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Discussion

Cross-culture Persuasion

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A video recording of this program is now available on the Explore Content section of this website.



Both products and the marketing messages that surround them can be ‘glocalized’, to make them a better fit with their context. A product or idea can also be promoted using vastly different marketing campaigns across regions. To be effective, altering the way that messages are conveyed to fit the cultural context of the consumer is essential. A simple translation of the words is not enough.  

With a focus on bridging cultural divides, this discussion will explore how design techniques and communication approaches are adapted to their context, particularly in relation to audiences in MENA regions.   This program will be moderated by Pamela Erskine-Loftus, director of The Media Majlis in conversation with Basma Ibrahim DeVries, professor of communication studies at Concordia University, USA.

  • Program credits

    Basma Ibrahim DeVries

    Basma Ibrahim DeVries is an Egyptian-American intercultural trainer and consultant, professor of communication studies at Concordia University, USA, and faculty at the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication in Oregon, USA, and Intercultural Communication and Collaboration Forum in Doha, Qatar. Her publications include Communication Highwire: Leveraging the Power of Diverse Communication Styles (co-author, 2005) and Cultural Detective–Egypt (culturaldetective.com). DeVries teaching and research interests include the intersections of culture, communication and persuasion theory.  

    Pamela Erskine-Loftus

    Pamela Erskine-Loftus is the founding director of The Media Majlis. Her professional experience includes appointments in the USA, including with The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and in the Arabian Peninsula with Sharjah Museums Department, UAE, where she was founding head of interpretation and education, and with Qatar Museums where she was a museum concept curator.  She holds a PhD in Arabian Peninsula museology, with an emphasis on cross-cultural communication within Gulf exhibitions. She is the editor of three books on Gulf museum practice.