Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
##common.pageHeaderLogo.altText##

Articles

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2013): Inaugural Issue

An Exploration of the Use of Childhood Associations in TV Advertising Campaigns Targeting Adults

  • Chloe Knight
Submitted
September 30, 2013
Published
2013-09-30

Abstract

The aim of this research is to gain an insight into responses of the use of childhood associations in adult audiences when visual images create disconnect from the product or service.  In-depth interviews were conducted with a mixed-gender sample of 20 – 50 year olds, as previous research suggests this is a preferred method. The results showed that incongruent messages between childhood associations and adult-orientated products or services can generate negative associations and reduce the persuasiveness of the advertising message.  The results suggest that the level of realism in the metaphor employed is a significant factor in creating positive connections with the product or service. While, it is acknowledged that advertising practitioners often use visual metaphors as a communication tool, conflicting cues can mean interpreting the metaphor can be complex and the nuance of the message fails to reach the audience. As such, this paper offers insight for future research.

References

  1. Adorno, T and Horkheimer, M., 1944. The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception. America: Original Printing.
  2. Aitken, R, Gray, B and Lawson, R., 2008. Advertising effectiveness from a consumer perspective. International Journal of Advertising, 27 (2), 279 – 297.
  3. Barclaycard, 2012.Choosing the right gift is never easy, paying with Barclaycard is. A new way to pay from Barclaycard. Shows a man in a toy shop choosing presents. Video. Available from: www.creativeclub.co.uk [Accessed 18 January 2013].
  4. Bartholomew, A and O’Donohoe S., 2003. Everything Under Control: A Child’s Eye View of Advertising. Journal of Marketing Management, 19 (3/4), 433 – 57.
  5. Belk, R.W, Ger, G and Askegarrd, A.S., 2003. The Fire of Desire: a multi-sited inquiry into consumer passion. Journal of Consumer Research, 30 (19), 339 – 61.
  6. Binet, L and Field, P., 2007. Marketing in the Era of Accountability. Oxford: World Advertising Research Centre.
  7. Braun, K.A, Ellis, R and Loftus, E.F., 2002. Make my memory: How advertising can change our memories of the past. Psychology and Marketing, 19 (1), 1 – 23. Available from: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edswss&AN=000172846500001&site=eds-live&scope=site [Accessed 14 April 2013].
  8. Braun,L.T.K, Labour,M.S and Zinkham, G.S., 2007.Using Childhood Memories to Gain Insight into Brand Meaning. Journal of Marketing, 71 (2), 45-60.
  9. Bryman, A., 2008. Social Research Methods. 3rd. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  10. Bulmer, S and Buchanan-Oliver, M.B.,2006. Advertising across Cultures: Interpretations of Visually Complex Advertising. Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 28 (1), 57 – 71.
  11. Chenail, R.J., 2011. Interviewing the Investigator: Strategies for Addressing Instrumentation and the Researcher Bias Concerns in Qualitative Research. The Qualitative Report, 16 (1), 255-262.
  12. Clancy, M., 1994. The Television Audience Examined. Journal of Advertising Research, 34 (4), 76-86.
  13. Cook, G., 2001. The Discourse of Advertising. 2nd ed. London: Routledge.
  14. Darke, P.R and Ritchie, R., 2007. The Defensive Consumer: Advertising Deception, Defensive Processing, and Distrust. Journal of Marketing Research, 44 (1), 114 -127.
  15. Daymon, C and Holloway, I., 2011. Qualitative Research Methods in Public Relations and Marketing Communications. London: Routledge.
  16. Denscombe, M., 2010. The Good Research Guide for small-scale social research projects. 4th ed. Maidenhead: Oxford University Press.
  17. Elliot, R and Elliot, C., 2005. Idealized images of the male body in advertising: a reader-response exploration. Journal of Marketing Communications, 11 (1), 3-19.
  18. Fletcher, J and Kenway, J., 2007. Consumer attitudes and behaviours: marketing to the inner child. Consumer Insights Conference, Milam May 2007. ESOMAR.
  19. Garretson, A.J and Niedrich, W.R., 2004. Spokes-Characters: Creating Character Trust and Positive Brand Attitudes. Journal of Advertising, 33 (2), 25 -36.
  20. Gkiouzepas, L and Hogg, M.K., 2011. Articulating a New Framework for Visual Metaphors in Advertising. Journal of Advertising, 40 (1), 103 – 120.
  21. Goldman, R., 1992. Reading Ads Socially. London: Routledge.
  22. Goulding, C., 2002.An Exploratory study of Age Related Vicarious Nostalgia and Aesthetic Consumption. Advances in Consumer Research, 29, 542 – 546.
  23. Hall, S., 1974. ‘The Television Discourse: Encoding and Decoding. In: Devereux, E. Understanding the Media. 2nd ed. London: Sage Publications, p 128 – 130.
  24. Havlena, W.J and Hovlak, S., 1991. “The Good Old Daysâ€: Observations on Nostalgia and Its Role In Consumer Behaviour. Advances in Consumer Research, 18 (1), 323 – 329.
  25. Heckler, S.E and Childers, T.L., 1992. The role of expectancy and relevancy in memory for verbal and visual information: what is incongruency? Journal of Consumer Research, 18 (4), 475 – 492.
  26. Hirschman, E.C and Holbrook, M.B. 1986. Expanding the ontology and methodology of research on the consumption experience. In: Proctor, T, Proctor, S and Papasolomou, I. Visualizing the Metaphor. Journal of Marketing Communications, 11 (1), 55 -72.
  27. Holbrook, M.B and Schindler, R.M., 1996. Market Segmentation Based on Age and Attitude Toward the Past: Concepts, Methods, and findings Concerning Nostalgic Influences on Customer tastes. Journal of Business Research, 37, 27-39. Available from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01482963/37/1 [Accessed 21 January 2013].
  28. IKEA, 2012.Ikea presents playin’ with my friends. Clips of kids and costumed animals and robot organising a party in a kitchen; the reflection of a mirror informs that the costumed animals, robot and dinosaur are actually adults. Video. Available from: www.creativeclub.co.uk [Accessed 26 November 2012].
  29. Jeong, A., 2008. Visual Metaphor in Advertising: Is the Persuasive Effect Attributable to Visual Argumentation or Metaphorical Rhetoric. Journal of Marketing Communications, 14 (1), 59 – 73.
  30. Kastenbaum, R., 1993. Encyclopaedia of Adult Development. Arizona: The Oryx Press.
  31. Keegan, S., 2009. Qualitative research: good decision making through understanding people, cultures and markets. London: Kogan Page Publishers.
  32. Kenyon, A.J, Parsons, A and Wood, E.H., 2008. Exploring the Audience’s Role: A Decoding Model for the 21st Century. Journal of Advertising Research, 48 (2), 276 - 286
  33. King, N and Horrocks, C., 2010. Interviews in Qualitative Research. London: Sage Publications Limited.
  34. Lagerwerf, L and Meijers, A., 2008. Openness in Metaphorical and Straightforward Advertisements: Appreciation Effects. Journal of Advertising, 37 (2), 19 – 3.
  35. Leiss, W, Kline S. and Jhally S., 1990. Social Communication in Advertising. London: Routledge.
  36. Luke, C., 1991. The making of the child TV viewer: A postructuralist agenda for conducting the history of research on mass media and children. The Howard Journal of Communication, 3 (1&2), 14-35.
  37. Malhotra, K.N, Birks, F.D and Wills, P., 2012. Marketing Research: An Applied Approach. 4th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
  38. Marshall, G and Rossman, G.B., 2006. Designing Qualitative Research. London: Sage Publications Ltd.
  39. Martinez, J.I, Prieto, D.M and Farfan, J., 2006.Childhood and Violence in Advertising. The International Communication Gazette, 68 (3), 269 – 287. Available from: http://gaz.sagepub.com/content/68/3/269. Accessed [5 February 2013].
  40. McQuarrie, E.F and Mick, D.G., 1996. Figures of rhetoric in advertising language. Journal of Consumer Research, 22 (4), 424 – 438.
  41. McQuarrie, E.F and Mick, D.G., 2003. Visual and Verbal Rhetorical Figures under Directed processing Versus Incidental Exposure to Advertising. Journal of Consumer Research, 29 (4), 579 – 587.
  42. McQuarrie, E.F and Mick, D.G., 2009. A laboratory study of the effect of rhetorical versus repetition when consumers are not directed to process advertising. International Journal of Advertising. 28 (2), 287– 312.
  43. Mick, D.G and Buhl, C., 1992. A Meaning- based Model of Advertising Experiences. Journal of Consumer Research, 19 (3), 317 – 338.
  44. Moran, J., 2002.Childhood and nostalgia in contemporary culture. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 5 (2), 155 – 173.
  45. Moriarity, S.E and Duncan, R.T., 1991. Global Advertising: Issues and Practices. Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 13 (2), 313 – 41.
  46. Muehling, D.D and Pascal, V.J., 2011. An Empirical Investigation of the Differential Effects of Personal, Historical, and Non-Nostalgic Advertising on Consumer Responses. Journal of Advertising, 40 (2), 107 – 122.
  47. O’Donohoe, S., 1997.Raiding the postmodern pantry: Advertising intertextuality and the young adult audience. European Journal of Marketing, 31 (3/4), 234- 253.
  48. O’Donohoe, S and Tynan, C., 1998. Beyond Sophistication: Dimensions of Advertising Literacy. International Journal of Advertising, 17 (4), 467 – 82.
  49. Oldham, M., 2012.Insights from the IPA Effectiveness Awards 2012: Tapping into the nation’s dreams – The power of emotion in driving effectiveness. In: Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, Advertising Works. Available from: http://www.warc.com/Content/ContentViewer.aspx?MasterContentRef=35d5447c-6edd-4b8a-8673-0a73c0635266 [Accessed 3 May 2013].
  50. Orange,2009. Adult Toys Commercial. Video. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0RfhJ3K9Cw [Accessed 2 February 2013].
  51. Patterson, G., 2013. Advertising pays: How advertising fuels the UK economy. WARC. Advertising Association. Available from: http://www.warc.com.libezproxy.bournemouth.ac.uk/Content/ContentViewer.aspx?MasterContentRef=103d7b0d-17b8-43e5-aacb-2ae2b3982c75&q=Patterson+2013 [Accessed 3 May 2013]
  52. Philips, B.J., 1997. Thinking Into It: Consumer Interpretation of Complex Advertising Images. Journal of Advertising, 26 (2), 77-87.
  53. Philips, B.J., 2000. The impact of verbal anchoring on consumer response to image ads. Journal of Advertising, 29 (1), 15 – 24.
  54. Philips, B.J and McQuarrie, E.F., 2009. Impact of Advertising Metaphor on Consumer Belief. Journal of Advertising, 38 (1), 46 – 61.
  55. Proctor, T, Proctor, S and Papasolomou, I., 2005. Visualizing the Metaphor. Journal of Marketing Communications, 11 (1), 55 -72.
  56. Reisenwitz, T.H, Iyer, R and Cutler, B., 2004. Nostalgia Advertising and The Influence of Nostalgia Proneness. The Marketing Management Journal, 14 (2), 55-66.
  57. Santander, 2008.Person building model of Lewis Hamilton in a race care. We are Santander- Value from Ideas. Video. Available from: www.creativeclub.co.uk [Accessed 4 February 2013].
  58. Scott, L.M., 1994. Image in advertising: the need for theory of visual rhetoric. Journal of Consumer Research. 21 (2), 252 – 273.
  59. Shostak, E.M., 2000. Kellogg Company: The Kid in You Campaign. WARC. Available from: http://www.warc.com.libezproxy.bournemouth.ac.uk/Content/ContentViewer.aspx?MasterContentRef=649d1656-9154-4064-92e9-f4db760447a2&q=nostalgia+and+childhood [Accessed 25 March 2013].
  60. Silverman, D., 2005. Doing Qualitative Research. 2nd ed. London: Sage Publications Limited.
  61. Soley, L.C., 1984. Factors Affecting Television Attentiveness: A Research Note. Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 7 (1), 141.
  62. Stathakopoulos, V, Theodorakis, I.G and Mastoridou, E., 2008. Visual and verbal rhetoric in advertising: The case of ‘resonance’. International Journal of Advertising, 27 (4), 629 – 658.
  63. Stern, B.B., 1988. Medieval Allegory: Roots of Advertising Strategy for the Mass Market. Journal of Marketing, 52, 84-94.
  64. Stern, B.B., 1992. Historical and Personal Nostalgia in Advertising Text: The din de siècle Effect. Journal of Advertising, 21 (4), 11-22.
  65. Stern, B.B., 1996. Textual Analysis in Advertising Research: Construction and Deconstruction of Meanings. Journal of Advertising, 25, (3), 61-73.
  66. Storey, J., 2009. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: A Reader. 4th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
  67. Sujan, M, Bettman, J.R and Baumgartner, H., 1993. Influencing Consumer Judgements Using Autobiographical Memories: A Self-Referencing Perspective. Journal of Marketing Research, 30 (4), 422 – 436.
  68. The Drum., 2012.Grown-ups turn into giant toys in new Ikea ad. The Drum. Available from:http://www.thedrum.com/news/2012/10/19/grown-ups-turn-giant-toys-new-ikea-ad [Accessed 25 March 2013].
  69. WARC., 2012. TV ads make the greatest impression in UK. WARC News. Available from: http://www.warc.com.libezproxy.bournemouth.ac.uk/Content/News/N30282_TV_ads_make_greatest_impression_in_UK.content?CID=N30282&ID=137c962d-7b64-4713-966c-57b2f086c909&q=TV+Advertising+&qr= [Accessed 3 May 2013].
  70. WARC, 2013. Advertising spend grows 0.8% in third quarter. WARC: Advertising and Associations. Available from: http://expenditurereport.warc.com/ [Accessed 3 May 2013].
  71. Ward, R., 1990. The Ultimate Success Story – How the Hippo and the Duck Advertising Campaign Helped to Rebuild Silentnight’s Business in the UL Bed Market. Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. IPA Effectiveness Awards, Available from: http://www.warc.com/Content/ContentViewer.aspx?MasterContentRef=7b34a36e-ff67-4e06-ab3e-930376044baa&q=Roger+Ward [Accessed 31 January 2013].
  72. Williamson, J., 1993. Decoding Advertisements. London: Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd.