Homework 4

Advertisement content is comprised of several elements, including type of ad, message, argument, execution, setting, promotion, and gender of voice-overs, among others. The selection of advertising content might be affected by various factors such as the advertising sophistication in a given market and cultural norms and values. Ad content can substantially impact a consumer's attitude toward the advertisement.

The impact of the norms and values of a given society on the interpretation of ads is well established. These cultural norms and values might be reflected in advertisement content (Klassen, Jasper, and Schwartz 1993). Although culture is such a complex and multidimensional construct, some cultural differences, situated in the context of individualism and collectivism, have been shown to influence advertising preferences (Han and Shavitt 1994). Individualist cultures are believed to focus on independence and functions based on the idea that each person is a separate entity from others and from the group (Zhang and Gelb 1996). On the other hand, collectivist cultures are believed to focus on family, social interests, and collective actions. More emphasis is given to conformity and interdependence in collectivistic cultures (Hsu 1981)

As societies become more industrialized, economic changes influence how consumers relate to products, as well as attitudes toward the role of advertising in the consumption process (Leiss et al. 2005). Economic and sociocultural developments impact how sophisticated advertising becomes. One factor related to advertising maturity is how specifically the message reaches the intended audience. Furthermore, culture might also impact who the advertisers aim to target for specific product purchases. In individualistic cultures, consumers (such as children) are more independent, whereas parents might be more involved in the purchase decisions for their children in collectivistic cultures

Although gender stereotyping is a universal concept, the degree of stereotyping is different in each country. Previous research has shown that similar traits might be ascribed to males and females; however, differences were observed in the flexibility of the level of stereotyping (Williams and Best 1990)

1890s: Led by Susan B. Anthony, the National American Woman Suffrage Association was formed in May 1890. At the same time, this ad from 1893 clearly says that a woman's place was in the kitchen, far from polling sites.

1900: Women were fighting for their rights across the nation, but it seems advertisers were not taking them very seriously. Note the quotation marks around "her declaration of independence."

1943: This ad, created by J. Howard Miller for Westinghouse Electric, was designed to boost morale during wartime as women took over jobs vacated by men who joined the military. As one of the first depictions of an empowered woman in an ad, the poster was revived by the feminist movement in the 1980s.

1990s: The era of the hyper-sexualized woman in advertising begins.

2012: JC Penney featured a lesbian couple in its 2012 Mother's Day campaign. The ad drew protests, but consumers who liked Penney's campaign -- which also featured Ellen DeGeneres -- far outnumbered them

http://www.businessinsider.com/18-ads-that-changed-the-way-we-think-about-women-2012-10?op=1#ixzz3ZY3Fi5vKhttp://www.businessinsider.com/18-ads-that-changed-the-way-we-think-about-women-2012-10?op=1#ixzz3ZY2mS4tY

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08961530.2012.682040
http://www.businessinsider.com/18-ads-that-changed-the-way-we-think-about-women-2012-10?op=1&IR=T
 http://www.businessinsider.com/18-ads-that-changed-the-way-we-think-about-women-2012-10?op=1#ixzz3ZY4PF4ZS
http://www.businessinsider.com/18-ads-that-changed-the-way-we-think-about-women-2012-10?