The Night Circus - The Traveling Edition: An Advertising Campaign and Cross-Cultural Analysis

Authors

• Charlee A. Salinas, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Brian Hubbard, Advertising and Public Relations

Committee Members

Maria Marron, Journalism

Date of this Version

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

Salinas, C. 2026. The Night Circus-The Traveling Edition: An Advertising Campaign and Cross-Cultural Analysis. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Comments

Copyright Charlee Salinas, 2026.

Abstract

This thesis is an outline of my advertising plansbook that examines how culturally adapted advertising for a single book affects perceived authenticity, emotional resonance, and purchase intent across three distinct markets: the United States, Brazil, and Vietnam. This study examines three culturally distinct markets to identify which advertising elements require full localization versus those where standardization is acceptable. By comparing adapted campaigns against a standardized approach, this research provides actionable insights for publishers navigating the efficiency-effectiveness trade-off.

The research questions asked:

-       How does culturally adapted advertising for the same book affect perceived authenticity, emotional resonance, and purchase intent across markets – US, Brazil, and Vietnam?

-       How does tone choice drive emotional resonance across markets?

-       How do trade-offs affect creative concepts when prioritizing a standardized versus localized variant?

-       Which aspects of a campaign are most cost-effective to localize to improve performance?

-       Where does cross-cultural overlap exist such that a single creative could perform acceptably well across markets, and where is full localization necessary?

These questions were answered through 90+ secondary sources, 48 survey responses, 6 in-depth interviews, 2 in-store observational studies, and a social media audit. Read further to see the entire campaign.