Analysis of WWF Public Relations Campaign: International Relations

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) public relations campaign, specifically the 'Give up to Give Back' initiative launched in India. The report begins with an introduction to the campaign, outlining its goals and objectives within the context of Earth Hour 2018. A PESTLE analysis of India is presented to understand the political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, environmental, and legal factors influencing the campaign's effectiveness. The core of the report utilizes Hofstede's cultural dimension theory to assess how cultural values, such as power distance, individualism, masculinity, and uncertainty avoidance, impact the campaign's reception and success within Indian society. The report also touches upon the circuit of culture theory and the role of public relations practitioners as cultural intermediaries. The analysis provides insights into how cultural understanding can enhance communication and dialogue between organizations and diverse cultural groups. Finally, the report concludes with a summary of findings and implications for future public relations strategies in similar contexts.

International Relations
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Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Assessment 1...................................................................................................................................3
Assessment 2...................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................14
References......................................................................................................................................15
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Introduction
The success of a public relation campaign of a non-government is affected by the cultural
differences which is resent in the society and also because each society perceives each incident
and initiative in a separate manner depending on their values, beliefs and underlying
philosophies. The current report focuses on the analysis of likely effectiveness of a public
relation campaign adopted by the WWF based on the Hofstede’s cultural dimension framework
as it helps in providing detailed insights regarding the rationale of behaviour and beliefs of
individuals belonging to major societies of the world. The current report also helps in analysing
the effectiveness of circuit of culture theory to contemplate the requirement for exploring the
product of a culture as a complex object which is influenced by distinct elements of the culture.
The current report also helps in providing information regarding the ways public relation
practitioners by acting as cultural intermediaries can understand cultural behaviour and the
distinct manner through which public relation practitioners can facilitate dialogue between
organization and various cultures.
Assessment 1
Campaign Details
World Wildlife Fund for Nature or WWF is one of the most popular global non-governmental
organizations operating in the area of preservation of wilderness and the reduction of human
impact on the environment. In the year 2018, WWF India, launched the Give up To Give Back
campaign in order to encourage various organizations, organizations and individuals to make the
choice of curbing some habits, practices and lifestyle which burden their lives and the
environment. The Give up to Give Back campaign of WWF India, was launched on the occasion
of Earth Hour 2018, which is the world’s largest grassroots level environment movement where
individuals belonging to various part of the world combine to take a stand regarding climate
change by switching off un-necessary lights for an hour. Earth Hour is a global initiative of
WWF India, with a record involvement of 178 countries and territories around the world. The
Give up to Give Back and Connect to Earth campaign includes taking various steps such as
preventing use single use plastics, preventing use fossil fuels, preventing lonely car drives for
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employees, preventing electronic waste, giving up excess use of paper and switching of all non-
essential lights during the Earth Hour in order to show support for the campaign.
PESTLE Analysis of India
Political- India is considered as one of the strongest nations globally due to fact that it is biggest
democracy in world which enjoys comparatively politically secured atmosphere. New-Delhi is
capital of India and it surrounds two strong nations in the form of China and Pakistan. Other
neighbours of India are Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri-Lanka. The democratic
right of individuals that are demonstrated in regional and national elections is mostly accepted
and respected by various political parties and citizens of the country and this political culture of
tolerance adds largely regarding maintaining politically secured climate in country. The secured
political environment of nation is considered as one of the vital reasons in context to attraction of
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in nation. Nonetheless occasional political unrests are not
unusual in India, which creates fix among the global investors regarding investment in nation.
Key aspect of concern in India is existing levels of corruption in the country. The issue of
corruption affects the business and political environment of the country in a negative manner
which poses challenges regarding economic growth of nation. The presence of corruption
enhances business operations costs in the country and often affects the attraction FDI in nation
but initiatives taken by government of the country and the awareness among the general
audiences is helping to combat the issue of corruption currently.
Economic- According to the economic forecast of IMF 2017, the Gross Domestic Product of
India is around $2.4 trillion which makes it 7th biggest economy worldwide in terms of nominal
GDP. Present rate of corporate tax in nation is 30%, though the country has witnessed frequent
changes in rates of corporate taxes over the years. The country is considered as one of the largest
global agrarian countries. It is 7th biggest coffee manufacturing nation in world. The vital
products exported from India are petroleum goods, jewellery, pharmaceuticals, transportation
materials, machineries and readymade clothing’s. Key imports of the country includes crude
petroleum, gold and silver, electronic products, pearls and precious stones. The top trading
participants of the country are China, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong etc.
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Socio-cultural- India has an enormous market for the customers with overall population of about
1.2 billion and therefore it provides huge opportunities for global firms. India provides cheap
work force to companies and the work force population of India is estimated to attain160-170
million by 2020. The accessible and economical nature of work forces in the country has
encouraged various global companies for outsourcing few of their business functions in India.
India is a multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation. One of the greatest strength of
the country lies in the level of communal harmony in the country but however the country
experiences various ethnic issues at times. India boasts of one of the biggest and popular film
industries across world and is also reputed for various sports such as cricket, hockey, badminton
etc. India is one of the most favourable nations worldwide for companies in various domains.
The living standard among the individuals of the country is slowly developing and nation is
experiencing growth in the middle class population of the company who have greater disposable
income. However, according to IMF, India is also affected by poverty and increasing inequalities
with 1 in 5 people in India are poor.
Technological- India is considered as one of the most futuristic country in term of technology
advancement in the world and as per reports in various sources, India occupies 3rdplace in the
world in terms advanced of technology and as a result therefore more and more multinational
companies are expanding in India, in order to utilize the opportunities offered by the country due
to advanced technological framework. India is a vital destination regarding outsourcing works in
terms of IT projects of various companies. Due to the presence of an IT infrastructure which is
advanced in nature and presence of IT work force which is skilled in nature, India offers
unlimited potential for entrepreneurs to undertake technological projects such as development of
software and upgrades, e-commerce, mobile applications, solutions for business etc.
Environmental- Though the country has made significant advancement over years in various
fields, but the country still encounters a host of major environmental issues such as pollution of
air, water, floods, resource depletion such as loss of water and forests, loss of biodiversity and
dumping of consumer wastes in rivers which at times creates difficulties for expatriates to live in
such conditions. The government of the country has designed and implemented various strict
laws regarding conservation and protection of the environment but it has not yielded the desired
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effect due to lack of awareness regarding the individuals of the country regarding the seriousness
of the environmental problems which are faced by the country.
Legal- The legal landscape of India can be termed as effective in nature as it various restrictions
and regulations in place which ensures fair competition in the market and which also helps in
attracting foreign direct investments in the country. India is a renowned place regarding foreign
direct investment for multinational companies. Based on opportunities and needs of trade,
investors from overseas can start enterprise, branch or limited liability collaboration in the
country. The domestic firms are regulated by Companies Act 2013. There are various laws
regarding workers which help in regulating relations regarding employment in India such as the
Employees’ State Insurance Act 1948, Industrial Dispute Act 1947, and Maternity benefit Act
1961 and the Payment of Bonuses Act 1965.
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension Theory
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension Theory is a structure for cultural correspondence across various
cultures which help in describing the effect of culture of the society on the members’ value and
how these values connect to a behaviour utilising a framework which is obtained from factor
analysis. National culture dimensions as per Hofstede Cultural Dimension Theory are power
distance index, individualism vs collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity vs femininity,
and long term orientation vs short term orientation and indulgence vs restraints.
The Hofstede Cultural Dimension Theory based on Indian Culture Society is as follows:
Power Distance- Power distance is described as limit to which members which are less powerful
of institutions and firms within a nation expect and accept that power is dispersed in an unequal
manner. As opined by Beugelsdijk, Kostova and Roth (2017) dimension of power distance is
concerned with fact that all individuals belonging to the community are not equal. India scores
77, which is high on dimension of power distance which demonstrates favour for hierarchy and
top down structure in community and firms and which also highlights that individuals are
dependent on their boss or for power holder for getting direction.
As opined by Molnárné and Nagy (2018) in context of the campaign it can be stated that, it will
be successful in the Indian society, if it is started from top hierarchy level such as the top
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management of the organization as the people tend to wait for actions to be started from top
level.
Individualism- The basic issue which is described by this aspect is extent of interdependence a
community follows amongst its members. It is concerned with whether self-image of individual
is addressed in context of “I” or “We”. India scores a moderate score of 48 in this dimension
which suggests that the society demonstrates both individualistic and collectivistic traits. The
collectivist side of the Indian Society suggests that a high preference is observed among the
individuals for getting associated to a social network which is large in which the individuals of
the society are expected to act accordingly for larger benefit of the group. The individualistic
side of the Indian society suggests that the Indian Society is greatly affected by religious
philosophies which guide the actions of individuals.
In the context of the campaign it can be stated that the campaign will be successful if it is
followed by a large number of individuals and also it can be successful if the main aim of the
campaign coincides with their religious thoughts and philosophies.
Masculinity- A greater score in this aspects suggests that the society is masculine in nature and
will be led by competition, attainment and success and a lesser score in the aspect suggests that
the society is feminine in nature in which he dominating values are caring for others and life
quality India, scores 56 in this aspect which indicates that the society is masculine in nature in
context of visual display and power.
According to Tunçel, Kavak and Karademır (2017) in context of the campaign it can be stated
that the international public relations campaign will be successful if the common people
perceives it as a medium of getting recognition, success and achievement rather than caring for
the environment and improving their way of life.
Uncertainty avoidance- The aspect of avoidance of uncertainty deals with the manner that
community handles with reality that the future is unknown. The limit to which the members of a
culture experiences endangerment by uncertain or unknown conditions and have made beliefs
and institutions which try to avert these is demonstrated in the scores of avoidance of
uncertainty. India scores 40 in this element and therefore a medium low preference regarding
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uncertainty avoidance in India. In India, there is belief of imperfection, in which nothing has to
be perfect and neither has to go exactly according to plan.
In context of the campaign it can be stated that the campaign can create some sort of
uncertainties in the individuals as it is completely new to them and therefore they can tend to
avoid the campaign as a result of the perceived uncertainties.
Long term orientation- This aspect helps in describing the way every society has maintained few
connection with its past while interacting with present and future issues and communities values
these two existential objectives in a different manner. India scores 51 in this aspect and therefore
a dominance preference in the Indian culture cannot be ascertained.
As opined by Rim and Dong (2018) in context of the campaign it can be stated that the campaign
may be perceived in two ways by the society. It can be considered as suspicious as the campaign
is not a part of their existing norms and traditions and it can also be welcomed heartily in the
society who welcomes changes heartily in the society.
Indulge- As stated by Lanier and Kirchner (2018) this aspect is defined as the limit to which
individual try to control their desires and impulses based on the way they were raised. India has a
score of 26 in this dimension which suggests that there is culture of restraint which is observed in
the Indian Society and there is a tendency regarding pessimism and cynicism among then Indian
population.
In context of the campaign it can be stated that the campaign can be restrained as the people in
the society can develop negative feelings or doubt regarding the campaign as it is new for them.
The dominant discourses in context of The Give up to Give Back and Connect to Earth campaign
in India are the directives provided by various government representatives in regard to
supporting the campaign. In this context the level and severity of dominant discourses were not
high as people were not perceived as highly irresponsible or careless if they fail to demonstrate
their support towards the campaign or disagree with the view-points of those supporting the
campaign.
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Assessment 2
As stated by Tombleson and Wolf (2017) circuit of culture is actually a framework or theory
which is mainly utilized in the area of cultural studies. The circuit of culture is described as a
technique of product exploring of a culture as a complex object which is influenced by and has
an influence on a number of different aspects of that particular culture. The theory of circuit of
culture states that while studying a cultural text or artefacts, an individual must analyse it from
five aspects or variables. The various variables of the circuit of culture are as follows:
Representation- As opined by Seow and Desai (2014) the representation variable helps in
illustrating how is the meaning communicated to the audience or users belonging to a particular
culture and what signs and modes are helpful in conveying the meaning to the audiences. It also
helps in illustrating what types of sings, modes and disclosures help in carrying not only the
meaning related to information but also the meaning related to social.
Identity- The identity variables helps in illustrating how meaning is internalized by the receivers
and audience in the communication process. The identity of an individual is determined by their
culture, which develops a range of viable and non-viable identity options which are presented,
refined and re-negotiated via the process of communication of individuals and by exchange of
cultural objects.
Production- As stated by Taylor and Yang (2015) the production variable helps in illustrating the
production of meaning as meanings can be produced and reproduced in a number of ways. An
individual can represent itself I a different manner for separating their identity with others, a
product can represent itself uniquely by designing their product in a unique manner and similarly
an organization can represent them in a unique manner in order to create an identity for them in
the society.
Consumption- The consumption side helps in illustrating the opposite side of production. The
consumption of texts whether an outfit, a conversation or music helps in reflecting values and
expectations related to culture. The agreeing to values and expectations contributes to lack of
problematic consumption. It can be stated in this context that what is expected by individuals
leads to consumption without problems.
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Regulation- The regulation side help in illustrating the forces which reduces the production,
distribution and consumption of texts in a society. The forces which are realized in this context
can be explicit in nature, for instance the code of conduct of the television broadcaster and can
also be implicit in nature, for instance the litmus test of various blogger content and materials.
In the current post-modernist era, the Indian society has witnessed massive development due to
the presence of the information and communication technology factor. In, other words it can be
stated that one of the main basis of transformation of India from modernist society to post-
modernist society in India is growth of information and communication technology. The access
to huge amount of data and information which has been facilitated by the various tools and
techniques of information technology have helped India to maintain pace with other societies of
the world regarding transformation to a post-modernist society which can be evident from the
changing lifestyle, attitudes, technological advancements, acceptance of Western culture and so
on. At the same time it has been also observed that very often majority of the citizens of the
country remain in a dilemma whether to stick to their local or national identity or move forward
to attain the greater heights of material gains.
It is also observed that though India claims to be a leading member of the post-modernism era,
but the political structure of the country lack the approach of multiculturalism which requires a
politics of recognition. It means that the cultural identity of ethnic and national minorities should
be identified and the minority cultures should enjoy specific rights for expressing and maintain
the culture and therefore culture and politics should not be two separate circles.
It is also observed that though India is perceived to be a post-modernistic society, but the media
landscape of the country have not evolved itself effectively according to the requirement of post-
modernistic society which is evident from the fact that majority of the media houses are partly or
completely biased towards the political setup of the country and they there is an often an
tendency among them to influence human views and perceptions by presenting them with
misleading facts and also reaching to a conclusion without fully analysing an issue or topic.
Whereas the USA, is one of the most advanced post-modernistic society in the world not only by
virtue of its technological advancements but by virtue of the transformation of the views and
beliefs of the individual who belong to the society. They people belonging to the US society has
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not upgraded themselves in terms of attitudes and lifestyle but also have upgraded their views
and perception level which have helped them to adapt to the changes in the society by focusing
on gaining maximum heights in terms of materials gain which has in turn helped in benefitting
them.
In context of the political system also it can be said that the US society is a post-modernistic
society which have actively mixed politics along with culture in order to promote multi-
culturalism which enables recognition of cultural identity of ethnic and national minorities and
providing specific rights to the minority cultures for expressing and maintaining their culture.
In context of the media landscape also, it can be stated that the US society is a post-modernistic
society which is evident from the fact that the media houses and networks of the country are
unbiased in nature and at times they exercise their power of questioning the government
decisions of the country which helps in overall development of the society. The US media does
not believe in influencing the thought process of the individuals of the country but they believe
in fully presenting concrete facts and information in order to ensure that the citizens of the
country develop the correct view regarding a particular topic.
The Circuit of Culture approach helps to understand the different norms and perceptions in an
effective manner by applying various its five dimensions and variables through which in
analyses a particular norm or perception and also regarding the selection of a particular norm or
selection by analysing the cause of such preferences. As stated by Philippa Mules (2019) the
circuit of culture also helps in understanding the different norms and perceptions by believing
that the various products of a culture are complex objects which are affected by the aspects of
that particular culture. The circuit of culture also helps to understand norms and perceptions in an
effective manner by analysing the various ways an idea or concept can be conveyed to the
audiences of various cultures and how they are perceived or received by the individuals
belonging to diverse cultures. The circuit of culture also helps to understand the different norms
and perceptions in an effective manner as it analyses the differences in norms and perceptions of
various cultures based on five variables which helps in influencing norms and behaviours of the
representatives of various cultures.
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Public relation practitioners as cultural intermediaries can understand cultural behaviour in the
following ways:
 Public relation practitioners can become self-aware of their own values, beliefs,
perceptions in order to get an understanding of cultural behaviours of other society and
culture.
 Public relation practitioners can understand cultural behaviour by analysing the
perceptions attitudes of an individual belonging from a different culture with their own
culture.
 As opined by Larimo and Aleksandra (2015) public relation practitioners as cultural
intermediaries can understand cultural behaviour by conducting ethnographic research in
which they get to learn about the factors which influences the attitude and beliefs of
individuals belonging to a particular culture.
 Public relation practitioners as cultural intermediaries can understand cultural behaviour
by critically observing the dealing of an individual belonging from a particular culture
with another individual belonging to a different cultural setting.
 Public relation practitioners as cultural intermediaries can understand cultural behaviour
is avoiding making judgement based on one opinion and instead conducting own research
to get an idea regarding the cultural behaviour of individuals belonging to a particular
society.
 As opined by Reyes (2016) public relation practitioners as cultural intermediaries can
also understand cultural behaviour by analysing the reactions of individuals belonging
from a cultural society on various public relations strategy and campaign initiated by the
public relation practitioners.
 Public relation practitioners as cultural intermediaries can also understand cultural
behaviour by talking with individuals belonging from a different cultural background or
belonging from a different society.
Public relation practitioners can facilitate dialogue between organizations and different cultures
by the following ways:
 As opined by Ginesta, Ordeix and Rom (2017) the most common way through which
public relation practitioners can facilitate dialogue and communication between
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