Impact of Language, Religion, and Culture on Marketing Mix Decisions

This article discusses the impact of language, religion, and culture on marketing mix decisions. It emphasizes the need for companies to adapt their marketing strategies to suit the local elements of their targeted customers. The article provides examples from New Zealand to illustrate the importance of customizing products and promoting them in the local language. It also highlights the role of values and norms in shaping marketing mix decisions.

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Language is the key to communication. For a better understanding of the matter, there is
a need for proper communication both verbal and non-verbal. In business management,
communication is the medium to send a message to the target audience. Moreover, for a
multilingual and diverse country like New Zealand where people speak more than 160
languages, the need for a multilingual base is extremely crucial for a business operation (NZ
Herald, 2018). Verbal, non-verbal communication and even gestures convey a different meaning
to the audience.
According to Turnbull (2018), most people in New Zealand are bilingual who speak their
language as well as English. For a global brand to successfully operate, it is important to have a
standardised marketing programme, which will ensure uniformity in business. However, in this
context, the immediate concern of a company should be to understand the requirement of the
consumer and the market. The four components of the marketing mix (product, price, position
and promotion) of a commodity are the prime concern for a company where it requires
adaptation. According to De Mooij (2018), for business operations and marketing, if the local
elements of its targeted customer are not adopted within its marketing mix, it creates a “global-
local” paradox. Based on language and communication, a company should adopt the local
language to have greater reach in the market. For example, if a company is selling food and
beverages product, it must promote the advertisement in the local language. The local television
and other broadcasting advertisements can be made in their regional language than promoting
them in English. Adaptation has a great value when it comes to distribution. Price, position and
promotion are directly connected to the market forces.These market forces would also include
social and cultural factors like religion and values of its people. When a new company is entering
the market with new products, it should focus on marketing strategies and communication

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techniques to establish itself in the market than going for standardisation. Standardisation can be
an option when it already has a good image in the market, and changes are perceived to be
normal. To elaborate, in advertisement, newsletter, posters, the company should use local
symbols, image, and language to promote the product. To cite an example in the context of New
Zealand, The Vodafone International has initiated a step with the New Zealand government
(Maori language Commission) to promote and revitalise the Maori language
(Tetaurawhiri.govt.nz, 2018). Their purpose for taking this initiative is “Global network, local
roots” (Tetaurawhiri.govt.nz, 2018).This initiative gives an impression to the global and regional
market about the company’s motto. Along with language, religion and cultural, a social belief of
the people affect the market and the marketing strategies of the company.
Religion plays a vital role in many societies, being reflected in aspects such as symbols,
colours, rituals, holidays, taboos, and philosophical systems etc., which in turn have profound
impact on the consumer behaviour thus the marketing mix decision. (Kotabe & Helsen, 2008;
Lee& Carter, 2005). Religious taboos often impose an adapted marketing-mix strategy. In the
context of New Zealand, there is a diverse culture. There are Hindus, Muslims, Buddhist, Bahai
and predominantly Christians. However, there are 42% of the population who have no religious
affiliations (Teara.govt.nz, 2018). These people are distinguished from each other by cultural
difference. In this context, it is important for companies to go for product customisation to suit
the interest of the people. For example, The HAKA brand in New Zealand, which is a global
clothing store, sells sports items and clothes. However, HAKA has made a fusion between the
sports apparel and the “Maori” symbolism, which is an inseparable element of New Zealand’s
culture. (HAKA New Zealand, 2018). Hence, it can be said that religious and cultural diversity
have an important impact on marketing mix decisions. However, another important part in any

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marketing operations other than customisation is "advertising media availability". This refers to
the different platforms, which are used to promote a product in the market. A company can use
the online platform through direct mail for digital marketing, and it can use magazines,
newspaper ads, radio and television broadcasting etc.
Values and norms describe what people, in general, think the world ought to be like in
absolute terms (Mooij, 2009). While values are enduring beliefs about a specific mode of
conduct or a desirable end-state (Rokeach, 1973), norms are rules that dictate what is right or
wrong, desirable or undesirable within a value system (Lascu, 2003). Some practical examples to
explain this: societies with low level of trust perceiving online transfer risky and consequently
trading online unacceptable or low exposure to technologies will limit the persuasion power of
digital marketing and electronic word-of- month and people’s perception over beauty may
indirectly cause labelling and packaging differentiation. To take another example from New
Zealand, due to the diversity of culture and religion, the tribal community "Maori" believes in the
preservation of natural resources. To this community protection of the environment is very
crucial. It is here that a marketing strategy and decisions require a change that can build trust
among people of Maori community. A product to have a broader market base will have to look
into the issue of preserving the values of the people of that region. Marketing mix of a product
should focus on the adaptation of values and beliefs of the local people. For example, the
marketing strategy of a company can be promoting their brand as natural and green that will
mention that the manufacturing of the products do not include exploitation of the raw material
while the marketing mix strategy can be the production of an environmentally sustainable
product. This will have benefit for the company as well as the targeted audience. This can build
trust in people’s mind regarding the brand and its production. Summing up, the values and norms

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of societies have profound impacts on the marketing mix decisions, particularly on promotional
activities, packaging and product offerings, and similarities in values and norms provide
conditions for standardisation whereas differences will result in adaptation of the influenced
aspects.

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References
De Mooij, M. (2018). Global marketing and advertising: Understanding cultural paradoxes.
SAGE Publications Limited.
HAKA New Zealand (2018). HAKA New Zealand. [online] HAKA New Zealand. Available at:
https://www.hakabrand.com/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2018].
NZ Herald. (2018). NZ sitting on language goldmine. Retrieved from
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10869226
Teara.govt.nz. (2018). Retrieved from https://teara.govt.nz/en/diverse-religions
Tetaurawhiri.govt.nz (2018). Vodafone and Māori Language Commission join forces to give
kaha to te reo | Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. [online] Tetaurawhiri.govt.nz. Available
at: http://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/about-us/news/vodafone-and-maori-language-
commission-join-forces-to-give-kaha-to-te-reo/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2018].
Turnbull, B. (2018). Bilingualism in new Zealand: A field of misconceptions. New Zealand
Studies in Applied Linguistics, 24(1), 70.