Do other countries besides the U.S. have the mentality of things being special because they are from somewhere else?
Asked by
gemiwing (
14718
)
April 16th, 2010
In the U.S. there are routinely commercials on tv/radio/print that say things like ‘secrets that European women have known for years!’; ‘used in France for centuries!’; ‘the best cure from Europe for X- finally here in the states! and the like.
Are the advertisements in other countries like this too? Where a product is touted as better because it came from a country, not of your own?
If you live in the UK do you hear about African consumer/beauty products like they are the best? Does Australian advertising tout the amazement of Canadian foot balm?
I wonder if there is an advertising campaign touting something from the states, but I kind of doubt it. What would we export? Yellow-colored cheese? I don’t think our image is good enough to really sell to a consumer market.
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12 Answers
It is not a mentality. It is a sales tactic exploiting the ignorance of the masses of the things that go on outside their petty home country.
And no, I can not remember seeing such advertising, but that may be because I do not watch any advertising.
A British woman told me once she found my American accent “rather exciting”.
(I found her exciting, too – but it wasn’t the accent.)
They have advertising like that all over the Philippines, particularly for anti-aging, skincare type things. There was an add for something from America which caught my attention because I’m not used to hearing it, but I can’t remember what it was… some sort of scar-removal thing maybe? or was that from France… now I remember, it was some sort of weight-loss supplement.
I believe it’s a universal phenomenon. But something french is probably more exotic to an american as compared to a german.
I wonder what countries pick which other countries to go on about. In the US it’s mainly that great mystery called ‘Europe’ (no they don’t get any more specific than that either). Anyone notice a certain country being favored in their own advertising?
We have already marketed many American things to other countries. (McDonalds, Coke, etc) Not exactly our best products.
It wasn’t exactly advertising but I do know that when I was in New Zealand the operator of our Jet Boat was happy to announce to us that the motor for his craft could only have come from Detroit!
Power!
@wilma That’s a good point I didn’t think of- Detroit I mean. It’s still seen as a huge motorhead mecca.
American stars do commercials in Japan, which they would not do in the US. Harrison Ford selling beer, for example. It’s for their exotic appeal or to give an aura of American-ness.
http://www.japander.com/japander/index.htm
And is the Marlboro man used overseas? I imagine cowboy/western themes would be used a lot.
Obviously this is a common and well-used sales tactic. Why else would all of our politicians seem to come from Mars?
I think advertisers using that country’s cultural image and hoping that you’ll buy into it. Like Europe means cultured and refined, Asia means exotic, etc. It’s like when a celebrity sells hair color and your know she gets it done professionally, But, you think at that time that you want shiny hair like hers, so you buy that brand.
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