An overview of the market system as a cultural institution is presented, and the concept of cultural meaning for material artifacts is discussed. The authors propose a system for representing cultural meaning of objects; this system can summarize the convergence of meaning for most material objects across individuals, subcultures, and time.
Cross-ownership of brand-name agencies, spin-offs of functional areas, and incorporation of nontraditional marketing communications services are the structural foundations of the global network communications agency. Global capabilities are the new criteria for managing agency-client partnerships. In response, agencies differentiate themselves, increase input, and assure clients of uniform decision-making processes across their network by using "branded" decision tools and agency-client intranets. The core competencies expected from the global network communications agency include brandplanning skills, understanding of relevant consumers, decision aids that facilitate decision processes, information systems that maximize experiences and communications, and an ability to bridge cultures. These changes highlight the need to improve human resources management and the competitive appeal of service portfolios, as well as institutionalized knowledge sharing within networks.The past two decades have brought radical change to the advertising agency business. The increasing dominance of global markets for brands in a wider variety of product categories, enterprises, and industries has favored the growth of global network communications agencies (GNCAs) over national advertising specialists. In GNCAs, cultural differences in management styles are replaced by universal planning procedures and "best practices" (Griffin et al. 1998a;Roberts et al. 2000). The GNCA is now developing, testing, and implementing universal principles of persuasive marketing communication across an arena that spans multiple functions and multiple nations. The purpose of this article is to describe the current structure and operational practices of these global enterprises and to propose their implications for advertising educators and practitioners.We first recognize the top ten GNCAs. These ten organizations and their headquarters, as well as their "brand-name" network agencies and specialists, control more than 80% of global media billings. The increasing interdependence of global clients and their GNCAs is reflected in the organizational evolution of GNCAs and the growth strategies they adopted during the 1990s. This section also describes how regional patterns in advertising practice are being affected by
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