Evolution in the usage of localized appeals in Japanese and American print advertising

Based on global consumer culture theory, this empirical investigation examines how the usage of local appeals in Japanese and American advertising content has shifted over a period of nearly three decades. It replicates and improves upon Mueller’s investigation (Journal of Advertising Research, 1987, 27(3)). Content analysis determined the existence or absence of five traditionally Japanese appeals vs five traditionally Western appeals in 2005 issues of women’s, general interest, business and sports magazines published in each country. A total of 899 US ads and 853 Japanese ads were collected. Japanese advertisers appear to have turned to a rather more direct and persuasive selling approach, but continue to maintain a tradition of Japanese subtlety. American ads have shifted from a hard-hitting and aggressive strategy to a more benefit-orientated strategy with a distinctly softer touch. Appeals employed, however, were found to vary with the product category promoted. Overall, findings suggest that while Japanese advertising may have become somewhat more ‘American’, American advertising appears to have become significantly more ‘Japanese’. Possible future convergence between Eastern and Western advertising has implications for international marketers as they craft messages to appeal to these audiences.     

Direct Response Marketing: An Entrepreneurial Approach. Cohen,William A. New York: John Wiley and Sons,Inc., 1984. 496 Pp. $33.95

This paper explores the question of how ad creativity can be characterized from an emotional point of view. We first identify a tight linear relation between pleasure and arousal reactions as a structural characteristic of emotional reactions to print advertising. We demonstrate the reliability and robustness of this linear relation for varied samples of print ads in two studies. Relying on the bioinformational theory of emotion, we illustrate that this linear relation reflects activation of the appetitive motivational system. Further investigation of an ad's position on the line revealed that the degree of deviation from this line in both directions is positively related to creative content. Creative content was determined objectively by means of content analysis detecting extraordinary message features and subjectively by means of perceived extraordinariness measures.     

A Cross-Country Investigation of Recall of and Attitude toward Comparative Advertising

Abstract

The author reports the results of an exploratory study of cross-country differences in recall of and attitude toward comparative advertising. As American companies are increasingly advertising their products in other countries, the issue of cross-country differences in comparative advertising effectiveness is very important. The study found that although recall of comparative ads was high, consumer attitudes toward comparative ads was not very positive, especially in countries where comparative ads are not widely used or are used rarely. Therefore, comparative ads should be targeted at other countries with caution.     

Sackheim,Maxwell. My First 65 Years in Advertising. Blue Ridge Summit,Pennsylvania: Tab Books, 1975

Abstract

Elliott White Springs took over his family's old cotton mills in the early years of the Great Depression. During World War II he decided that the mill would profit more from producing finished cotton textiles and textile products. Immediately following World War II he launched his Springmaid brand of finished textiles with ads that shocked the ad industry in 1948 through 1959. Periodicals reporting his efforts at the time were highly critical of Springs' ads; however, Springs' strategy and ad tactics brought increased sales and brand name awareness for Springmaid.

Springs' ads, and even the criticism they generated, have been neglected by advertising historians. The author believes advertising writers have overlooked a true leader, perhaps a genius at the time, in the development of advertising practice. This article advocates the work of Springs as worthy of inclusion in the literature of the history of noteworthy and successful advertising.     

React to the future: political visualization,emotional reactions and political behavior

Abstract

This study explores the mediating role political visualization – the process of imagining future political scenarios – plays in determining how political advertising affects voting behaviour. Specifically, we theorize that when partisans are exposed to political ads that are narrative (compared to non-narrative) in nature, they will engage in more political visualization. Partisans will then experience emotional reactions to these imagined futures – specifically, enthusiasm for the in-group candidate and anger towards the out-group candidate. These emotional reactions, in turn, will make a partisan more likely to vote for the in-group candidate and less likely to vote for the out-group candidate. We test this model by employing an experimental design where American partisans were presented a political ad (in the form of an email) that is either narrative or non-narrative. Results provide support for most of our expectations and suggest that visualization may play an important role in determining the influence of a political ad.     

Critique

Abstract

The ethnic segmentation of the cigarette market is currently controversial, but not a new phenomenon. A census of 540 cigarette ads from 1950–1965 Ebony magazines, compared to a matched sample from Life, reveals segmented and segregated advertising toward black consumers. The ads in Ebony eventually featured black models almost exclusively, primarily professional athletes. Despite endorsements from black athletes and musicians also famous to white audiences, none of these appeared in the Life ads. On average, the segregated advertising was two to three years tardy in offering filtered products to black consumers, suggesting that appeals to black pride were not without prejudice. Potential reasons for these historical results are discussed, as are current practices.     

Consumers' Responses to Implicit and Explicit Gay-Themed Advertising in Gay vs. Mainstream Media

ABSTRACT

Further study is needed to validate concerns over gay-themed ads appearing in mainstream media. This study investigates the effects of such ads by comparing them to the effects of gay-themed ads placed in gay media. The study delves into the differential effects of implicit and explicit visual messages. It also examines how consumers' attitudes toward homosexuality affect their purchase intention as well as advertising and brand evaluation. The study's findings suggest that implicit, rather than explicit, gay-themed ads lead to higher purchase intention and more favorable advertising and brand evaluation. The study results show that the type of advertising message (i.e., implicit or explicit gay-themed ads) moderates the relationship between gay-media and mainstream media. Finally, this study finds that a low level of tolerance toward homosexuality results in lower purchase intention as well as less favorable evaluations of both the advertising and brand. Managerial implications are also discussed.     

Pigott,Stanley. OBM/A Celebration: One Hundred and Twenty-Five Years in Advertising. London: Ogilvy,Benson & Mather Limited, 1975

Abstract

This study reports the results of a survey of advertising managers and editors of weekly and daily newspapers and of selected consumer magazines concerning the issue of feature advertising. Feature advertising is defined as paid advertising space that looks like editorial copy in the form of a short feature article. It was posited that this type of advertising might offer a unique challenge to the process of advertising self-discipline among print media. Ad managers and editors differed on a number of points, but agreed that questions pertaining to feature ads should be addressed through media self-discipline.     

Use of Professional Journal Ads to Promote Accounting Services

ABSTRACT

This paper presents an examination of professional journal advertising by professional accounting firms. Advertisements in the three most widely distributed professional accounting journals were analyzed to ascertain the extent of advertising by accounting firms. Research questions included the following: (1) What is the message or purpose of the ads? (2) What size ads are preferred? (3) What is the information content (firm's location, phone number, etc.) of the ads? (4) Which firms advertise the most?

The findings indicate that the most common advertising message concerned selling computer software, followed by employee recruitment. The most common size ads were between a quarter of a page and a page. Information content ranged from phone number and address to professional credentials and specialized services. Advertisements were widely used by both Big Six and non-Big Six accounting firms. The extent of advertising among Big Six firms, however, is highly varied, with Arthur Andersen & Co. generating the most ads. Advertising allows firms the opportunity to reach consumers, provide useful information, and distinguish themselves from other firms.     

Should I say it in English? Exploring language effects on print advertising among Latin American bilinguals

ABSTRACT

Despite the extensive research conducted on language standardization in advertising across several countries, little attention has been given to the use of English versus Spanish and code-switching when advertising to Latin American bilingual consumers. We propose that stereotypes about English speakers and code-switching have potential to help determine which language is most effective in print advertising. The results of experiments conducted in Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico show that the effects of language-related stereotypes on the persuasiveness of English ads vary across different countries. In the case of Chile, English may be persuasively superior, depending on the favourableness of the stereotype of individuals that code-switch. Differently, print ads in English are functionally equivalent, in terms of ad attitudes, to Spanish and code-switching ads in Mexico, and superior in Ecuador, regardless of the favourability of the language-related stereotypes. Suggestions for advertising practice and future research are offered.     

Advertising Management: Its Role in Marketing. Sachs,William S. Tulsa,Oklahoma: PennWell Books, 1983

Abstract

The advertising literature contains some evidence that offensive advertising is multidimensional in nature, but little is known about the character of these dimensions. In an exploratory study of TV advertising, two different dimensions of “offensive” were identified. These dimensions were labeled Offensive Products and Offensive Execution. This distinction is important both for the study of the construct as well as for advertisers who are faced with decisions on advertising execution. The Offensive Products dimension contains those products related to consumer problems which social norms dictate should not be discussed in public. The Offensive Execution dimension, the dimension over which the advertiser has more control, consists of those ads which are perceived to be offensive by the nature of the execution or themes and/or topics of the ad and not the product itself.     

Humorous Illustration and Cartooning — A Guide for Editors,Advertisers, and Artists. Nelson,Roy Paul. Englewood Cliffs,NJ: Prentice-Hall,Inc., 1984. 243 Pp. $12.96

Abstract

Previous research on negative political advertising has found both intended and backlash effects, indicating that the impact of these ads is likely to be contingent on other factors. The current study examines some potentially important contingent variables — level of involvement and attention to both newspapers and television for political information. Regression analyses indicate that both enduring and situational involvement and attention to television news increase the impact of negative political ads on voting decisions. Although it initially appears that attention to newspaper is unrelated to the impact of negative ads, analysis of covariance shows that newspaper reading actually reduces the impact of negative ads after controlling for other variables.     

Analysis of Information Content in U.S. and Japanese Magazine Advertising

Abstract

The content of Japanese versus U.S. magazine advertisements is assessed to determine relative levels of information content based on the type of magazine, the kind of information, the product represented in the advertisement and the size of the advertisement. It was found that Japanese magazine advertisements were generally more informative than U.S. ads, although the emphasis on specific content varies cross-culturally.     

Culture and the Star-Power Strategy: Comparing American and Korean Response to Celebrity-Endorsed Advertising

ABSTRACT

Given the wide interest in celebrity endorsements in advertising, it is surprising that there are no quantitative cross-cultural studies on their effectiveness across target audiences. Previous content-analytic research makes assumptions about effectiveness, but has not examined these assumptions. Our article fills this gap by comparing American versus Korean student samples’ response to celebrity-endorsed ads. We find these cultures diverge in purchase intentions after viewing celebrity-endorsed ads. We also find the emphasis of intuitive moral domains drives purchase intentions. Our discussion focuses on marketing implications as well as outlining future directions for this surprisingly underexplored research area.     

Owning and Operating a Destination Management Company

ABSTRACT

Attorneys are the top revenue category for the yellow pages and the yellow pages arc the most popular form of attorney advertising. We studied over 14,000 attorney yellow page ads from three cities including a detailed analysis of all display ads. We compared the advertising strategy used in attorney yellow page ads with the literature on the information consumers desire from attorney ads. This comparison of consumer desires with the actual advertising strategy used by attorneys in the marketplace led to several recommendations for improving attorney yellow page advertising.     

The Information Content of Comparative Magazine Advertisements

Abstract

The existing research on comparative vs. noncomparative advertising has resulted in a great deal of conflict and confusion concerning its effectiveness. However, little attention has been directed toward examining the informational nature of the ads themselves. The current investigation examines the question of whether comparative advertisements actually contain more objective information cues than their noncomparative counterparts. The results indicated that comparative ads did indeed have greater information content than noncomparative ads. Additional informational dimensions of comparative ads are explored.     

Examination of Credence and Noncredence Service Advertisement Strategies in the United States and India

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the differences in advertising strategies of services marketers in two culturally distinct markets by classifying services on the basis of search, experience, and credence attributes. A content analysis of 221 service print ads revealed that the type of service serves an important role for using appeal and service quality cues in service ads. In the case of credence services, ads in India are more likely to contain a reliability dimension of the service quality, and ads in the United States are more likely to utilize responsiveness cues.     

A Case for Comparative Advertising

Abstract

Comparative advertising was considered bad manners by most everyone in the past and still is by some today. But with the rise of consumerism. the Federal Trade Commission recognized this technique's potential to replace the traditional, non-specific “Brand X” with a more meaningful direct comparison. Realizing that comparative ads also had the potential to misinform. NBC. ABC. American Association of Advertising Agencies and National Association of Broadcasters issued their own individual guidelines. Some examples of acceptable and successful comparative advertising are discussed.