Hall’s low- (LC) and high-context (HC) dichotomy
provides a simple two-category basis for grouping the
cultures of many different countries to help understand the
hidden codes in communication. In his framework, in LC
cultures, most of the information flowing between sender
and receiver is contained in the message itself. Consequently,
the message needs to be explicit and detailed
because each party will rely almost solely on the information
contained in the message itself. On the other hand, in an
HC culture, less explicit and detailed information is carried
in the message itself. Instead, the sender and receiver rely
more on the context of the communication process to
convey the message. Consequently, the human element
and personal relationships tend to play a much larger role
in communication in HC cultures. The cultural context (HC
vs. LC), therefore, may have an impact on how many
messages are sent between marketing channel partners to
achieve effective communication (frequency of communication)
as well as the type, or form, of the messages
themselves. Commonly cited examples of countries characterized
by LC cultures are the United States, Germany, and
Switzerland. Examples of countries with HC cultures
include Brazil, Japan, and Mexico