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.

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