Past research suggests that concrete ad stimuli generate more imagery than abstract stimuli. However, this finding may not be culturally universal. Our research suggests that East Asians tend to generate more imagery than Westerners when exposed to abstract advertising messages, but these differences in imagery generation tend to subside when both cultural groups are exposed to concrete stimuli. Exposure to abstract stimuli while limiting mental resources results in narrowing the differences in number of images generated by Westerners and East Asians as does providing subjects with instructions to imagine.

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-92). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This study uses a rhetorical visual analysis to investigate supplement advertisements within the top three fitness magazines, according to circulation, to provide a richer understanding of the message construction within the visual images the advertisements contain. The advertisements were selected at random over a time span of a year and a half within each of the magazines, totaling nine separate advertisements for analysis. The purpose of this study is to determine to what extent, if any, the construction of advertisements in men's fitness magazines operates as ideographic images establishing legitimacy as determined through application of Sonja Foss' rhetorical visual analysis methodology. Previous research has identified various analyses of visual images within the fitness culture, however, rhetorical visual analysis of supplement advertisement does not appear to have been investigated prior to this project which is the primary concern for the initiation of the current research. Employing rhetorical analysis in order to understand visual images provides a perspective that is imperative to identification of elements and functions of visual images. The current findings indicate that images in advertisements in men's fitness magazines do not establish rhetorical legitimacy, as understood from a rhetorical perspective. However, when examined through a traditional aesthetic intentionalist perspective, the construction of the advertisements operates as ideographic images, establishing legitimacy through the image. This information provides us with the understanding that advertisements within current muscle magazines are operating under a traditional viewpoint, and as such, produce traditional perspectives. The advertisement industry within this genre is reliant upon the consumer first knowing what the product is and then realizing how the image fits into that function. The limitation within this perspective of the advertisement industry is the consumer's knowledge base concerning the product, the product being explained through text and the time the consumer is willing to spend on correlating the intent or function with the images presented.

I’ve chosen primary to analyze commercial form of advertising by world leading companies; McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and HP due to their implementation of global advertising. The fourth campaign that’s being analyzed is not of commercial type instead it’s characterized as an informative campaign that the ideal organization Amnesty is carring out.  The study has been successful in gathering data that could be presented in correlation with already established theories and then comparing the results. The goal of the research is to create an understanding regarding global advertising as well as the scientific debate that’s going on within the subject. The scientific research has been debated for a long time regarding advertising that’s positioned globally; whether it should be standardized or adapted. This means whether advertising should look the same in all countries or if it should be adapted to a nation’s specific culture. Scientists haven’t yet been successful in establishing what’s considered to be more prominent due to various diverse opinions. By implementing content analysis together with semiotic analysis as a reinforcer, the study was able to examine the global advertising’s design and their common characteristics. Within this study the campaigns have been studied both visually and verbally in addition to their messages and values. The McDonald’s and Coke campaign has been categorized as advertising that reflect specific kinds of lifestyles and therefore characterized as “lifestyle format”. HP campaign on the other hand was using celebrities. This contributed that their global campaign became very personal because the celebrities were reflecting their own personality in the commercials. That’s why HP was categorized as the “personalized format” while Amnesty remained characterized as an informative campaign. Results show that these campaigns’ global form of advertising weren’t only implementing standardized form but also incorporated adapted commercial characteristics as well. This is what the theorizers Hassan, Craft and Kortam call a”hybrid strategy” that’s by their opinion most effective form of global advertising. Another important result was that the “creative strategy” (its promise/statement) is what makes the campaign cohesive. While the “creative tactic” (the visual elements) differs more or less within an advertising campaign. / Jag har valt att främst analysera kommersiella kampanjer från de världsledande företagen McDonald’s, Coca-Cola och HP eftersom de tillämpar global form av reklam.  Den fjärde kampanjen som analyseras är inte av kommersiellt slag då den karaktäriseras som en informativ kampanj som den ideella organisationen Amnesty har genomfört.  Studien har lyckats generera data som kunde sättas i relation med de redan fastställda teorierna och på så vis jämföra resultaten. Forskningens mål är att skapa en förståelse angående global reklam samt den vetenskapliga debatten i ämnet. Den vetenskapliga forskningen har länge debatterat angående om reklam som appliceras globalt borde vara standardiserad eller anpassad, det vill säga om den ska se lika ut i alla länder eller om man borde anpassa den till varje lands individuella kultur. Forskarna har fortfarande inte kommit fram till vad som anses vara mest effektivt då en splittrad syn angående denna fråga uppstår.   Genom kvalitativ innehållsanalys med förstärkning av den semiotiska analysen så kunde studien granska den globala reklamens utformning och dess gemensamma karaktäristiker som uppstår. I denna studie så har reklamkampanjerna granskats både visuellt och språkmässigt samt dess budskap och värderingar. Reklamkampanjerna McDonald’s och Coca-Cola blev kategoriserade som den form av reklam som reflekterar specifika livsstilar och därför karaktäriserades som ”livsstilsformatet”. HP är den reklamkampanj som använde sig av kändisar. Detta gjorde att deras globala reklam blev väldigt personlig då den reflekterade kändisarnas personligheter. Därför kategoriserades HP:s reklamkampanj som det” personifierade formatet” medan Amnesty förblev karaktäriserad som informativ form av kampanj. Resultatet visade att dessa reklamkampanjers globala reklam inte endast implementerade standardiserad form utan likaså integrerade anpassad form. Detta kallar teoretikerna Hassan, Craft och Kortam för ”hybridstrategi” och anses enligt dem vara mest effektivt tillvägagångssätt när det gäller global reklam.  En annan viktig sak som resultatet påvisade var att den ”kreativa strategin” (dess utlovande/påstående) är det som gör kampanjen sammanhängande medan den ”kreativa taktiken” (dess visuella element) mer eller mindre skiljer sig inom en kampanj.

<p>I’ve chosen primary to analyze commercial form of advertising by world leading companies; <em>McDonald’s, Coca-Cola</em> and <em>HP</em> due to their implementation of global advertising. The fourth campaign that’s being analyzed is not of commercial type instead it’s characterized as an informative campaign that the ideal organization <em>Amnesty</em> is carring out.  The study has been successful in gathering data that could be presented in correlation with already established theories and then comparing the results. The goal of the research is to create an understanding regarding global advertising as well as the scientific debate that’s going on within the subject. The scientific research has been debated for a long time regarding advertising that’s positioned globally; whether it should be standardized or adapted. This means whether advertising should look the same in all countries or if it should be adapted to a nation’s specific culture. Scientists haven’t yet been successful in establishing what’s considered to be more prominent due to various diverse opinions.</p><p>By implementing content analysis together with semiotic analysis as a reinforcer, the study was able to examine the global advertising’s design and their common characteristics. Within this study the campaigns have been studied both visually and verbally in addition to their messages and values. The McDonald’s and Coke campaign has been categorized as advertising that reflect specific kinds of lifestyles and therefore characterized as “lifestyle format”. HP campaign on the other hand was using celebrities. This contributed that their global campaign became very personal because the celebrities were reflecting their own personality in the commercials. That’s why HP was categorized as the “personalized format” while Amnesty remained characterized as an informative campaign. Results show that these campaigns’ global form of advertising weren’t only implementing standardized form but also incorporated adapted commercial characteristics as well. This is what the theorizers Hassan, Craft and Kortam call a”hybrid strategy” that’s by their opinion most effective form of global advertising. Another important result was that the “creative strategy” (its promise/statement) is what makes the campaign cohesive. While the “creative tactic” (the visual elements) differs more or less within an advertising campaign.</p> / <p>Jag har valt att främst analysera kommersiella kampanjer från de världsledande företagen<em> McDonald’s, Coca-Cola</em> och <em>HP</em> eftersom de tillämpar global form av reklam.  Den fjärde kampanjen som analyseras är inte av kommersiellt slag då den karaktäriseras som en informativ kampanj som den ideella organisationen <em>Amnesty</em> har genomfört.  Studien har lyckats generera data som kunde sättas i relation med de redan fastställda teorierna och på så vis jämföra resultaten.</p><p>Forskningens mål är att skapa en förståelse angående global reklam samt den vetenskapliga debatten i ämnet. Den vetenskapliga forskningen har länge debatterat angående om reklam som appliceras globalt borde vara standardiserad eller anpassad, det vill säga om den ska se lika ut i alla länder eller om man borde anpassa den till varje lands individuella kultur. Forskarna har fortfarande inte kommit fram till vad som anses vara mest effektivt då en splittrad syn angående denna fråga uppstår.  </p><p>Genom kvalitativ innehållsanalys med förstärkning av den semiotiska analysen så kunde studien granska den globala reklamens utformning och dess gemensamma karaktäristiker som uppstår. I denna studie så har reklamkampanjerna granskats både visuellt och språkmässigt samt dess budskap och värderingar. Reklamkampanjerna McDonald’s och Coca-Cola blev kategoriserade som den form av reklam som reflekterar specifika livsstilar och därför karaktäriserades som ”livsstilsformatet”. HP är den reklamkampanj som använde sig av kändisar. Detta gjorde att deras globala reklam blev väldigt personlig då den reflekterade kändisarnas personligheter. Därför kategoriserades HP:s reklamkampanj som det” personifierade formatet” medan Amnesty förblev karaktäriserad som informativ form av kampanj. Resultatet visade att dessa reklamkampanjers globala reklam inte endast implementerade standardiserad form utan likaså integrerade anpassad form. Detta kallar teoretikerna Hassan, Craft och Kortam för ”hybridstrategi” och anses enligt dem vara mest effektivt tillvägagångssätt när det gäller global reklam.  En annan viktig sak som resultatet påvisade var att den ”kreativa strategin” (dess utlovande/påstående) är det som gör kampanjen sammanhängande medan den ”kreativa taktiken” (dess visuella element) mer eller mindre skiljer sig inom en kampanj.</p>