Advertising Images: Reflections & Temptations

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