A Comparison of TV Ads Aimed At the General U.S. Market, The U.S. Hispanic Market, and the Mexican Market

© 2015, The Academy of Marketing Science.The importance of culture for the study of consumer behavior has been well documented (McCracken 1988). It is generally agreed that all societies have culture based on their language, customs, traditions, and institutions, and that the behavioral patterns of a particular culture express those shared values and beliefs of that culture (Wallendorf and Reilly 1983). This study contributes to the literature by narrowing the focus of a cross-cultural examination from an inter-country perspective to a cross-cultural intra-country perspective. This paper will identify the presence of various cultural orientations in television advertisements aimed at: 1) the U.S. market, 2) the U.S. Hispanic market, and 3) the Mexican market in Mexico. As noted by Belk and Bryce (1986), ¿it is a basic premise of advertising that a successful ad must appeal to the values and needs of its intended audience¿ (p. 571).