Charles Okigbo, Drew Martin and Osabuohien P. Amienyi
To describe contemporary US society based on the dominant themes featured in magazine 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.