Culturally sensitive Marketing

Without a culturally correct interpretation of a country’s aesthetic values, a host of marketing problems can arise. Product styling must be aesthetically pleasing to be  successful, as must advertisement and package designs. Insensitivity to aesthetic values can offend, create a negative impression, and, in general render marketing efforts ineffective or even damaging. Strong symbolic meanings may be overlooked if one is not familiar with a culture’s aesthetic values. The Japanese for example consider the crane as being very lucky because it is said to live a thousand years; however the use of the number four should be avoided completely because the word or four, shi, is also the Japanese word for death. Thus teacups are sold in sets of five, not four, in Japan.