advertising images: reflections & temptations
TRANSCRIPT
Advertising Images:Reflections and Temptations
Pamela MorrisOctober 27, 2010
School of CommunicationLoyola University Chicago
Advertising Makes Brands
Branding Buzzword
Brand• Composite image of everything people
associate with it – function, economic, social, psychological (Newman, 1957)
• Sum total impressions received from – experience, hearsay – name, packaging, company, advertising, media (Herzog, 1958)
Brand• Distinguishing name/symbol (logo,
trademark, package design) intended to identify/differentiate from competitors (Aaker, 1991)
• People bond emotionally with products (Gobé, 2001)
• Provide humanity with endowments it needs to survive (Danesi, 2006)
“Products are made in factories, brands are made in minds”
Walter Landor, Landor Associates
Advertising Creates Meaning
• Semiotic process
• Advertising disseminates signs and ideas– We engage with them and are engaged by
them
– Words/images infused with meaning, ideas, attitudes, motivations, dreams desires, values
• Ad images are intentional to signify (Barthes, 1977)
Brand MeaningAbsolutely positively on time delivery
Sweet satisfaction
Munchie, crunchie snack; can’t eat just one
Global Branding the Ultimate Achievement
Construction or Reflection?• Ads don’t create values in a vacuum, but
reflect collective dreams of consumers (Jhally, 1990)
• Distorted Mirror (Pollay & Gallagher, 1990)– Reflect only certain lifestyles, philosophies
• Stereotypes, sameness (MacRury, 2009)– Repeated purposes, situations, intents
Myth Making
• Collective dream of a better reality, world of “commercial realism” (Goffman, 1979)
• “Collective realism” (Schudson, 1993)• Ads satisfy needs similar to those fulfilled
by myths (Barthes, 1972)– High on connotative index
Selling Things, Selling Values
• Cultural industry (MacRury, 2009)– Depends on creative transformation
• Vast superstructure, autonomous existence, immense influence (Williamson, 1978)
Gives People What They Want
• Consumers want well-known, prestigious brands to boost both public, self images (Papadopolous, 1993)
Symbols Culturally Relevant• English - youth, prestige
modernity, cosmopolitan (Kuppens, 2010)
• Coca-Cola
in Albania - freedom (Azaryah, 2000)
Images are Key• Visual marketing (Wedel & Pieters, 2008)
• Picture first looked at (Krugman, 2008)• Visuals associate qualities with objects via
media representation (MacRury, 2009)
• Pictures make information transmission more realistic, accurate, touching (Graber, 1988)
• Practitioners plan and use visuals based on the target audience
Ad Visuals Can be Read
• Ads and brands are social texts that embody cultural ideas and aesthetic conventions (Kellner, 1995)
• Advertisements can be decoded and read for their cultural meanings (Barthes, 1973, 1977; Williamson,1978)
National Differences• Advertising – symbolic system, central
for understanding national image (Avraham & First, 2003)
• Cultural dimensions (Hall 1984; Hofstede 1991)– Individualism/Collectivism, Masculine/
Feminine, High/Low Uncertainty Avoidance
• Metaphors (Gannon, 2004)• Some products more culture-bound than
others (de Mooij 1998, 2000)
People in Pictures• Information processing of news – pictures
invaluable for forming opinions about people (Graber, 1988)– Used to appraise credibility, attract, hold
attention, stir emotions, produce positive/ negative feelings
• Good dress more favorable impression (Burgoon, Buller, Woodall, 1996)
Food• New world dinners complete barbarism
(Tocqueville)
• “Table of the nation is a reflection of the civilization” (Escoffier, 1938)
• “Royal road” to understanding a culture (Lévi-Strauss, 1968 )
Why Look at Ad Visuals?
• Social cognitive theory - people model behavior on role models (Bandura, 1994)
• Underlying dimensions of culture can explain society’s priorities
• Looking at ads offers a perspective on culture, even one’s own– Behaviors, values which seem natural can
be highlighted
– Comparison to other cultures can be used to explore differences
Research Questions
• How is culture reflected in ads?• How are advertisements different in
France, Germany, and the U.S.? • How are food ads different, if at all,
in the 3 nations?• How are gender roles involving
food different, if at all, in the 3 nations?
Content Analysis
Coding Categories• Magazine characteristics
– Country, title, issue, # pages
• # ads/# ad pages• Product type
• Gender images– In general– Domestic cooking
– Professional cooking
Results - Ad to Editorial Pages
• France 19%
• Germany 23%
• U.S. 44%
France & Germany More Fruits & Vegetables vs. U.S.
Germany More Juice, Water, Coffee, Tea vs. U.S.
U.S More Sweets vs. France
U.S. More Snacks vs. France
U.S. More Pasta, Bread, Rice Flour vs. France & Germany
U.S. More Breakfast Foods vs. France & Germany
Men Portrayed as Professional Chefs Across All Nations
When Women are Portrayed as
Professional Chefs
Women in Domestic Cooking More in U.S.
Women & Men in Domestic Cooking No Difference in France & Germany
Men & Women Correlatedwith Alcohol – All Nations
Conclusion
• U.S.’s health risks are reflected in advertisements
• U.S. remains a more masculine culture– More rigid gender roles
Limitations/Future Studies• Vary magazine sampling for external
validity
• Code more specific categories• Code more detailed gender roles
– Barbequing, table roles
• Qualitative analysis can elaborate for a richer picture
