GLOBAL PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS: THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON PUBLIC’S REACTIONS TO H&M, DOVE, AND NIVEA’S MEDIA CAMPAIGNS IN THE UNITED STATES AND NIGERIA

Chapter 1. Introduction

Public relations is faced with challenges such as cultural differences, misrepresentation of the target audience/public in media campaigns, and one size fits all strategies. This study explores how culture plays a significant role in global public relations, brand reputation, and the position of multinational companies in the global marketplace using Nivea, H&M, and Dove as a case study. The issue of culture as a significant concept in effective public relations practices has been a focus of researchers. Global public relations (GPR) necessitate the understanding of intercultural aspects of public relations and the need to integrate its international aspect (Taylor, 2000).

The purpose of this study is to examine and evaluate through selected case studies how cultural and racial identifiers such as skin color, and hair contributed to the crises of selected multinational brands. Issues such as misrepresentations, racial, and cultural insensitivity, the strategies implemented to handle crises, effective strategies that could have been implemented, and the impact those strategies had on their brand reputation will be explored. Also, structural comparisons between the United States and Nigeria will be carried out to explore how cultural differences impact publics’ reaction to crises and how the differences can be used as a tool to developed tailored messages that resonate with the target audience.

A case study analysis of the public’s reaction through social media platform - Twitter, was carried out on three different multinational brands using social judgment theory, image restoration theory, and apologia as the theoretical framework. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions were used to explore how different cultural dimensions are compared to fully understand culture as a construct in GPR. Beverly Naya’s ‘Skin’ documentary was also used to explore the issue of colorism in Nigeria and how it impacts brands’ acceptance.

The outcry that arises from crisis and how social media is fast becoming the platform to solicit the public’s reaction will be explored alongside the study of culture; This is to better understand how global public relations practice can affect brand reputation and at the same time impact multinational corporations’ (MNCs) market share in the global marketplace.