The following items discuss the forms of interaction and cultural circulation of chocolate advertisements from companies in Brazil and Russia as an example,  Based on Hall's (1989)  and Hofstede's (1980) theories. 

 

The advertisements analysed here cover international companies, Rafaello, national companies, Cacau Show in Brazil and "Rossiya" in Russia. In addition to exploring the advertisements, we seek to establish comparisons and contrasts among these ads.

Unlike gourmet chocolate producers, the company targets the upper and middle middle-class segment, aiming to produce "quality chocolate, less sugar, and more cocoa
in the recipe" (Sauce, 2022). The Cacau Show products present sophistication in the packaging and variety of
flavours so that they reach the primary consumers in a more incisive way: women and children. (Cauti, 2022).

The analysis carried out in this study is based on reflections on identity and cultural construction. Edward T. Hall(1989)  defined the concepts of high and low context. In high-context communication, most information is already present, while very little is in the encoded and explicit message. Low-context communication is the opposite; the information is in the explicit code. In general, it is possible to find the use of connotative language in all advertisements; communication is non-verbal. Cultural elements such as facial expressions and gestures must be considered in a high context.

Surprisingly, the Brazilian Rafaello ad doesn't fully align with the high-context culture; the message is relatively straightforward: "Rafaello. Enjoyed the flavour." It even lists the chocolate ingredients in a verbal form. However, it still uses non-verbal clues such as facial expressions to convey the pleasure of tasting Rafaello and mellow instrumental music in the background. On the other hand, in the Cacau Show ad, the message is more implicit; there is a lot of non-verbal communication between the characters, such as flirtatious glances and gestures.  In the Russian Rafaello
ad, the textual clues are given in the video because otherwise, even for a high-contextculture, the ideas presented would be challenging to decipher, and this could lead to a complete loss of transparency of the ad's main idea. Concise verbal messages (one or two words, primarily adjectives) are incorporated into the settings of each sequence: picture on the wall, tattoo designs book, children's colouring page, military chevron, IKEA-style assembly manual, a neon sign in the bar, poster, taxi roof sign, words on the car side mirror, print on a cap. The lack of actual verbalisation is also compensated in this ad by the characters' kinesics, facial expressions, and oculesics, which manifest their affection for their loved ones - the ad shows a lot of touching, caressing, hugging, kissing, and a lot of eye
contact. In addition, the product is not shown in this video, and references to the brand are only given at the beginning and end. 

The message of the second Russian ad, Rossiya,
is even more implicit; there are a lot of details and tiny aspects that only an observant viewer with an experience of high-context culture can notice. However, unlike Raffaello's ad, the video shows the product multiple times. 

Thus the advertisement created for Brazil and Russia uses strategies to compensate for the lack of context. 

Russian Rafaello's ad is also targeted at adults, but it encourages lovers to appreciate each other for who they are and to protect the uniqueness of their relationship. This is a very unusual take on the topic for Russia, the country with a very high power distance index, which usually implies gender inequality, lack of between-gender comparisons, stable gender hierarchy, and ambivalent gender ideologies.(Glick,2005). However,  in Rossiya ad, the image of two characters reading together a children's encyclopaedia at the end of the video, underlines the role of the elderly in society with a high power distance to educate children and thus to be respected.

In contrast to Brazilian ads, the colour scheme of the Russian videos is subtle, with hushed tones, some of the sequences are filled with gentle light, and some, happening in the evening, are full of warm, pleasant lighting. Music is mellow, not very dynamic. All those non-verbal factors create an enjoyable, comforting atmosphere because chocolate/sweets as a product are close to indulgence. Still, this concept can be expressed in a more subdued or indirect way in restrained cultures.

In the "Rossiya" ad, there is no reference to the ingredients of this chocolate bar (the flavour is coconut and waffles). However, it would have been more logical to use some tropical images to promote pleasure and luxury. Indulgence, the core component of many ads for chocolate, is not used in this commercial. Instead, it supports traditional family values and bonds, which align with traditionalistic and restrained societies.

The target audience of the Russian Rafaello ad is young people of both sexes. Still, traditionally upper-market confectionary products mainly target men as primary buyers of these products in masculine societies. The textual messages in this ad are verbalisations of the main gender and age stereotypes in Russian society. A man should be physically strong (tall), ambitious, handy, and mature. A woman should be small, physically weak, feminine, and attractive. Couples shouldn't rush into marriage at a young age and should settle down with love affairs at an old age. These concepts correspond with a masculine society, but surprisingly enough, according to Hofstede's findings, Russia is a feminine society. However, if we look at the attributes of masculinity in Hofstede's model, we can find strict gender roles and sex inequality among its main foundations. Also, collectivism can be mentioned here because being "not normal" in such societies is considered shameful and should be hidden or avoided.

In Brazilian ads, we still see predominantly female models or their interaction with a male model (Cacau Show) in quite a sexualised and objectified manner, intensifying the concept of indulgence in them. In contrast, in Russian ads, female models represent either anti-feminine qualities (Rafaello) or a concerned mother worried about her son's inability to establish proper family bonds with his grandfather (Rossiya). 

The messages of the Russian Rafaello ad are pretty implicit. The product is not shown in the video, only the brand logo at the beginning and the end of the clip, which doesn't align with the idea that in collectivist societies, the product is usually shown in the ad (Wurtz,2005,p 289-290). One explanation could be that nowadays Russian culture seems to be moving towards individualism due to its high level of atomisation.

In "Rossiya" ad, we can see a nuclear family, though traditionally, in the past, families lived together with grandparents in extended families. Even though nowadays they live separately, Grandpa visits the boy, so some traditions are still kept, such as caring about and bonding with your grandchildren. This is quite frequent when images of grandparents and extended family are used in Russian advertising. This aligns with the Russian perception of "ideal" cultural norms as more collectivistic. 

The advertisement for La Creme is very detailed, with several elements in the scene that refer to a village. This organisation aligns uncertainty avoidance dimensions reflecting a society that needs a set of rules and structure also present in colour elements choice. The colour choices mix the shades of brown, which are present in the models' clothing or hair tones. At the same time, the dark background combined with these more hushed tones, the marking of the green of the leaves and yellow contributes to the "summertime" without denying the Brazilian identity as a tropical country. 

Despite a very high level of uncertainty avoidance in Russia, the Russian Rafaello's ad shows standing out of the crowd, fighting stereotypes, and not following cultural norms, which contradicts the characteristics of high uncertainty avoidance: intolerance of deviant persons, being different is considered dangerous. 

On the visual level, the contrast is evident in the colour scheme colours  (brighter, vivid colours in Brazilian ads and duller tones in Russian ones) and even the choice of seasons. As we can see in Russian culture, chocolate is associated more with cold, wintery weather, New Year celebrations, and the 8^th of March, when it is still quite chilly in most parts of the country. Even the product description on the official Russian Rafaello site refers to "snow-white" packaging. Even though chocolate is commonly associated with cold days, Brazilian advertising refers to its tropical climate. The ads refer to sunny days or spring.

On the level of messages and their manifestations, the Brazilian ads are much shorter and more concentrated on the product being advertised in a rather pragmatic way. In contrast, Russian ads seem to be trying to express various ideas about life and, at the same time, promote the product and create its positive image. 

Cacau Show (Director). (2022, May 30). laCreme: A Revanche. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghOZpvQ1V-k

 

Cauti, C. (2022, August 8). Ferrero registra crescimento de 30% ao ano no Brasil e considera país “estratégico.”Exame. https://exame.com/invest/mercados/brasil-estrategico-ferrer-crescimento/

 

Daily TV reach by age Russia 2021. (n.d.). Statista. Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1025856/russia-daily-reach-of-media-through-tv-by-age/

 

Ferrero do Brasil: A história. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.ferrero.com.br/ferrero-do-brasil/ferrero-do-brasil

 

Glick, P. (2005). Ambivalent sexism, power distance, and gender inequality across cultures (pp. 283–302). https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511584329.015

 

Hall, E. T. (1989). Beyond culture. Anchor Books. https://go.exlibris.link/68f39y4z

Hofstede, G. H. (1980). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values (Vol. 5). Sage. 

 

Hofstede, G. H., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind: Intercultural cooperation and its importance for survival (Rev. and expand 3rd). McGraw-Hill. https://go.exlibris.link/CS3bHGQh

 

Raffaello. (n.d.-a). Retrieved November 12, 2022, from https://raffaello.ru/

 

Raffaello Brasil (Director). (2021, May 10). Raffaello | Descubra esse sabor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYA1AK0zSYU

 

 

Raffaello: Любовь против стереотипов. (n.d.-b). Advertology.Ru - все о рекламе, маркетинге и PR. Retrieved November 12, 2022, from http://www.advertology.ru/article143747.htm

 

Sauce, E. (2022, February 19). Cacau Show profile, mission, vision and market analysis | Free Essay Examples | EssaySauce.com. ESSAY SAUCE. https://www.essaysauce.com/business-essays/cacau-show-profile-mission-vision-and-market-analysis/

 

Wurtz, E. (2005). Intercultural Communication on Web sites: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Web sites from High-Context Cultures and Low-Context Cultures. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(1), 274–299. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.tb00313.x

 

Реклама Россия щедрая душа   Кокос и вафля. (2017, October 30). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjDDF2qwi8I