Austria

Austria is a landlocked country in central Europe. It is a mountainous country in the Alps. Austria has a strongly varying average temperature. In flat regions like Vienna the average temperature 11°C (51.8°F) but in the mountainous regions the average temperature is a lot colder, for example on the Großglockner, Austria’s highest mountain, the average temperature is -9°C (15.8°F).

Austria is considered a low context culture. According to Edward T. Hall that means that in this culture information is explicitly communicated, often verbally. This can also be seen in advertising campaigns in Austria. Those are usually based on facts and full of details about the product that is advertised. 

GeertHofstede’s “Dimensions of Culture” also give a helpful insight to Austrian culture and help analyze advertising strategies used in this country. Austria has a Individualism score of 55 which means that it is an individualist society. Austrian society has a loosely knit social frame and people care mostly about themselves and their immediate families. This can also be seen in their advertisements, usually the individual is the focus of the ad. It is a masculine society (Masculinity score: 79) which means that Austrian society is highly success oriented and driven. An interesting dimension to look at concerning advertisement is Uncertainty Avoidance. Austria has a very high score of 70 and therefore is a culture that very much likes to avoid uncertainty. In this country important decisions are taken only after careful analysis of all available information. This means that consumers are most receptive to advertisement using the hard sell approach because they are given all the information they need to decide whether or not to buy the product. Austria is also a pragmatic culture (Long Term-Orientation score: 60). Austria is a culture of indulgence, this can be seen by their high Indulgence score (63). This means that the people in Austria show a willingness to realize impulses. They enjoy life and like having fun. Leisure time is very important to them and they like to act as they please and spend money on things they like. Cultures of indulgence are easy to make advertisements for because they are easily persuaded to buy products because they don’t restrain themselves.