Our ads 'R US: an exploratory content analysis of American advertisements
Abstract
Purpose
To describe contemporary US society based on the dominant themes featured in magazine advertisements.
Design/methodology/approach
From eight general circulation magazines, 2,158 full‐page advertisements are examined using content analysis. The analysis includes the examination of ad characteristics, creative strategies and a critical literary analysis.
Findings
The results show evidence that US cultural values are embedded in popular magazine advertisements. In particular, individualism, low context communication patterns and action/achievement values are most common.
Research limitations/implications
This study represents a snapshot in time. Neither culture nor media options are static. As a result, future work in this area should examine these changes.
Practical implications
Since only a few cultural dimensions are dominant in the sample, the results suggest that advertisers need not embed all social values in ads.
Originality/value
This paper provides evidence that an adaptive advertising strategy may be more effective than a global approach.
Keywords
Citation
Okigbo, C., Martin, D. and Amienyi, O.P. (2005), "Our ads 'R US: an exploratory content analysis of American advertisements", Qualitative Market Research, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 312-326. https://doi.org/10.1108/13522750510603361
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited