Global Advertising Research Paper: Liberia:
Liberia is a very poor country that is slowly trying to rebuild their economy after the civil
war ended in 2003. Advertising in Liberia would be quite a challenge, since Liberia has
limited resources for advertisement. Going global when it comes to advertising is an
obstacle that needs the right plan to be successful.
The official language of Liberia is English. It is a unique form of English called Pidgin
English. It was developed by freed slaves migrated to Liberia from the United states in the
19th century. The language is a mixture of English with some words incorporated from
French and west Indian language. Only a small portion of Liberians consider this their
native tongue, only One-fifth of the population addresses it as such. Many Liberians
practice polygamy and are Mormon Christians. One third of married women in Liberia are
in polygamous marriages.
Just about two-fifths of Liberia’s population is Christian, One-fifth is Muslim and the rest
are comprised of variations of the Christian religion and other practices. Liberia is rich in
tradition. Just about everything is celebrated, births of children, marriage, and
circumcisions. At or around puberty a child is introduced into society and a party is thrown
at the home of the children’s parents, food drink and entertainment is usually provided by
the neighbors. They also love art often choosing to do are projects in groups as a collective
effort. Liberians are definitely a collectivist society. Everything they do is based on family,
friends and culture.
Doing business in Liberia can be a challenge for American’s because we are all work, and
very little play. As American’s tend to work long hours. Liberians are said to be great
business people, and very professional. The most important thing to Liberians though, is
family and friends. They take appearance very seriously wearing suits and dresses when
doing business, but time is not a major concern to them. Being late or leaving early would
not be frowned upon or considered taboo.
Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world. Many Liberians do not even have
televisions in their home. However a few read newspapers and that is their main source of
media. So for an American the challenge would be to choose a product or service that
someone of very meager income would need. We would also need to focus on selling
things to companies that manufacture Liberia’s greatest exports which consist of rubber,
