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131I.INTRODUCTIONAdvertisingispartoftheincreasedglobalizationofmassmedia—rapidlyevolvingintoatrulyglobalmediavillage.Nowadays,thousandsoffirmsarespendingmillionsofdollarstoinfluencepeopleallaroundtheworld.Thegrowthandexpansionoffirmsoperatinginternationallyhaveledtotheriseofthegrowthininternationaladvertising.However,howtodefineasuccessfuladvertisement?Itisgenerallyagreedthatanadvertisement,ifaimingtobesuccessful,shouldbeinformative,impressive,andpersuasive.Then,howtocompletelyachievetheseeffects?Theansweris:toknowconsumers’wants.Andhowtoknowconsumers’wants?Theansweristhattheadvertisementsshouldaimtotheculturesoftargetconsumers.Inmostcircumstances,wearerelativelyunawareofthetremendousimpactourculturehasonus.Weautomaticallydriveontheright-handsideoftheroad,trytoarriveontimeforappointments,andshakehandswhenwefirstmeetsomeone.Withoutthoughtwereacttoourenvironmentinamannerthatissociallyacceptablebecausethatishowwehavebeensocialized.EdwardT.Hallpointsout,“Nomatterhowhardmantries,itisimpossibleforhimtodivesthimselfofhisownculture,forithaspenetratedtotherootsofhisnervoussystemanddetermineshowheperceivestheworld…peoplecannotactorinteractinanymeaningfulwayexpectthroughthemediumofculture”(Hall,1966:177).Whenwemoveintoanotherculture,wecarryourculturewithus,respondingtotheforeignenvironmentinwaysthatwouldbeacceptableinourownculturebutthatmayormaynotbeacceptableindifferentsurroundings.Ifonewantstounderstandandcommunicatewithaculture,investigationofthevaluesofpeopleinthatcultureprovidesapromisingstartingpoint.Personalvaluesarevaluesthatindividualsbelievethattheyholdasmotivatingfactorsintheirlife.Individualsoftenconceptualizethesevaluesasbasicprinciplesintheirlifeandmayindeedusetheterm“value”todescribethesebasicmotivators.Althoughculturalvalueorientationsarenotnecessarilysalienttoanindividualasaguidingbelief,theseorientationsdohaveinfluencesonindividualbehaviorandtheseinfluencesmaybestrongandpervasive.Avalueisabeliefthatisheldverycentrallyandshapesaperson’sattitudesandbehaviors.Infact,avalueisastandardtoguideactions,attitudes,comparisons,evaluations,andjustificationstoselfandothers.Valuesplaya132keyrolewhenadvertising.Inthiscase,culturalvaluesareofprimaryimportanceininternationaladvertising,soknowledgeandunderstandingofculturalvaluesareessentialtosuccessfuladvertising.Failuretounderstandtheculturalenvironmentcanleadtomisunderstandings,miscommunications,andmarketingfailures.Andtryingone’sbesttounderstandtheculturalvaluesbettercanleadhimtobeasuccessfulbusinessman.Althoughtherehavebeenagreatdealofinterestsinrecentyearsintherelationshipofconsumervaluestoconsumption,mostofsituationshavedealtwithpersonalvalues—consumercharacteristics.Withwhatstatedabove,wecaneasilysummarizethatculturalvalueinfluencesadvertising,andmeanwhile,advertisementsreflectsthevaluesofpeopleinthatculture.Manyresearchershavesaidthatadvertisingshapesthewaypeoplelive.SincewehavecontiguitywithmanyproductsthatweremadeinAmerica,andAmericanadvertisementsarewidelyknownthroughouttheworld,thisthesis,therefore,wouldshowhowAmericanadvertisementsreflecttheAmericanpeople’scharacteristicsorvalues.ChaptertwowillsimplyintroducethecharactersorvaluesofthepeopleintheUnitedStates,namely,pioneeringspirit,materialism,individualism,askingquestions,informality,lesssocialdistinction,honesty,frankness,anddirectness.Andchapterthree,withconcreteexamplesofAmericanadvertisementsfromavarietyofsources,discussesindetailsthereflectionofthevaluesofAmericanpeopleintheadvertisements.Chapterfourconcludesthepaper.II.AMERICANCHARACTERSANDVALUES—AGENERALREVIEWHistorically,becauseAmericanpeoplehavecomefromsomanynationalities,peopleofdifferentracesandofdifferentsectionsintheUnitedStateshavetheirowncustomsandattitudes.Forexample,theNewEnglanderisdescribedassternandself-reliant,theSouthernerasgraciousandleisurely,andtheWesternerascasualandfriendly,mostregionaldistinctions,however,havebeengraduallyerasedbymoderntransportation,communication,andmass133production.ThefollowingpartwillsummarizesomeofthemaincharactersandvaluesoftheAmericanpeople:ThepioneeringspiritoftheimmigrantisanimportantpartoftheAmericancharacter.MostimmigrantscametoAmericavoluntarily,andeagerly,insearchofgreaterfortuneandfreedom.Sothedesiretobecomerichandundisciplinedisespeciallynoticeablethroughoutthenation.Theyareacquisitiveandpreparedtotaketheinitiative,evenwhenthereisariskindoingso.Americansliketobelievethatadifficultproblemcanbesolvedimmediately;theytakeprideinmeetingchallengesandovercomingdifficultobstacles.Thiscan-dospirithastraditionallygivenAmericansasenseofoptimismaboutthemselvesandtheircountry.“Success”inAmericansocietyisoftenmarkedbytheamountofmoneyorthequantityofmaterialgoodsapersonisabletoaccumulate.Apersonaccumulatesmoneyandgoodsbymeansofsuchvaluedqualitiesashardwork,cleverness,andpersistence.Asweknow,themostnotableAmericancharacteristicisindividualism.Eachperson,Americansbelieve,hasaworthsimplybecauseheisanindividual.Hisideasareimportantaboveallelse.Americansgenerallybelievethattheidealpersonisanautonomous,self-reliantin