Caring for her: the influence of presumed influence on female consumers’ attitudes towards advertising featuring gender-stereotyped portrayals

ABSTRACT

This study investigates how presumed influence on others affects women's evaluations of advertising featuring gender stereotypes. Previous research has largely overlooked the social context of the reactions to gender stereotypes. Addressing that gap, this study draws on the influence of presumed influence model to proposed that female consumers believe that other women are negatively affected by advertising that contains gender-stereotyped portrayals. This perception is hypothesized to influence ad and brand attitudes as consumers ‘punish’ the brand for hurting others. The results of two experimental studies featuring stereotyped and non-stereotyped advertising portrayals indicate that the hypothesis holds for two types of stereotype components (physical characteristics and role behaviour). This new theoretical perspective to the literature on gender stereotypes in advertising, one that helps to explain why many women dislike gender stereotypes in advertising even though those stereotypes often have limited impact on them personally.     

Applications of Consumer Behavior to the Field of Advertising

Abstract

This paper reviews several concepts gleaned from research on learning as studied both by psychologists and consumer researchers. Several applications of learning theory, attitude change, and image formation are then applied to the field of advertising, not from the usual view of the advertiser but rather from the view of corrective advertising. Further it presents an overview of studies in corrective and counter advertising and attempts to assess the state of the art.

Portions of this paper were presented before the Subcommittee on Monopoly. Committee on Small Business, United States Senate, June 6, 1973.     

Practising gender: The role of banter in young men’s improvisations of masculine consumer identities

Abstract

Although consumer researchers have explored the social, cultural and consumption-related tensions involved in being and becoming masculine, prior research has tended to focus on individual men’s experiences. This paper reviews literature in this area together with theories of gender as performed, performative and social practice. Our ethnographic study of male friendship groups in central Scotland explores the gender processes involved in improvising their masculine consumer identities within and across various social settings and interactions. In particular, through consumption-related banter, they played for and played with their ideas of masculinity, thereby engaging in the practising of gender. The boundaries between ‘safe’ and ‘danger’ zones of consumption varied across social groups and contexts, highlighting the complexity and contingency of contemporary masculinities.     

Smoke-filled Rooms and Research: A Response to Jean J. Boddewyn's Commentary

Abstract

Professor Boddewyn's discussion raises important issues about the social importance and objectivity of academic research. One major issue concerns the social relevance of the advertising research conducted by academics, which Professor Boddewyn contends is largely neglected by the mass media. This neglect “renders main-line advertising scholars irrelevant.”     

Social status and country‐of‐origin preferences

This paper explores consumers' attitudes towards products of foreign origin according to consumer social status, particularly when purchases come from countries that have a low‐cost/low quality image. The research question is: for an identical good (same manufacturer, same brand), do consumers belonging to lower social classes ask for a larger price discount than higher social status consumers when they are offered the opportunity to switch from a country of manufacture whose quality image is well established, to a country of manufacture, the image of which is more uncertain (e.g. South Korea)? A structural equations model is used to highlight the fact that social status has only an indirect influence on the discounts for shifting to lower‐image countries. The relatively weak image of Korean products (at least against Germany and Japan) tends to result in higher price rebates asked for the Korean manufacturing origin. But lower social status consumers evaluate Korea more positively as a country‐of‐origin. The normative recommendation for the advertising strategy of “cheap” origins' goods in highly developed markets would be to put emphasis on quality rather than price, especially when modest consumers and lower classes are explicitly targeted.     

Boris Artzybasheff and the art of anthropomorphic marketing in early American consumer culture

Abstract

This paper undertakes a critical historical review of the role of anthropomorphism in marketing and advertising in American consumer culture from the 1940s onwards. We review the art of the acclaimed illustrator Boris Artzybasheff who among other artistic achievements created images that regularly featured on the covers of Life, Fortune, and Time. As well as working in media, Artzybasheff also produced advertising images, and imagery for propaganda. One of the characteristic features of Artzybasheff’s commercial art is the use of anthropomorphism, especially with technology industries and products. His art spans the periods prior to, during and after World War II, as well as the Cold War era and the onset of modern consumer culture in America.     

Doceatur Emptor

Abstract

The paper generally deals with the application of two-sided persuasive communication to advertising. Credibility of advertising and consumer response to present advertising practice is discussed. Theoretical considerations include expectancy theory and cognitive dissonance. Situations for which one-sided arguments are set forth, the paper includes a review of empirical research, primarily in social psychology, dealing with two-sided mass communication relevant to advertising. Credibility of the two-sided argument is discussed. The two-sided persuasive argument is proposed as a solution to the problem of increasing consumer cynicism toward advertising and as a means of enhancing the informative value of advertising communication.     

Western Concepts,Russian Perspectives: Meanings of Advertising in the Former Soviet Union

Abstract

Western advertising professionals base their interpretations of advertising in the former Soviet Union on a Western model of advertising and neglect Russian perspectives on advertising. Symbolic interactionism suggests that things have different meanings for different people at different times. The author discusses the influence of Russian culture on advertising in the former Soviet Union and the problem of imposing Western concepts. A month-long research study was conducted in Moscow, Russia in May 1991. Interviews with government officials, business and advertising industry professionals, academicians, and students were audiotaped. Findings suggest that advertising in the former Soviet Union is an interaction between social and economic realities and not just a means of uncovering a new marketplace.     

Determining perceptions,attitudes and behaviour towards social network site advertising in a three-country context

ABSTRACT

Regardless of the growth in social media and social network advertising (SNA), little theoretical and empirical knowledge exists on the differences between countries, and the perceptions and attitudes towards social network advertising. The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationships between users’ perceptions (personal and societal), their attitudes and their behaviour towards Facebook advertising, across three countries, as well as the moderating role of privacy and general advertising attitudes. Online surveys were administered and a convenience sampling resulted in 1,166 respondents. Structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed model.

The research indicates that the social support theory shows promise for examining the perceptions and attitudes towards SNA. Furthermore, the validity of the conceptual model is confirmed in all three countries; however, the strength of these relationships differs. Additionally, it is evident that consumers’ culture influences the role of privacy and trust in SNA perceptions.     

Muslim millennials’ attitudes towards fashion advertising

Abstract

Recognizing the rapid growth of fashion marketing efforts in Muslim consumer markets, this article aims to investigate attitudes towards fashion advertising between Muslim millennials from two countries of diverse advertising environments. The conceptual framework used for investigation was adapted from an existing framework for attitudes towards advertising. A sample of young millennials (n?=?1,691) responded to a questionnaire-based survey measuring items related to beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors towards fashion advertising, in addition to religiosity and fashion consciousness. Analysis of hypothesis testing was performed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Findings revealed that beliefs towards fashion advertising may be grouped into positive and negative factors which influence attitudes towards fashion advertising. Additionally, fashion consciousness also influences Muslim millennials’ attitudes towards fashion advertising. This article also examined the diversity of Muslim millennials in terms of religiosity, gender, and advertising environment on beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors towards fashion advertising. Analysis of group comparisons was done after establishing measurement invariance in Multi-group Confirmatory Analysis (CFA). Differences in attitudes towards fashion advertising across religiosity, gender, and cross-national groups illustrate the diversity within Muslim millennials. These differences are explained in terms of differences in antecedent positive and negative beliefs. This article contributes to the literature of attitudes towards advertising by illustrating the influence of gender, religiosity, and advertising environment on attitudes towards fashion advertising in diverse Muslim markets.     

Marketing hedonics: Toward a psychoanalysis of advertising response

The author advances a psychoanalytic theory of advertising response to theorize the intersection of brand positioning, the semiotics of gender, and consumer desire in advertising discourse. Researchers traditionally focus on the iconic representation of desire in advertising imagery. However, by drawing upon Lacan's theory of scopophelia, the author focuses on the dialectical implication of the spectator/consumer's psychic drives in the visual semiotics of advertising discourse. The consumer identifies with the brand discourse primarily by means of projective identification with the voyeuristic gaze of the camera referenced in the image, and only secondarily because of perceived parallels between consumer lifestyle and the content of the advertisement. By way of illustration, the author analyzes the positioning of consumer desire in homoerotic advertising for Calvin Klein and Dolce & Gabbana, which draws upon resistance discourses in contemporary art to hold the consumer in a passion play of alternative sexualities and subject positions. Though these campaigns deconstruct the conventional binary opposition of male voyeur/female object of the gaze, they have contributed to the broad popularity of these brands because the brand discourse – logo, product placement, and rhetoric – restores a conventional logic to these advertisements that would have been censored from the worlds of popular culture and fine art.     

Antecedents and Consequences of Social Issue Advertising Believability

ABSTRACT

Television advertising of social issues has become an important element of social marketing. However, little assessment of social advertising believability has been undertaken. This is further compounded by a lack of attention to the antecedents and consequences of how believable the target audience see the advertised message. This study focused on examining social advertising by gathering data on two social issues being advertised. The results indicate that involvement and attention paid to social advertising influenced social advertisement believability, and believability and involvement influenced attitudes toward social issues. Also, attitudes and believability influenced intention to comply with the social issue message.     

When less is more: the impact of macro and micro social media influencers’ disclosure

ABSTRACT

There are growing discussions of social media influencers and their effectiveness in endorsing products. Further, recent policy regulations are requiring social media influencers to disclose sponsored content when using a form of native advertising. This research examined the effect of macro-influencers (high likes) and micro-influencers (low likes) and their disclosure of native advertising sponsorship on consumer evaluations of products. Results from a 2 × 2 experiment first show that consumers exposed to the micro-influencer condition report higher levels of product knowledge, and consumers exposed to the disclosure condition reported the products endorsed by social media influencers to be more attractive. The results also show that when exposed to micro-influencers who disclose, consumers have higher levels of purchase intentions than when exposed to macro-influencers who do not disclose, as well as higher purchase intentions than for posts where sponsorship is not disclosed by influencers. The important findings of this research for theory, practice and policy are discussed.     

Examining the influence of different levels of sexual-stimuli intensity by gender on advertising effectiveness

Abstract

Sexual appeals grab attention and elicit emotional responses, yet the existing literature surrounding this area of research has yielded inconsistent findings with regard to their ability to influence consumer liking and preference. Little attention has also been given to investigating sexual appeals beyond the scope of the effects of gratuitous sexual stimuli (nudity), and as such, most of what is known about sexual appeal advertising is centred on the effects of nudity alone. The current study examines sexual-stimuli intensity (explicit vs. mild) in print advertising and assesses its influence on advertising effectiveness and how this varies by gender for Australian consumers. An experiment is conducted as a test of the hypothesised relationships, with findings indicating that the level of sexual-stimuli intensity in print advertising is more effective in influencing consumers’ attitudinal and behavioural responses when depicted at a mild intensity level than at an explicit intensity level. These findings offer important insights for marketers in the design and configuration of sexual appeals used in advertising to maximise the effectiveness of ads to achieve favourable consumer behaviour outcomes.     

Advertising Education

Abstract

The author asserts that the quality of advertising education in four year colleges and universities has improved with age. Graduate courses in the field of advertising have aided teachers into becoming more research oriented. Schools of business have moved their advertising programs into a management technique direction while journalism/communications programs have stayed more on the functional and creative sides.

Advertising education is stronger today than at any time in its brief history. yet there are weaknesses. Some claim that schools are still not giving a strong moral and social responsible base to our students. Educators feel that there is a lack of current material to use in the classroom. They also feel that there needs to be more campus cross-fertilization bringing students together with other disciplines.     

Dilemmas in Advertising Research

Abstract

Much advertising research is likely to seem trivial to advertising practitioners and academicians. This is because of two central dilemmas in advertising research. First is the dilemma of purpose: advertising research is too often undertaken for its own sake and thus seems to have a trivial purpose. Second is the dilemma of method: advertising research is often perceived as trivial because it is based on faulty or ill-conceived research procedures. There is much opportunity, particularly for academicians, to pursue non-trivial advertising research. This opportunity originates in the practice of advertising but is not trivial because of it. Specific examples of non-trivial research opportunities in copy research and media research are described and discussed.     

How advertising in offline media drives reach of and engagement with brands on Facebook

ABSTRACT

Research investigating the drivers of consumers’ engagement with brands on social media is proliferating. However, little is known about how advertising outside social media drives engagement with brands on social media. This study aims to explore the relation between advertising spend in different offline media (TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, out of home), and reach of and engagement with brand pages on Facebook. The study uses a unique real-life data-set containing information about the Facebook pages of 45 brands for approximately three years combined with Nielsen Advertising Spend data. Results showed that while advertising in offline media influenced organic and viral reach, the number of page likes was directly influenced by advertising on Facebook only. It can be concluded that offline advertising is relevant in driving consumers’ online brand engagement; however, there is a unique set of drivers for organic reach, viral reach and likes.     

Offensive Advertising

Abstract

Prior literature regarding offensive advertising relates mainly to western cultures. No work has been done on this area in an Asian context. The research in this article reports on a survey of Singaporean consumers. The survey aimed to identify what types of products and appeals consumers find offensive in advertising, the reasons why they find the advertisements offensive, and how this offensive advertising may affect their purchase intentions. The results found that advertisements relating to chat-line services and sexual diseases were the most offensive, followed by advertisements for dating services. Levels of offensiveness were clearly related to demographic variables such as gender and age. In terms of reasons for offensiveness, consumers were most concerned by advertisements that had a sexual connotation or evoked unnecessary fear.Levels of offensiveness also affected purchase intentions. Based on the results, the article recommends that advertisers and their agencies should think more carefully about the demographic profile of their audiences, how this profile might impact their audiences ?sensitivity“ to potentially offensive advertising, and how this sensitivity should be used as a guide when making media and message decisions     

Mapping the consumer‐subject in advertising

Traditionally marketing communication‐or more specifically advertising‐has been framed in terms of products/ services, needs and wants of consumers as if these were real givens, existing independently of the forms and acts of marketing communication itself. From this perspective, advertising is merely seen as a purveyor of information about products/services/needs between producers and consumers but hardly as actively implicated in shaping, not only the relation between the processes of production and those of consumption, but also the conception of the consumer‐subject. This paper makes a brief diachronic account of advertising with a view to highlighting how the consumer‐subject is represented. Whereas early advertising conceives of the consumer‐subject as a “rational” decision‐maker, aware of its needs and desire, more recent advertising constitutes the consumer‐subject in a hyperreal, dream‐like world, which seduces and spellbinds it.