- •The importance of cross-cultural differences in marketing communications within Russia and Ireland in tourism and hospitality industry
- •Iuliia Starokon
- •Candidate Declaration
- •Acknowledgements
- •Abstract The importance of cross-cultural differences in marketing communications within Russia and Ireland in tourism and hospitality industry
- •Iuliia Starokon
- •1.3 Research objectives
- •1Introduction
- •1.1 Overview
- •1.2 Research purpose
- •1.4 Research background and significance of the study
- •1.5 Structure of the dissertation
- •2Literature review
- •2.1 Overview
- •2.2 Cross-cultural marketing and its role in marketing communication context
- •2.2.1 The reflection of national features in promotion content
- •2.2.2 Cultural awareness about differences and similarities in marketing
- •2.1The impact of culture on marketing communication process
- •2.3.1 The influence of marketing promotional message on culturally different customers
- •2.3.2 The effectiveness of marketing communication mix
- •2.2Culture and cultural dimensions of Hofstede in marketing communication context
- •2.4.1 Defining culture
- •2.4.2 Hofstede’s dimensions and their application to marketing communications
- •2.5 Worldwide practices in addressing cross –cultural differences in marketing communications
- •2.5.1 “From smallest to largest” and “from largest to smallest” approaches
- •2.5.2 Emotional appeals
- •2.6 Online marketing as an important element of Integrated Marketing Communications with relations to cultural differences
- •2.6.1 The use of online marketing communications within Russia and Ireland
- •2.6.2 The effectiveness of using social media and word-of-mouth
- •2.6.3 Conceptual Framework
- •2.6 Conclusion
- •3Methodology and Research Design
- •3.1Overview
- •3.2Research Philosophy and Approach
- •3.3Research Strategy
- •3.4Collection Primary Data
- •3.5 Secondary data
- •3.5Access and Ethical Issues
- •3.6Approach to Data Analysis
- •3.8 Conclusion
- •4Presentation and Analysis of Findings
- •4.1 Overview
- •Findings and discussion
- •4.3 Theme 1: Cross-cultural marketing and its role in marketing communication context
- •4.3.1 Subtheme 1: The reflection of national features in promotion content
- •4.3.2 Subtheme 2: Cultural awareness about differences and similarities in marketing
- •4.4 Theme 2: The impact of culture on marketing communications
- •4.4.1 Subtheme 1: The influence and effectiveness of marketing promotional message on culturally different customers
- •Theme 3: Culture and cultural dimensions of Hofstede in marketing communication context
- •4.5.1 Subtheme 1: Hofstede’s dimensions and their application to marketing communications
- •4.6 Theme 4: Worldwide practices in addressing cross –cultural differences in marketing communications
- •4.6.1 Subtheme 1: “From smallest to largest” and “from largest to smallest” approaches
- •4.6.2 Subtheme 2: Emotional appeals
- •4.7 Theme 5: Online marketing as an important element of Integrated Marketing Communications with relations to cultural differences
- •4.7.1 Subtheme 1: The use of online marketing communications within Russia and Ireland
- •4.7.2 Subtheme 2: The effectiveness of using social media and word-of-mouth
- •4.8 Conclusion
- •5Concluding Thoughts on the Contribution of this Research, its Limitations and Suggestions for Further Research
- •5.1Implications of Findings for the Research Questions
- •5.2Contributions and Limitations of the Research
- •5.3Recommendations for future research and practice
- •5.4Final Conclusion and Reflections
- •References
- •Appendices Appendix a – Research Study- The importance of cross-cultural differences in marketing communications within Russia and Ireland in tourism and hospitality industry
1Introduction
1.1 Overview
The research topic, which I am going to examine is “The importance of cross-cultural differences in marketing communications within Russia and Ireland in the tourism and hospitality industry”. The chosen area will be predominately focused on the influence of national culture on marketing communications, due to the fact that the implications of cross-cultural issues are important in a marketing context, especially for companies spreading their activities internationally (Makhlouk and Shevchuk, 2008).
The purpose of this introductory chapter is to present the aim and objectives of the study. The significance and background will be presented delivering the importance of the chosen research area.
1.2 Research purpose
The aim of this study is to find out whether or not there are any cross-cultural differences within Russia and Ireland which affect customers’ perception of marketing communications in the tourism and hospitality industry.
In other words the purpose of this paper is to understand if there are significant cultural differences within two different geographic regions and if so, to find out if they are substantial enough to affect the perception of Irish and Russian tourists of marketing communications.
The awareness of these differences might prevent international companies from failures and losses, when they extend their marketing activities to Ireland and Russia.
The three case studies in this research comprise the experience of tourism related organizations. Two of them advertise for both Russian and Irish tourists, and a marketer from the third company is Irish, and has been living in Russia for 15 years promoting Ireland as a travel destination for Russian tourists. These companies were chosen for the research due to their different approaches to advertising, such experiences helped to get diverse and valuable information.
1.3 Research objectives
There are three main objectives, which were established in order to achieve the goal of this research:
Firstly, I will identify cultural aspects which should be taken into consideration when marketing communications strategies are being created.
It is necessary to understand how culture affects the perception of marketing communications. It is important to understand what exactly is involved.
Secondly, it will be determined to what extent online marketing is effective in Russia and Ireland with reference to specific cultural characteristics, which might influence the effectiveness.
Online marketing is considered to be one of the most effective tools of promotions, therefore it is worth exploring the emerging trends in marketing communications regarding Ireland and Russia.
Thirdly, I will explore cultural aspects, which should be taken into account by international businesses when engaging in marketing activities in both Ireland and Russia.
The most important objective is to discover cultural aspects, which international companies should be aware of when conducting marketing activities in Russia and Ireland.
The aforementioned questions will provide the basic framework for the study.