This paper examines the use of symbolism when companies communicate through advertisement. This is done by using a symbolic interactionist and dramaturgical approach to the use of symbols in advertisements. The field of previous research has also been studied and taken into consideration when analyzing the advertisements. The setup of this study is a unique combination between the field of social psychology and marketing. The base perspective of Blumers symbolic interactionism and Goffmans dramaturgy is used when examining how symbolism are used by companies in advertisements. This is where the study’s uniqueness comes from. Although previous research has touched the topic, none have looked at symbolism in marketing this way. The aim of this study is to contribute with research that brings knowledge to the field of both social psychology and marketing. The analysis of the advertisements shows that all the companies use symbolism in different ways to communicate their intended message. A consistent way that symbolism is used through the different advertisements is by connecting the symbolism of everyday situations to the company or their products. Through symbolic messaging the advertisements proved to also attempt to imbue the products with a symbolic meaning. Additional ways that symbolism is used in advertising are discussed thoroughly in the paper.

The literature on status, product symbolism, product involvement, and reference group influence is reviewed to conceptually define the Product Symbolic Status construct. The research consisted of two studies (N = 524) that examined 17 different product types to develop and validate the Product Symbolic Status (PSS) scale. The PSS scale is comprised of four facets: self-concept, impression management, lifestyle, and social visibility. The PSS scale consists of nine items which produced an average reliability of α = .90 and showed evidence of convergent and discriminant validity in MTMM analyses with the constructs of product value-expressiveness, product involvement, and product exclusivity/luxury. The PSS scale can also be used for brand symbolic status research. The marketing and advertising research implications are discussed.