Search results

1 – 10 of over 3000
Article
Publication date: 30 May 2023

Jana Grothaus, Sören Köcher, Sarah Köcher and Stefan Dieterle

This study aims to investigate how the open discussion of infertility-related topics on public social media platforms contributes to the well-being of individuals affected by…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how the open discussion of infertility-related topics on public social media platforms contributes to the well-being of individuals affected by infertility.

Design/methodology/approach

For this study, the authors used a netnographic approach to analyze 69 YouTube videos (>21 h of raw data) produced by infertility vloggers and more than 40,000 user comments.

Findings

The authors identify two ways in which infertility patients benefit from public discussions of the topic on social media: through watching videos and engaging in discussions, patients satisfy their infertility-related needs (i.e. the need for information, emotional support and experience sharing); and through reaching people who are not affected by infertility, vloggers help to de-taboo the issue as well as sensitize and educate society.

Practical implications

To providers of tabooed services, this study’s findings emphasize the potential of incorporating social media in the consumer support strategy.

Social implications

This research highlights the value of the public discussion of infertility-related topics on social media platforms for consumers affected by the issue.

Originality/value

In this study, the public discussion of infertility-related topics through video blogs is presented as a valuable tool to enhance the well-being of individuals confronted with infertility as these vlogs satisfy related needs of the consumers and contribute to de-tabooing.

Details

Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 37 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 March 2017

Seung Hwan (Mark) Lee, Alan Brandt, Yuni Groff, Alyssa Lopez and Tyler Neavin

This paper aims to investigate the experience of darkness on people’s evaluation of humorous taboo-themed ads and their willingness to share these ads digitally with others.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the experience of darkness on people’s evaluation of humorous taboo-themed ads and their willingness to share these ads digitally with others.

Design/methodology/approach

Multiple studies are conducted to demonstrate the connection between darkness and humor. Another experiment was conducted to investigate people’s willingness to share taboo-themed ads.

Findings

The results demonstrate that people in dark settings (vs light) found controversial, taboo-themed ads to be more humorous. Three studies demonstrate that people in the dark (vs light) condition found taboo-themed ads to be more humorous. More importantly, despite finding taboo-themed ads to be more humorous, people in dark settings (vs light) were less inclined to share these ads on social media platforms.

Practical implications

When using humorous taboo-themed ads, advertisers are encouraged to show these ads in dark settings. If the physical environment is uncontrollable, marketers may still benefit by cueing consumers about darkness (e.g. through their products) or reminding them of nightly activities which may also yield similar effects. However, the cautionary tale is that, although people in the dark may enjoy these ads, they may not be willing to share it with others.

Originality/value

Marketers utilize taboo-themed ads to increase consumer interest. Despite its controversial content, darkness enhances people’s evaluation toward these taboo-themed ads. However, if one of the goals of advertisers is to create an ad that is amenable to sharing, developing a humorous taboo-themed ad may not be the most rewarding strategy.

Details

Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, vol. 11 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7122

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 March 2019

Grant Michelson and Rohan Miller

Drawing on the anthropological literature, this paper aims to develop a model of taboos (morality) that applies to the marketing, consumer behaviour and consumption contexts.

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on the anthropological literature, this paper aims to develop a model of taboos (morality) that applies to the marketing, consumer behaviour and consumption contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is mainly conceptual but illustrates the general premises of the model with a case study of “dark” tourism and the contemporary marketing of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Findings

The paper shows that even extreme taboos can be commodified and traded-off, and that not even the horrific deaths and large-scale suffering that occurred at Auschwitz are “sacred”. This can occur through reframing and seeing the same taboo through different national lens.

Research limitations/implications

Questions pertaining to consumer morality are relative rather than universalistic, and even the most extreme cases of taboo can still be successfully marketed.

Originality/value

The paper is among the first to attempt to conceptually design a model and then explain the taboo process as it applies to a marketing and consumption context.

Details

Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 36 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0736-3761

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 July 2016

Lauren Gurrieri, Jan Brace-Govan and Helene Cherrier

To date, the cultural and societal effects of controversial advertising have been insufficiently considered. This study aims to investigate how advertising that uses violent…

5609

Abstract

Purpose

To date, the cultural and societal effects of controversial advertising have been insufficiently considered. This study aims to investigate how advertising that uses violent representations of women transgresses the taboo of gender-based violence.

Design/methodology/approach

This study encompasses a visual analysis of the subject positions of women in five violent advertising representations and a critical discourse analysis of the defensive statements provided by the client organisations subsequent to the public outrage generated by the campaigns.

Findings

The authors identify taboo transgression in the Tease, Piece of Meat and Conquered subject positions, wherein women are represented as suggestive, dehumanised and submissive. Client organisations seek to defend these taboo transgressions through the use of three discursive strategies – subverting interpretations, making authority claims and denying responsibility – which legitimise the control of the organisations but simultaneously work to obscure the power relations at play.

Practical implications

The representational authority that advertisers hold as cultural intermediaries in society highlights the need for greater consideration of the ethical responsibilities in producing controversial advertisements, especially those which undermine the status of women.

Social implications

Controversial advertising that transgresses the taboo of violence against women reinforces gender norms and promotes ambiguous and adverse understandings of women’s subjectivities by introducing pollution and disorder to gender politics.

Originality/value

This paper critically assesses the societal implications of controversial advertising practices, thus moving away from the extant focus on managerial implications. Through a conceptualisation of controversial advertising as transgressing taboo boundaries, the authors highlight how advertising plays an important role in shifting these boundaries whereby taboos come to be understood as generative and evolving. However, this carries moral implications which may have damaging societal effects.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 50 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2002

Ursula Wrobel

The paper borrows inspiration from three main sources: international marketing research, semiotic theory and communication studies. It explores online marketing for pharmaceutical…

1892

Abstract

The paper borrows inspiration from three main sources: international marketing research, semiotic theory and communication studies. It explores online marketing for pharmaceutical products related to taboo topics. A qualitative analysis of a German Web site brings out strategies employed to market sensitive products. The three main strategies are analysed on a visual and verbal level. Multicodality, code switching, dynamisation of code and non‐sequential data structure are purposefully combined to communicate effectively with the user. It is argued that product marketing via Web sites is a balancing act between globalisation and localisation; global marketing aiming at economies of scale and local marketing at context‐sensitive communication – with both depending on each other for their own success.

Details

Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, vol. 5 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1352-2752

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 February 2012

Ouidade Sabri

The purpose of this paper is to fill a gap in the literature of taboo imagery in advertising by drawing on cognate disciplines to build a conceptual framework and identify the…

5132

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to fill a gap in the literature of taboo imagery in advertising by drawing on cognate disciplines to build a conceptual framework and identify the characteristics of taboo‐challenging advertisements and the audiences who react to them.

Design/methodology/approach

Data collected by 22 in‐depth individual qualitative interviews in Morocco and France were subjected to two‐stage formal content analysis.

Findings

This study reveals the importance of normative social influence, the properties of the taboo, contagion from the content of the ad to the brand and to customers, and ambivalent emotional reactions. The valence and the intensity of the responses to such advertising depend on personal, interpersonal and situational factors.

Research limitations/implications

The conclusions are based on findings from a relatively small number of respondents reacting to one type of taboo only, but they offer a useful theoretical framework and an empirical basis for future research on the communication effects and effectiveness of taboo in advertising.

Practical implications

The study offers advertisers a better understanding of the factors and processes likely to influence consumers' reactions to the strategy of invoking taboo themes in advertising campaigns, with positive implications in terms of audience segmentation and media selection.

Originality/value

Despite the prevalence of “taboo advertising”, little research‐based analysis has so far been available to academics or practitioners.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 46 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 May 2019

Andinet Worku Gebreselassie and Roger Bougie

The purpose of this paper is to explore the application of advertising variation and repetition strategies in the context of communicating about social issues in least developed…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the application of advertising variation and repetition strategies in the context of communicating about social issues in least developed countries (LDCs).

Design/methodology/approach

Study 1 used a between-subjects experimental study using 106 students which were exposed to either the varied advertising condition (a negative appeal followed by a positive appeal or vice versa) or repetition condition (two negative appeals). In Study 2, a total of 111 students from Tilburg University and 95 students from Addis Ababa University participated in the study. A random ordering of experimental envelopes assigned the students to one of the following message order conditions (negative appeal–positive appeal, negative appeal–negative appeal, positive appeal–positive appeal and positive appeal–negative appeal).

Findings

Study 1 shows that for many social issues, an advertising variation strategy (a negative appeal followed by a positive appeal) is more effective than an advertising repetition strategy (two negative appeals) in terms of recall. Study 2 builds on these findings by differentiating between taboo and non-taboo issues. This distinction is important because many social issues, such as HIV, domestic violence and child abuse, for instance, are taboo in LDCs. Interestingly, the findings of Study 1 are reproduced for non-taboo issues but not for taboo issues. If an issue is a conversational taboo in a certain culture, then an advertising repetition strategy that only uses positive appeals is more effective than an advertising variation strategy.

Research limitations/implications

The use of students as participants may be a limitation of both studies. Because the reactions of students to specific message appeals may be age-related, concerns regarding the generalizability of the findings are justified.

Originality/value

Overall, the results of this paper provide useful information to social advertisers on when and how to use different types of advertising strategies in LDCs.

Details

Journal of Social Marketing, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-6763

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 September 2018

Realm Köhler, Sudathip Sae-tan, Christine Lambert and Hans Konrad Biesalski

Food taboos during pregnancy and the postpartum period have been linked to increased risk of maternal and neonatal death. This paper aims to present plant-based food restrictions…

Abstract

Purpose

Food taboos during pregnancy and the postpartum period have been linked to increased risk of maternal and neonatal death. This paper aims to present plant-based food restrictions on Southeast Asian women during pregnancy and after giving birth and the rationale behind such cultural practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Google® Scholar, PubMed and Scopus search using the term food taboo, its synonyms and truncations, in combination with the terms pregnancy, postpartum and breastfeeding, and with the name of the Southeast Asian countries, was conducted from January to February 2017. Articles were included in the review if their full texts were accessible online, in English, published from 2005 to 2016 and if they contained primary data from either quantitative or qualitative method.

Findings

A total of 281 articles were downloaded, and 28 were included in this review. The food taboos and the reasons for avoidance were collated and grouped per their occurrence and according to the country or countries where they are practiced. In total, 14 papers generated data on food taboos during pregnancy, 16 papers on postpartum food taboos and/or 6 on breastfeeding.

Research limitations/implications

This review pools together relevant information about plant-based food taboos Southeast Asian women adhere to during pregnancy and after giving birth. However, data are absent for some of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, and there is a need for more research to get up-to-date information on the local women’s adherence to these cultural practices.

Practical implication

The knowledge of these practices can support stakeholders who are contributing to the reduction of maternal and under-five mortality ratios in Southeast Asia.

Originality/value

This is the first review paper on food taboos covering all ASEAN members and highlighting the need for cultural sensitivity to properly address maternal and child health problems in the region.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science, vol. 48 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 February 2022

Amgad Ali Badewi, Riyad Eid and Ben Laker

This research aims to understand the determinants of consumers' behaviour and motivations to buy taboo items online. Two theoretical lenses, theories of psychological reactance…

Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to understand the determinants of consumers' behaviour and motivations to buy taboo items online. Two theoretical lenses, theories of psychological reactance and system justification, are invoked to frame the role of online shopping in shaping consumer behaviour in taboo markets.

Design/methodology/approach

A naturalistic inquiry paradigm was used to test a sample of 34 Saudi women who were buying taboo products online.

Findings

The determinant of such behaviour is based on differences in understanding the ritual restrictions between people, their society and their country. The four principal attitudes towards restrictions are justifying, accepting, rejecting and reacting. These attitudes frame five motivations: satisfying the restriction, to be unique, but aligned with social norms; breaking social norms; aligning one's self-image to liberal societies; and joy in challenging legal restrictions. The motives for online shopping are justification/utilitarian, to accommodate other restrictions in going to local markets; and reactance hedonic, to break restrictions. These motivations create seven different patterns of online shopping behaviour.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the literature by presenting an alternative perspective on online shopping motivations for taboo products. Furthermore, this research calls for a new socio-psychological theory for understanding the role of technology in influencing consumer behaviour in restrictive societies.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 36 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 October 2003

C.E. Onuorah and J.A. Ayo

This paper examined briefly the background to food taboos and food habits. These food taboos and habits have great impact on the health of the Nigerian community. Sometimes, the…

2809

Abstract

This paper examined briefly the background to food taboos and food habits. These food taboos and habits have great impact on the health of the Nigerian community. Sometimes, the taboos continue even among the educated members of the society. Most of the foods tabooed in Nigeria work against the least privileged and immunocompromised, i.e. women, pregnant women, children and the elderly. These groups of people are deprived of sometimes the cheapest source of protein. This paper had collected some of these taboos and where possible the reason(s) why the foods are avoided. For some of the foods, the area where the avoidance is rampant is indicated. The list will help agencies and individuals effectively fight these food taboos. Possible solutions were also suggested. Taking or consuming these foods will improve the nutritional status of Nigerians.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science, vol. 33 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 3000