A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE INFLUNCE OF CULTURE ON ADVERTISING: EXPERIENCES OF LIMCA NIGERIAN BOTTLING COMPANY.

Abstract

Advertising has been implicated as having significant correlation with culture. In other words, there are empirical proofs that within most adverts are subliminal messages with divergent cultural nuances. Most times, big organisations have employed these cultural shades in their promotional efforts to reach out to, and equally win the confidence of their target audience. And at other times, when these cultural contexts are employed wrongly, organisations have suffered immensely for such mistakes. This paper critically discourses the significance of culture as an essential part of advertising campaigns of organisations. The researchers made use of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) in analysisng a number of adverts of Limca Bottling Company in Nigeria. They critically looked at the extent Limca has employed different cultural shades through advertising in advancing their products in Nigeria. Findings from the study showed that culture remains a fundamental part of every advertising effort – it to a certain degree influences advertising. The research also discovered that when culture is properly fused with advertising, it can significantly promote the acceptability or aversion for a brand. In addition, the researchers also revealed that Limca Nigerian bottling company employs significant part of the Nigerian cultural nuances in their advertising efforts. It is against this backdrop that the authors of this work strongly recommend that brands and organisations should as matter of importance strategically engage culture in their marketing and advertising endeavors, as this will always give them greater opportunity of being strategically positioned in whatever local or global market they find themselves.