Perceptions of Offensive Advertising Elements: A China-US Comparison

China is a country that is arousing a large amount of interest as a new mega-market, as it opens itself to a market-orientated economy and expands at a remarkable rate. However, the influx of international investment, new business opportunities and advertising from overseas has seen Chinese consumers being exposed to potentially offensive advertising products and images. While some products and images may seem acceptable in the West, there are some that may offend Chinese cultural sensitivities. The overall purpose of this study is to better understand cross-cultural advertising offensiveness by comparing perceptions of advertising offensiveness between United States and Chinese residents, specifically college students. The results indicate that there are a number of statistical differences that have business implications for international marketers.