Information about the thesis "Analysis of Vietnamese cultural elements in television advertising (Survey of prime-time broadcasts on VTV1 and VTV3 channels from January 2011 to June 2011)" by graduate student Nguyen Thi Trang Nhung, majoring in Journalism.1. Student's Full Name: Nguyen Thi Trang Nhung 2. Gender: Female 3. Date of Birth: April 21, 2012 4. Place of Birth: Hoa Hieu Ward, Thai Hoa Town, Nghe An Province 5. Decision No. 1528/QD-XHNV-KH&SDH dated October 14, 2009, of the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi 6. Changes during the training process: None 7. Thesis Title: Analysis of Vietnamese Cultural Elements in Television Advertising (Survey during "prime time" broadcasts on VTV1 and VTV3 channels from January 2011 to June 2011) 8. Major: Journalism Code: 60 32 01 .. 9. Scientific Advisor: Dr. Nguyen Tri Nhiem – Academy of Journalism and Communication 10. Summary of thesis results: Through surveying and analyzing the current state of television advertising, specifically during prime time on VTV1 and VTV3 channels, it can be seen that traditional Vietnamese cultural elements have been partially reflected in television advertising through content, images, language, and music, albeit to varying degrees. However, the biggest problem today is that advertisers still do not adequately appreciate the importance of cultural compatibility between culture and advertising. This has contributed to the current state of advertising, with countless cultural "flaws" that need to be addressed. These are the "flaws" in advertising content: a lack of creative ideas, even the creation of offensive content and imagery that contradicts Vietnamese traditional culture; flaws in a "hybrid," empty, and sometimes untrue language. So what are the causes of these limitations? It stems from the limited capacity of domestic businesses in terms of capital, expertise, and experience, leading to a lack of proactive management and operation of advertising production. Furthermore, research on culture and its compatibility with other cultures has not been conducted on a large scale. Most advertisers write advertising ideas based on work experience and intuition, lacking formal training and in-depth research on these issues. Therefore, the ineffectiveness of advertising is entirely understandable. In addition, another factor that cannot be ignored in the current state of advertising is the duration and time slots for broadcasts. The excessive length and frequency of commercials, as well as the inappropriate timing of ads during prime time, can lead to negative perceptions of advertising among viewers. While not the sole determinant of advertising success, this factor does influence audience perception and is considered a reflection of cultural nuances in advertising. To overcome these issues, advertisers need not only a deep understanding of commercial principles but, more importantly, a profound understanding of the target audience's culture—in this case, Vietnamese culture. This means they must be familiar with all the customs, traditions, and aspects of Vietnamese life. Furthermore, all foreign-produced advertisements entering Vietnam must be adapted to suit the Vietnamese cultural context. Only then will advertising products become relatable and resonate with consumers. 11. Practical Applications: We know that advertising is a significant source of revenue for television channels and a means for manufacturers to introduce their products to consumers. Therefore, in today's modern life, viewers have to "live with" advertising. To make viewers "approve" of advertising, the commercials must be suitable to the customs, psychology, personality, and preferences of Vietnamese people. If this is achieved, advertising will not only simply introduce products to consumers but also serve as a channel for conveying many aspects of Vietnamese culture to viewers. This thesis, with its very specific surveys and analyses of the current state of Vietnamese culture in television advertising, will be very useful for those producing commercials, as well as television stations, in creating advertisements suitable for Vietnamese audiences, or choosing appropriate times and durations for broadcasting commercials. Therefore, the thesis is fully applicable in practice. 12. Future research directions: None 13. Published works related to the thesis: None
INFORMATION ON MASTER'S THESIS
1. Full name: Nguyen Thi Trang Nhung 2. Sex: Female 3. Date of birth: April, 21th, 1984 4. Place of birth: Nghe An 5. Admission decision number: 1528/QD-XHNV-KH&SĐH, issued on October 14th, 2009 by the Headmaster of the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities under the Hanoi National University 6. Changes in academic process: None 7. Thesis title: Analyze Vietnamese cultural factors in television advertising (based on a survey on “peak hours” of VTV1 and VTV3 channels from January to June 2011) 8. Major: Journalism 9. Code: 60 32 01 10. Supervisors: Dr. Nguyen Tri Nhiem, Academy of Journalism and Communication 11. Summary of the findings of the thesis: Through the survey and analysis on the real situation of television advertising, particularly in “peak hours” on VTV1 and VTV3 channels, it can be said that the television advertising has somewhat expressed Vietnamese cultural factors through its content, images, language and music, despite at different levels. However, the current biggest problem is that some advertisers have not yet evaluated properly the compatibility between culture and advertising. This problem has made mistakes in advertising. Those are the uncreative advertisements and even the advertisements with offensive images which are not suitable with Vietnamese culture. What more? Some advertisements are miscellaneous, trite and untrue. What are the reasons? It is because of the domestic businesses's limit on capital, ability and experience, thus leading to the passive management of advertising production. Besides, almost the advertisers do not do large-scale research on the compatibility between culture and advertising before producing an advertisement. They often do their jobs based on their experience and sensibility. Therefore, their adverstisements are not effective. Furthermore, duration and broadcasting hours are seen as current problems of the TV adversitsing. The duration for TV advertisements are too much in the “peak hours”, annoying the viewers. Although this factor does not determine the success of the advertisements, it somewhat affects the viewers. It is also seen as an expression of cultural factor in TV advertising. To make good those concerns, the advertisers should update themselves with not only knowledge about commerce, but also the viewers' culture, particularly Vietnamese culture. It means that they have to understand thoroughly the customs and life of Vietnamese people. Even, all foreign advertisements must be Vietnamized before they are imported to Vietnam so that they are suitable with Vietnamese culture. By these ways, the advertisements will become close to the consumers. 12. Practical applicability As we know, advertising is a significant source of income of the TV channels. It is also a means for the producers to introduce their products to the consumers. Therefore, in the modern life, the TV viewers have to live with the advertising. To make the advertisements close to the viewers, the advertisers have to make their works suitable with the custom, character and liking of Vietnamese people. By this way, the adverstisements not only introduce products to the consumers, but also promote Vietnamese culture to the viewers. With the specific survey and analysis on Vietnamese cultural factors in the TV advertising, this thesis is very useful to the advertisers as well as television. Hopefully, they will produce advertisements suitable with Vietnamese people and broadcast the advertisements in right time with moderate duration. Thus, the thesis is completely practical applicable. 13. Further research directions, if any: none 14. Thesis-related publications: none
