Skin Tones in Magazine Advertising

Abstract

Although African Americans enjoy greater quantitative representation in American advertising than ever before, it is questionable if this representation is a true picture of African Americans. Because of the “what is beautiful is good” syndrome in advertising, advertisers have been criticized by some groups for using models who may present body images and facial features considered too idealistic. These unrealistic portrayals of attractiveness and beauty “likely reflect involuntary responses to subconscious cultural constraints” (Strutton and Lumpkin, 1993, p. 509). Thus a “myth of beauty” that generally favors Eurocentric features such as light-colored skin, narrow noses and thin lips is perpetuated. The exception to this rule, however, may be found in the use of Black athletes as spokespersons and models. To determine if there is a difference in the skin tones of models used in sports magazines and fashion magazines, this study is a content analysis of the models used in Sports Illustrated and Vogue. The results indicate that there were significant differences in the skin tones of the models used in these magazines.     

Managing the paradox of unwanted efficiency: The symbolic legitimation of the hypermarket format in Finland, 1960–1975

Abstract

Occasionally, organisations are forced to adopt new practices that are inconsistent with the expectations of their stakeholders. An immediate adoption of the practices would risk the organisation’s legitimacy, but as previous research has noted, the perceptions of organisational stakeholders can be managed through symbolic actions. In this article, I examine how actors from four retail organisations symbolically legitimated the adoption of the hypermarket format within their individual contexts by means of internal professional magazines. The analysis suggests that the organisations buttressed their legitimacy by reversing Meyer and Rowan’s idea of loose coupling – adopting the new practice but maintaining their formal appearances.     

Custom Publishing

Abstract

The field of “custom communications” is a growing multi-billion dollar market. Custom publishing of magazines and books is a significant segment of the pie, proving the continuing value of print for creating stronger bonds with customers. This article describes a variety of applications for custom publishing in marketing products and services, with important implications for the promotional products industry. The author, who has ghost-written a book for a small advertising agency, focuses on the high potential for specialized magazines and well-written books that target an audience accurately. Included is cogent advice to promotional products professionals on how to go about creating an effective custom publication.     

Vogue in Britain: Authenticity and the creation of competitive advantage in the UK magazine industry

By 1914 the leading British magazine publishers had successfully launched a range of popular weekly titles for female readers which focused on everyday women's fashions. In contrast, the British operations of American publishers Hearst and Condé Nast sought to develop high-quality magazines designed to attract affluent consumers – and the advertisers who sought to reach these readers. This paper argues that the success of Condé Nast's Vogue depended on two main factors: gaining authenticity in the world of high fashion and forming close relations with their customers – both readers and advertisers – using market research and promotion techniques transferred from the United States.     

Leveraging Associations: The Promotion of Cultural Sponsorships

SUMMARY

Sponsorship of the arts is growing as a marketing communication method, and companies are using this tool to achieve various business objectives. These include branding, corporate hospitality, and building community relations. The activities that the companies engage in to promote the sponsorships are guided by the objectives they wish to achieve. Additional leveraging is supported by advertising and public relations for branding. For corporate hospitality, promotional support is vested in personal selling with public relations initiatives. For community relations, promoting the sponsorship is focused primarily on public relations activities with an emphasis on personal selling.     

The application of marketing to British politics

This article looks at some very basic questions concerning Marketing's application to British politics. Firstly it identifies the degree of influence which marketing has in this area. Secondly it discusses the efficacy of marketing activity in politics to date and in the future. Next it links voting behaviour with buyer behaviour and market segmentation to highlight areas where gaps exist and marketing expertise could be usefully transferred. A practical example is then provided as Cluster Analysis is used on relevant attitudinal data to produce a novel way of segmenting the electorate. From this some of the implications for political parties are discussed and the future research possibilities considered.     

Shady business: On the history of white-collar crime

Abstract

White-collar crime is a daily topic in the news but by no means a new phenomenon. The article invites readers to explore the historical dimensions of these very specific offences. It discusses how to define white-collar crime and how to analyse it. It names six characteristics of white-collar crime, namely the preponderance of upper and middle-class delinquents, the motivation of financial gain, non-violence, systemic character, the breach of trust, and diffuse victimisation. It also highlights additional aspects for a working definition which can be applied to various and even rapidly changing historical contexts. The history of white-collar crime draws attention to the intersection of business and the law, and to its interaction with innovation, moral discourse and public perception, as well as with the changing nature of state policies during the past two centuries. The article introduces the special issue and discusses methods and approaches suited to analysing ‘shady business’.     

Cause-Related Marketing: Keys to Successful Relationships with Corporate Sponsors and Their Customers

SUMMARY

An increasingly popular method for nonprofits to raise awareness, educate the public, and receive financial support from corporations is through cause-related marketing. The distinctive feature of cause-related marketing is the corporate sponsor's contribution to a designated cause being tied to customers' participating in revenue-producing transactions with the sponsor. The sponsor benefits from favorable publicity and increased sales. This article discusses factors contributing to the potential success of a cause-related marketing campaign: the sponsor's product quality, fair pricing, and customer traits; the nonprofit's and the sponsor's reputation, shared values, good communication, and commitment; a well-planned and executed campaign, and specific terms that protect both party's assets and clearly outline each party's responsibilities.     

Business and the limited reconstruction of industrial relations in the UK in the 1970s

Industrial relations were reconstructed in the UK in the 1970s, but only in a limited way. This article examines how business preserved ultimate managerial prerogative in the organisation of the firm and the workplace by constraining the process of reconstruction. The analysis contributes to understanding of business in the 1970s and varieties of capitalism literature on comparative political economy by suggesting that changes in industrial relations were accepted by business only where congruent with corporate strategy. Evidence comes from industrial relations surveys and the Bullock Inquiry on board-level worker participation.     

The making of modern champagne: how and why the taste for and the taste of champagne changed in nineteenth century Britain

ABSTRACT

Between 1800 and 1900, the taste of and for champagne in Britain changed entirely. From a sweet, and often, still wine it became both universally sparkling and extremely dry. Its usage also changed; drunk on its own or with sweet desserts in 1800, an accompaniment to savoury dishes and roast meats by 1900. How and why did these changes occur? Letters exchanged between the champagne houses and their London agents document changing styles of production whilst the changing nature of British taste can be tracked from the British press, from the many contemporary wine books and the records of the dominant distributive firm of W. & A. Gilbey. Using the Social Practice Theory of Shove and Pantzar and building on Leibenstein’s ground-breaking 1950 article on “snob” and “bandwagon” effects this article suggests a framework for understanding taste changes in British society.     

Effective Communications in Growing Pre-IPO Start-Ups

SUMMARY

This study discusses the establishment and evolution of effective internal communications in pre-IPO start-ups, with a focus on 6 variables: employee communications, organizational structure and culture, public relations and communication models, leadership styles, decision-making approaches, and employee motivation. The qualitative study explores how these variables establish effective internal communications in growing pre-IPO start-ups. In addition, the study provides an ideal internal communications model to guide entrepreneurs in establishing start-ups. The findings also emphasize human resources (HR) as a 7th influential variable.     

British corporate networks, 1976–2010: Extending the study of finance–industry relationships

Abstract

Using an extensive and unique data set that has been created to record the composition of the boards of directors of the top 250 British firms between 1904 and 2010, this article builds upon a previous study by the authors on the corporate network to 1976 by extending the study to 2010. The analysis revolves around three key observations: the nature and depth of the corporate network; the distinct stages in corporate connectivity between 1976 and 2010; and the 1980s watershed in the relationship between financial and other sectors, following which financial institutions withdrew from the corporate network. The article concludes with an analysis of how the data set has changed our perceptions of British corporate networks, wider changes in British business, and a discussion of implications for future research.     

Relationship Between Companies and the Public on Facebook: The Portuguese and the Brazilian Context

ABSTRACT

This study analyzes how companies use Facebook to facilitate discussions with the public in two countries, Portugal and Brazil, through an exploratory content analysis of corporate Facebook pages. Overall, companies in both countries tend to recognize the relevance of Facebook in relationship development and therefore they use online strategies. Nevertheless, Portuguese companies are ahead of the Brazilian in providing calendars of events and partnerships with blogs/giveaways. They also tend to include more links to media reports. Compared to the Portuguese, the Brazilian public enjoys posting publications that express their feelings and/or emotions more. The article also discusses the implications of corporate relationship management practice.     

The Impact of Brand Equity and the Company's Reputation on Revenues

Abstract

This paper intends to establish the relationships among variables in corporate communications, especially between advertising and public relations, and to form an evaluation model for integrating the effects of brand equity and the company's reputation in the context of integrated marketing communications (IMC). A new approach for integrating the effects of brand equity and the company's reputation was introduced and the IMC evaluation model was specified for testing. The proposed model was tested with existing secondary data. The outcomes indicated that both brand equity and the company's reputation have significant impact on revenues and showed the positive relationship between brand equity and the company's reputation in the proposed model to justify the need of IMC in overall corporate communications.     

The twilight world of British business politics: The Spring Sunningdale conferences since the 1960s

This article explores a previously unknown form of interaction, known as Spring Sunningdale, between the British business elite and its civil servant equivalent in Whitehall. These began in 1963 and were still continuing only a few years ago. The continuity and stability of these meetings stands in contrast to wider changes in the nature of business–government relations in Britain during this period, particularly since the election of the Thatcher government in 1979. The article analyses why there was such continuity and what the senior civil servants and the captains of industry who attended these annual meetings gained from them.     

Where Should Articles on the Link between Tobacco Advertising and Consumption Be Published?

Abstract

Articles on tobacco advertising's impact should be published in the Journal of Advertising or in comparable specialized scholarly outlets such as the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing and Journal of Advertising Research, plus economic journals for econometric analyses. Instead, many analyses of the relationship between tobacco advertising and consumption as well as of smoking initiation and prevalence as related to advertising, can now be found in such publications as the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the British Journal of Addiction, the New England Journal of Medicine, and the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law. To add insult to injury, those articles are the ones that are frequently quoted on the front pages or in the health columns of major newspapers and magazines as well as by the broadcast media. What is going on here? Should we, as advertising scholars, care about these developments?     

Do Sexy Cover Models Increase Magazine Sales?

Abstract

In the competitive struggle to increase circulation, mainstream men's magazines (such as Details, Maxim, Esquire) are featuring sexually attractive people on their covers. This article reports the findings of a study designed to determine if the sexual response evoked by cover models is related to interest in the magazine and purchase intention. Findings suggest that sexual attractiveness of the cover model and sexual arousal were related to interest in the magazine, but not purchase intention. Although no gender differences emerged, those with a positive sexual response to the cover person were more interested in the magazine. These results suggest that sexy cover models may be most effective for attracting attention to, and interest in, the magazine at the newsstand, but that feature articles have greater impact on purchase decisions.     

Agreement Between Product Ratings Generated by Different Consumer Testing Organizations: A Statistical Comparison of Consumer Reports and Which? from 1957 to 1986

This study attempts to determine the reliability of product quality ratings published in Consumer Reports and its British counterpart, Which?, over the last 30 years. Ratings on the same product brands and models as well as the same evaluative dimensions are compared by statistically analyzing the report findings for 43 pairs of parallel tests conducted by the two magazines. Three measures of agreement were employed in this analysis, and all three revealed statistically significant (above chance) levels of agreement between the two magazines. Implications of the study findings are discussed for consumer testing organizations as well as for consumer researchers and consumer educators.     

Negotiating Masculinities: Advertising and the Inversion of the Male Gaze

This paper seeks to underline the negotiated character of male identities by demonstrating the means by which lifestyle magazine advertising has caused men to gaze upon images of their own bodies and by outlining the implications of this inversion of the male gaze. The paper begins by delineating the unfinished nature of our bodies and their role in identity projects. It then charts the emergence of men's lifestyle magazines in the UK and their position in the representation of male bodies. Next, the paper outlines the traditional understanding of the male gaze and identifies how that gaze is being inverted by the advertising images contained in men's lifestyle magazines. The paper then explains how men can adopt multiple subject positions in their consumption of such advertising and what the implications of this are for the negotiation of male identities. Finally, conclusions are drawn and recommendations made for further research.     

The transformation of global luxury brands: The case of the Swiss watch company Longines, 1880–2010

Abstract

This article discusses the transformation of global brands between the 1880s and the early twenty-first century, through the example of the Swiss watch company Longines. It shows that the concept of ‘global brand’ changed over time and was related to the nature of the product. Until the 1970s, luxury was linked to precision. Manufacturers focused on the production of movements and adapted the design of end products to each market. Yet the paradigm shift brought about by electronics led to a new definition of luxury during the 1990s, a change which led to a new generation of global brands.