Abstract

Language is a carrier of culture. From the diction of advertising, we can see the differences of creativity, styles, and language. These differences are the results of different historical background, cultural values, and ways of thinking. Value is the central part of culture, the rule of human behavior in any field of culture, philosophy of life, and moral standard. Therefore, the influence of values is everywhere in advertising language.

Since China's reform and opening up in 1978, an increasing number of multinationals with Western cultural backgrounds have come to Chinese market to expand their business. A large number of multinational advertising slogans appeared in China. The Western cultural values conveyed in many slogans will inevitably meet and conflict with the local Chinese cultural values. In order to get closer to Chinese consumers, and achieve greater business growth, localized slogans appear in Chinese market. The localization process of multinational slogans shall profoundly reflect the differences of Chinese and Western values. Some domestic scholars have made a lot of research into the differences of cultural values between Chinese and Western advertising slogans. But only a few have researched into the localized advertising slogans and the cultural values differences reflected in the process of localization.

Based on the previous research on the differences of Chinese and Western values, this thesis takes three perspectives of social values, moral values and economic values to analyze the differences of cultural values. The method of comparative study is adopted to study the localization of multinational advertising slogans in Chinese market. The results of the differences are mainly made of three aspects: the difference between individualism and collectivism, the difference between the spirit of adventure and mediocracy, the difference between the emphasis on products and the worship of authority and celebrity. Through the analysis, this paper will provide successful experience to multinationals that are about to enter the Chinese market and offer effective strategies for Chinese enterprises to expand International market.

Key words: cultural values, multinationals, advertising language, localization