Matching Items (9)
Filtering by
- Member of: ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Description
This study investigates the uses of English in advertising in Brazil and the attitudes of Brazilians towards the use of different difficulty levels of English in advertising. Using a two part, mixed-methods approach, drawing from quantitative and qualitative methods, I utilized a corpus study to examine English uses in Brazilian magazines and a survey to investigate the difficulty of English slogans as a determinant for people's attitudes towards English in advertising. For the first part, three major Brazilian news magazines, Veja, Época, and ISTOÉ were used. From three issues of each magazine, results showed that 57% of the advertisements in all nine magazines contained English in different parts of the advertisements, with most occurrences in the product name, followed by the body copy, headline, subheadline, and slogan. English was used to advertise a number of different product types, but was especially used for advertising cars, electronics, events, and banks. It was also found that the majority of English was used for its symbolic representations of modernity, prestige, globalization, and reliability. Using a survey for the second part of the study, I investigated how Brazilian participants judged four advertisements that featured English slogans that were comparable to slogans judged to be easy or difficult to understand in a similar study conducted by Hornikx, van Meurs, and de Boer (2010). Participants were offered attitudinal choices to mark off on a 4-point Likert scale, where they indicated their attitudes towards the English slogans provided. They were also asked to determine if they understood the slogans and to translate them to indicate their actual understanding of the slogans. Participants showed more positive attitudes towards the uses of English than negative attitudes. The survey provided evidence that with the very low numbers of correctly translated slogans, many participants believed they understood the slogans, which could prove to be more of an indicator of positive attitudes than their actual understanding of the slogans. This project provides an example from one Expanding Circle context touched by the far-reaching influences of World Englishes.
ContributorsMontes, Amanda Lira Gordenstein (Author) / Friedrich, Patricia M (Thesis advisor) / Matsuda, Aya (Committee member) / Lafford, Barbara (Committee member) / Anokye, Akua Duku (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
We apply a Bayesian network-based approach for determining the structure of consumers' brand concept maps, and we further extend this approach in order to provide a precise delineation of the set of cognitive variations of that brand concept map structure which can simultaneously coexist within the data. This methodology can operate with nonlinear as well as linear relationships between the variables, and utilizes simple Likert-style marketing survey data as input. In addition, the method can operate without any a priori hypothesized structures or relations among the brand associations in the model. The resulting brand concept map structures delineate directional (as opposed to simply correlational) relations among the brand associations, and differentiates between the predictive and the diagnostic directions within each link. Further, we determine a Bayesian network-based link strength measure, and apply it to a comparison of the strengths of the connections between different semantic categories of brand association descriptors, as well as between different strategically important drivers of brand differentiation. Finally, we apply a precise form of information propagation through the predictive and diagnostic links within the network in order to evaluate the effect of introducing new information to the brand concept network. This overall methodology operates via a factorization of the joint distribution of the brand association variables via conditional independence properties and an application of the causal Markov condition, and as such, it represents an alternative approach to correlation-based structural determination methods. By using conditional independence as a core structural construct, the methods utilized here are especially well- suited for determining and analyzing asymmetric or directional beliefs about brand or product attributes. This methodology builds on the pioneering Brand Concept Mapping approach of Roedder John et al. (2006). Similar to that approach, the Bayesian network-based method derives the specific link-by-link structure among a brand's associations, and also allows for a precise quantitative determination of the likely effects that manipulation of specific brand associations will have upon other strategically important associations within that brand image. In addition, the method's precise informational semantics and specific structural measures allow for a greater understanding of the structure of these brand associations.
ContributorsBrownstein, Steven Alan (Author) / Reingen, Peter (Thesis advisor) / Kumar, Ajith (Committee member) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
This research examines the effects of using similar vs. dissimilar models in health messages on message compliance. I find that level of self-awareness moderates the effect of model similarity on message compliance. Across three studies, I demonstrate that when self-awareness is high, a health message that contains a similar model leads to higher compliance than the same message containing a dissimilar model. On the other hand, when self-awareness is low, a health message that contains a similar model leads to lower message compliance than the same message containing a dissimilar model. Additionally, I demonstrate that the increased compliance observed when self-awareness is high and a similar model is used is associated with self-enhancing behavior and increased engagement with the ad, while the decreased compliance observed when self-awareness is low and a similar model is used is associated with disregarding the ad.
ContributorsLoveland, Katherine (Author) / Mandel, Naomi (Thesis advisor) / Miller, Elizabeth G. (Committee member) / Morales, Andrea C. (Committee member) / Smeesters, Dirk (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Advertisements intend to persuade the reader to invest money or time in a product or service. Newspapers contain advertisements that are space-limited, thus necessitating a concise and convincing message that will influence readers. Nord (2008) analyzed conative function (Jakobson 1960) as a persuasive tool in a corpus of Spanish, English, and German advertising texts. A portion of Nord's study focused on sender attitude indicators directed at addressees as a key element of conative function, and analyzed address forms among several attitude indicators found in print advertisements. The current study analyzed 604 Spanish newspaper advertisements in Arizona and Florida, focusing on possible independent factors related to the probability of the occurrence of various address forms. These factors included: the type of product being advertized and its cost, the nature of the advertisement, the location of the advertisement in the newspaper (main section, sports, etc.), intended audience (including age and sex), geographic region of the newspaper, and each newspaper as compared to others. These variables were categorized and statistically analyzed using a quantitative design. The study provided results indicating a strong statistical relationship between the presence of address forms and product type, a moderate relationship with audience age, and a mild relationship with product cost. Various similarities and differences were also found when comparing the data geographically.
ContributorsBorba, Andrew (Author) / Cerron-Palomino, Alvaro (Thesis advisor) / Lafford, Barbara (Committee member) / Shepherd, Michael (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Color as a communication medium plays an important role in conveying meaning. It has been identified as a major element in marketing and advertising, and has shown to influence consumer's emotions (Labrecque & Milne, 2012). Despite the large volume of color-centered research, the literature on the subject remains largely abstract and unreliable. Academic research on the impact of color on brand personality it is still in its early stages of investigation, and therefore fragmented and inadequate. The goal of this study is to identify and visually represent patterns of association between colors and specific brand personality traits. We hypothesized that such patterns exist, although the exact associations are difficult to predict. If such patterns are found, they can assist in creating a valuable design tool with wide range of applications in product design, manufacturing, and marketing.
ContributorsToteva, Maya (Author) / Branaghan, Russell (Thesis advisor) / Gray, Rob (Committee member) / Craig, Scotty (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
In the recent years, more and more products come into the market, which provides thousands of choices for consumers. We live in a world full of brands, all trying to attract our attention. A critical part of this process is the criteria for selection. Research has found that criteria always derive from individuals’ experience, which finally creates a unique identity for certain products and brands that could be considered synonym with the specific product. This is a fast-growing phenomenon since the advent of the commodity economy period. In today’s competitive environment, modern consumers are the decision makers and the heart of a value exchange. They are becoming increasingly informed as they compare the attributes of different brands. Advertising has always been one of the important ways for companies to build strong relationships with consumers. This research aims to study the relationship between brand loyalty and advertising. This research is focused on two kind of advertisements; advertisements through social network and launch events, which have different characters, differences in broadcast frequency, and different promotion methods. Interview and survey were mainly used for this study.
Research results conclude that: 1) The impact of the press conference is greater than advertising through social network and the effect of a precise advertisement is greater than repeated advertising for individuals. 2) Advertisements should be launched in a less forceful way than in the past. They should try to affect consumers subconsciously, to disguise the fact that they are advertisements and thus keep in sync with consumers, in order to help create loyalty through certain brand. 3) Consumers also want to have more interactions with firms and other users and to participate in the creation of brand-consumer relationships. 4) Advertisements have positive effect in creating brand image.
Research results conclude that: 1) The impact of the press conference is greater than advertising through social network and the effect of a precise advertisement is greater than repeated advertising for individuals. 2) Advertisements should be launched in a less forceful way than in the past. They should try to affect consumers subconsciously, to disguise the fact that they are advertisements and thus keep in sync with consumers, in order to help create loyalty through certain brand. 3) Consumers also want to have more interactions with firms and other users and to participate in the creation of brand-consumer relationships. 4) Advertisements have positive effect in creating brand image.
ContributorsZhang, Wenjing (Author) / Takamura, John (Thesis advisor) / Sanft, Alfred (Committee member) / Gray, Nancy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
The advertising industry plays a crucial role in how ideals and norms are established in United States society. Recent work is revealing the negative impact advertisements can have on self-esteem and self-image, especially for women. Unrealistic body-types, often created through photo editing, continue to contribute to eating and emotional disorders. Such fabricated ideals hinder the progress of social and economic justice for women. This exploratory study investigates whether images of women in traditionally male-dominated roles can weaken sexist attitudes and whether less sexism and highly sexist groups differ in image processing. Participants who scored high or low on the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory were exposed to a set of images of females in the female-dominated occupation of waitress and females in the male-dominated occupation of construction while measuring their neural activity using EEG. Participants complete the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory before and after the experiment. P3 oddball effects are measured for each participant with the hypothesis that the High Sexism group will view female construction workers with a higher oddball effect than the low sexism group. With 38 participants, there is a significant difference between the groups with individuals scoring low on the ASI showing a greater difference between the waitress and construction worker images compared to individuals scoring high on the ASI. Further, exposure to these images did not significantly reduce ASI scores in either group.
ContributorsOstendorf, Tasha (Author) / Swadener, Elizabeth (Thesis advisor) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
Increasing numbers of biomedical products have become eligible for over-the-counter sale in contemporary American consumer culture. What was once the realm of the clinical has moved into the realm of the domestic, with the consumer as the interpreter of health issues and communication. This dissertation examines the user experience with the marketing and design of packaging of home pregnancy tests. Studies indicate that more than one-third of women of reproductive age in the U.S. have used a home pregnancy test, yet the test is marketed to a specific demographic of user: one who is white, affluent, and married. How are users’ experiences affected, and how do different methodological frameworks yield results for the study of these user experiences?
In this project, I conduct a series of methodological case studies to show how each reveal various aspects of the user experience of home pregnancy testing. I begin with a case study of three brands of home pregnancy tests, using visual-material rhetorical analysis to uncover the cultural values implicit in packaging. I then move to two case studies involving the results of a National Institutes of Health survey of pregnancy test users. I employ a thematic analysis framework to analyze demographic information about users and to contextualize their narratives. I also conduct corpus linguistics and semantic network analysis with the same data set to model patterns in language. From these varying approaches, each with different underlying assumptions, nuanced aspects of the user experience with the product and its communication emerge. For example, the user’s life circumstances change from initial to subsequent pregnancy test purchase and use so as to suggest more desire for a positive result with subsequent testing, yet many users across these categories express some degree of discomfort when purchasing this product.
I conclude with suggestions based on this research for more ethically informed pregnancy test marketing, and outline avenues for future research for evaluation of home pregnancy test user experience. I finally discuss the implications of multiple methodological approaches for transdisciplinary humanities project design, implementation, and evaluation, with emphasis on the digital and medical humanities.
In this project, I conduct a series of methodological case studies to show how each reveal various aspects of the user experience of home pregnancy testing. I begin with a case study of three brands of home pregnancy tests, using visual-material rhetorical analysis to uncover the cultural values implicit in packaging. I then move to two case studies involving the results of a National Institutes of Health survey of pregnancy test users. I employ a thematic analysis framework to analyze demographic information about users and to contextualize their narratives. I also conduct corpus linguistics and semantic network analysis with the same data set to model patterns in language. From these varying approaches, each with different underlying assumptions, nuanced aspects of the user experience with the product and its communication emerge. For example, the user’s life circumstances change from initial to subsequent pregnancy test purchase and use so as to suggest more desire for a positive result with subsequent testing, yet many users across these categories express some degree of discomfort when purchasing this product.
I conclude with suggestions based on this research for more ethically informed pregnancy test marketing, and outline avenues for future research for evaluation of home pregnancy test user experience. I finally discuss the implications of multiple methodological approaches for transdisciplinary humanities project design, implementation, and evaluation, with emphasis on the digital and medical humanities.
ContributorsOpel, Dawn S (Author) / Goggin, Maureen Daly (Thesis advisor) / Daer, Alice R (Committee member) / Wernimont, Jacqueline (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
June Cleaver, and the women who attempted to emulate her perfectly dressed, “happy homemaker” ideal, were considered the epitome of “womanhood” in the 1950s. However, the image of the quintessential domestic diva, in pearls and floral dress is surely a tired and no longer relevant label for the modern woman, right? This research aims to examine whether the “domesticated woman” is still the prevalent social script provided by American advertisers and to determine if there has been a significant change in how often women are portrayed as having an existence not predicated on the home or domestic duties over time. To accomplish this 1,250 American television commercials, spanning from 1970 to 2016, were gathered and analyzed using critical content analysis via a specially designed test, The June Cleaver Test.
The commercials garnered were further broken down into 11 pertinent categories (Food, Household Goods, ect.) and results from each of these categories were also tracked. The overall results showed that 54.4 percent of commercials failed to show women outside of domestic or caregiving roles. When broken down by decade, not a single decade managed to pass over 50 percent of those commercials sampled using The June Cleaver Test. This means at no point over nearly 5 decades were the sampled commercials able to show women outside of domestic role more than 50 percent of the time. The implications the continued failure rate above 50 percent across the decades shows is that the trope of women as homemakers and caretakers, instead of employed or having other demands outside of the home, is still being mass produced as a cultural norm. Pertinent and prevalent trends, tropes and stereotypes about women and domestic throughout the sample were also noted and discussed. These findings have significant implications for not only the options available to women in society, but also in moving towards a place where women find economic equity and fight for equal respect in their chosen vocations. June Cleaver has not so much left the kitchen; instead she has just updated her wardrobe.
The commercials garnered were further broken down into 11 pertinent categories (Food, Household Goods, ect.) and results from each of these categories were also tracked. The overall results showed that 54.4 percent of commercials failed to show women outside of domestic or caregiving roles. When broken down by decade, not a single decade managed to pass over 50 percent of those commercials sampled using The June Cleaver Test. This means at no point over nearly 5 decades were the sampled commercials able to show women outside of domestic role more than 50 percent of the time. The implications the continued failure rate above 50 percent across the decades shows is that the trope of women as homemakers and caretakers, instead of employed or having other demands outside of the home, is still being mass produced as a cultural norm. Pertinent and prevalent trends, tropes and stereotypes about women and domestic throughout the sample were also noted and discussed. These findings have significant implications for not only the options available to women in society, but also in moving towards a place where women find economic equity and fight for equal respect in their chosen vocations. June Cleaver has not so much left the kitchen; instead she has just updated her wardrobe.
ContributorsHawn, Allison (Author) / Mean, Lindsey (Thesis advisor) / Nadesan, Majia (Committee member) / Sanderson, James (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017