Cultural and paradoxical values in advertising in Eastern Europe : Evidence from Estonia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether Hofstede’s (2001) cultural framework and the value paradox explain the use of appeals in advertising in Estonia. Design/methodology/approach – Hypotheses are drawn in relation to Hofstede’s original four cultural dimensions – power distance, masculinity/femininity, individualism/collectivism and uncertainty avoidance. A sample of 110 print advertisements from four magazines were analyzed using Pollay’s (1983) classification of advertising appeals. Findings – The results show that Estonian advertising reflects paradoxical values related to low power distance and femininity dimensions, and culturally congruent values related to high-uncertainty avoidance and individualism. Practical implications – Findings suggest that cultural values (desired) alone are insufficient to predict the reflection of culture in advertising. Rather, consideration of the discrepancies between the cultural values (desired) and practices (desirable) enables a better explanation of the relationship between society and its advertising. Originality/value – Scholars have shown increasing interest in the consequences of culture on advertising, but the opposing aspect of cultural values and practices has received limited research attention. The paper offers interesting insights regarding the effect of culture and the value paradox on the use of appeals in advertising. Additionally, analyzing the advertising of Eastern Europe is highly important because of the limited research attention that exists with respect to advertising in the region.