Cultural intelligence and an individual's advertising preference in the Lebanese community

Abstract

Globalization and the recent technological advancements, such as smart phones, internet usage, social media and more, are contributing to the idea that our world is getting smaller by the minute. Different societies from all over the world are beginning to intertwine and as a result exposure to new cultures has become easier than ever through the use of different technologies, such as the Internet; and such exposure has played a role in a person’s cultural intelligence. Cultural Intelligence is a relatively new concept that has become increasingly popular within the last decade. Every individual has cultural intelligence, just like everyone has an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and Emotional Intelligence (EI), but the degree differs from person to person depending on one’s own background. More specifically, these differences are affected and shaped by the various levels of cognition, metacognition, motivation, and behavior, which all are classified as the four capabilities of cultural intelligence (Mehra, 2006, pp. 489-502). However, in order to understand the underlining mechanism of how these capabilities are transferred into a diversified community, such as Lebanon, and understood, semiotics and diffusion of innovation will be applied throughout the study. It is vital to understand how exposure to different social codes and languages are accepted ( semiotics), and at which rate they are transmitted through technology and adapted by individuals (diffusion of innovation); as a result affecting cultural intelligence and an individual’s understanding of global advertisements, in turn leading to a possible intent to purchase. Although a significant amount of research has been done on globalization, few focus on cultural intelligence and how individual exposure to global advertising affects a person’s purchasing decision, especially in the Middle East region and more specifically in Lebanon. This research will test the concept of cultural intelligence in the Lebanese market through an experiment that compares between a locally produced advertisement and a globally designed ad of an internationally known product, such as Pepsi and vice versa with a local product, Gandour Unica. Participants will be chosen at random and will include a wide range of the Lebanese population, in order to explore the level of a person’s cultural intelligence when exposed to advertisements and their purchasing preference. This study will add to our theoretical knowledge and practical understanding of both design of advertisements (e.g., local or global) and the correlations of an individual’s cultural intelligence and purchasing preference.