A comparison of print advertisements from Australia and Croatia

This study extends the research on cross-cultural advertising by comparing print advertisements from Australia and Croatia in terms of emotional appeals and information content. A content analysis of advertisements from magazines similar in readership profile from Australia and Croatia revealed that Croatian advertisements make greater use of emotional appeals and informational cues. Cross-cultural understanding is imperative in order to be able to reflect the cultural values and norms of the intended audience. These findings are timely given that Western and European countries are coming into far greater contact due to increasing globalisation.

Research highlights► Examines difference of emotional and information cues in Australian and Croatian advertising. ► Croatian advertisements utilise more emotional appeals. ► Suggests that differences in the cultural contexts (low = Australia; high = Croatia) reflects in the emotional content of print ads. ► Proposition that Australian advertisements contain more information cues not supported. ► Croatia has less advertising experience so consumers may require more product information.