in Advertising .......................................................................18 1.5. Media Environment in China ....................................................................21 1.6. Advertising and Consumer Culture in China ..................................................23 CHAPTER 2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ..................................................27 2.1. Research Approach and Analysis Method ......................................................27 2.2. Data Collection Techniques ......................................................................29 2.3. Units of Analysis and Sample ....................................................................30 2.4. Coding and Data Analysis ........................................................................34 2.5. Limitations .........................................................................................38 CHAPTER 3. FINDINGS ...................................................................41 3.1. Racial Representation of Cast ...................................................................41 3.2. Voice acting and Musical Accompaniment .....................................................46 3.3. Location ............................................................................................50 3.4. Translated Lifestyle ...............................................................................55 CHAPTER 4. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS ....................................................62 CONCLUSION .............................................................................66 Limitations and Recommendations for Further Research ........................................69 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...........................................................................72 INDEX OF APPENDICES ....................................................................81 A. TABLE 1.VIDEO CONTENT SOURCE ...................................................82 B. TABLE 6. CULTURAL ATTRIBUTES ....................................................87 Introduction Today, the international community is continuously challenged by ever increasing social tensions caused by economic, political and sociodemographic instability. The modern world is commonly referred to as a VUCA world, an acronym standing for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (Bennette and Lemoine, 2014). The VUCA nature of the present concerns all aspects of life, including a variety of social phenomena where social perceptions are often shaped by dynamic contexts (volatility), missing information (uncertainty), numerous grounds for categorization (complexity) and lack of clarity of existing cues (ambiguity) (Bodenhausen and Peery, 2009). As a result, issues of social categorization and identity become more and more topical both for academic research and everyday lives. In this respect, current manifestations of xenophobia worldwide cannot be ignored as this phenomenon forms the basis for social categorization and consequent racial, national, religious and cultural prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination. While xenophobia as a social phenomenon has always been present thoughout the world’s history and is a natural aspect of human’s psyche (Bolaffi et al., 2003), its manifestations may lead to social unrest, controversy and segregation (Brodkin, 2008). In addition, xenophobia is closely related to and sometimes overlaps racism, the latter being an extensively discussed topic worldwide today. However, xenophobia is a broader term incorporating a wider variety of features rather than purely race as a basis for exclusion (Adam and Moodley, 2015). The fact that in 2016 ‘xenophobia’ was named the word of the year (Time, 2016) , reflecting central social and political notions of the time, such as Brexit and Syrian refugees’ inflow, emphasizes that xenophobia is a salient phenomenon of the zeitgeist. In the discussion of xenophobia, the opposite term ‘xenomania’, i. e. ‘an inordinate attachment to foreign things (as customs, institutions, manners, fashions)’ (the Dictionary by Merriam-Webster, needs to be considered as well. Influenced by the ongoing globalization, rapid spread of information and new communication technologies, xenomania especially towards developed Western countries, is a present characteristic shaping youth’s identities worldwide (Dewey and Brison, 7 2012; Comaroff and Comaroff, 2005; Huq, 2006; Cole and Durham, 2007). Thus, both xenophobia and xenomania are notable features of the modern world and are reflected among societies on a variety of levels, including politics, economics, culture and social life. The advertising industry is one of the important elements of the today’s complex and everchanging world affected by ongoing globalization processes. As just as any other sector, it needs to meet the challenges of the VUCA world and adapt its strategies and communication accordingly.Today, advertising is not just a source of brand names and images, it is the essence of commercial media and its development driver (Sinclair, 2012). Existing between the old media, such as print, television, radio and outdoor, and new media, in particular the internet, advertising more than ever is defining and directing people’s ways of life. Moreover, it serves as a visual medium of creation of globalized memory and a way to transmit values and behaviours