International Journal of Business and Management; Vol. 8, No. 6; 2013 ISSN 1833-3850 E-ISSN 1833-8119 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 34 A Proposed Cross-Cultural Examination of Online Advertising Effectiveness in China and the UK Bei Ju 1 1 International Business Faculty, Beijing Normal University Zhuhai Campus, Zhuhai, P. R China Correspondence: Bei Ju, International Business Faculty, Beijing Normal University Zhuhai Campus, Jingfeng Road 18, Tangjia Bay, Zhuhai 519087, People’s Republic of China. Tel: 86-756-612-6600. E-mail: jubei@bnuz.edu.cn Received: November 16, 2012 Accepted: December 14, 2012 Online Published: February 20, 2013 doi:10.5539/ijbm.v8n6p34 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v8n6p34 Abstract This paper raises a proposed cross-cultural examination of online advertising effectiveness in China and the UK setting against the background of globalization and the widespread usage of online business communication. Different from previous studies, such specific indexes of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions as individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, power distance, masculinity/femininity and long-term orientation which behind the hidden relationships between culture and online advertising effectiveness are suggested to be explored and revealed in the present study based on three measurements including attitudes towards banner ads, ability to recall banner ads and frequency of clicking banner ads. Moreover, the discourse analysis is also advised to be conducted at the same time to evaluate the role of culture in banner advertisement. In this way, the marketers will be enlightened by this study when formulating their online advertising strategies. Keywords: Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, online advertising effectiveness, cross-cultural 1. Introduction Along with the emergence of the Internet, the battlefield of marketing is shifting away from conventional media (newspaper, magazine, radio etc.) to online marketing due to its unique characteristics of flexibility, interactivity and low cost. The opportunities consequently have been created for marketers to promote their products and services by means of online advertising. Thus its effectiveness whether online advertising has affected their target consumers is crucial to be measured. Setting against the current trend of globalization, the influence of culture has also drawn the attentions of scholars and researchers when targeting at how to maximize the effectiveness of international advertising (Kyun and Miracle, 2004; Shoop et al., 2008; Terlutter et al., 2010). As a result, these two important factors, namely online advertising and culture should be examined in order to provide more valuable information for international marketers. 2. Review of Related Literature 2.1 The Role of Culture in Online Advertising Online advertising has become the important direct marketing channel for the global business. It broadly consists of various commercial content formats delivered by video clip, print and audio (Lim et al. 2011) and includes the means like web sites, pop-ups, banner advertisements, interstitials, interactive games and so on. With the impact of culture recognized on online environments, most studies have examined the relationship of culture and different forms of online advertising. It has been found by Palanisamy (2005) that gender influences the relationships between online consumer characteristics and banner advertisement effectiveness. Baack and Nitish (2007) examine the web sites from 15 countries and conclude that consumers prefer the web sites reflecting their culture. Moreover, Möller and Eisend (2010) introduce and examine a framework to show the influence of national-level cultural variables on banner advertisement effectiveness. In order to ensure the specific information, the banner advertisement is chosen as online advertising to be examined in the present study based on two main reasons. Firstly, banner advertisement is a standardized type of online advertising which consists of graphic and textual content and contains a link to the advertiser’s web site (Manchanda et al. 2006). In comparison with other dynamic forms of online advertising such as video clip and audio, banner advertisement makes it easier for researchers to control and assess its effectiveness. Secondly, it