Advertising and Culture. Introduction and Background

Advertising and Culture
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Introduction and Background
China is one of the oldest civilizations, and its culture has dominated the world in one way or the other, with flourishing artistic, political, scientific, philosophical and economic traditions. China has long maintained its cultural identity and values as a universalistic civilization. This country has struggled for years with the challenges of forging a new identity in this ever-changing world. The history of advertising in China can be divided into three main periods; the goal and purpose of all of them have been to promote a product, service, brand, good or particular thing or to create awareness among people regarding a specific social, economic or political issue. In China, people started using advertisements to promote or market brands and products right after World War II, followed by the era of state-sponsored propaganda (the 1970s) and contemporary China (Weiss). Contemporary China is the era that started in the late 1980s. In ancient times, advertisements used to be simple and straightforward with a few elements of creativity. However, it does not mean Chinese did not know how to promote certain products. The fact is that pictorial advertising was dominating all over the world, including China (1998). It came into existence in the 9th century and lasted until the 12th century. Inscriptions can now be seen on the engraving plate, which indicates that they were used to print wrapping papers for acupuncture needles. There had been simple illustrations, and Chinese artists were involved in almost all forms of art and advertisement. At that time, the materials, colors, and components used in artworks and advertisements depicted Chinese culture to an extent. It means people were not only introduced to a certain product or service but also were brought close to the culture and traditions of China. Only a couple of actual advertisements were printed before the 19th century; advertisement or marketing through a handful of packing boxes, handbills with certain messages on them and wrapping papers was common in China. Later on, archives and manuscripts came into being in the 18th century, when treaties opened several Chinese cities to the West. Not only the western products were advertised in a number of ways, but also local (Chinese) products were marketed using posters, colorful calendars, images, newspaper ads, and signboards.
Cultural Themes Advertisements Focus On
The core themes of culture shown in all of these advertisements are national identity, agriculture and population, and family and relationships. In some of the advertisements, the history of Chinese culture is clearly visible. Artists and other individuals with creative skills put their six senses to work in order to come up with culture-friendly advertisements. They aimed to let the world know how rich the cultural and traditional values of China are (1998). In some other advertisements, agricultural products and goods are introduced to the citizens, and in a few of them, people are taught how valuable family and relationships are. Thus, it can be said that different cultural themes are depicted in Chinese advertisements.
Ad Analysis 1