The authors examine the content of magazine advertising for cigarettes, beer, and nonalcoholic beverages from July 1996 to July 1997. A total of 476 advertisements (239 unique advertisements) from 12 different magazines were content-analyzed. In light of the ongoing debate and recent proposals over the regulation of tobacco and alcohol advertising aimed at young people, the purpose was to answer two principal questions: (1) whether the advertisements for cigarettes and beer contain more cartoons and animated characters than do advertisements for nonalcoholic beverages and (2) whether the presence of human models in an advertisement's visuals is an adequate way to operationalize a lifestyle advertisement. The authors also replicate and extend previous research regarding the amount and type of extrinsic appeal or lifestyle advertising found in these product categories. Significantly more lifestyle content appeared in cigarette advertisements than in nonalcoholic beverage advertisements. Furthermore, a disproportionate number of cartoon characters in cigarette advertisements appeared in magazines with a higher share of younger readers, consistent with policy concerns regarding the use of such cartoon characters to appeal to youth markets. Also, 8.8% of advertisements that were classified as lifestyle advertisements did not contain recognizable human models. An implication of this finding is that the original tobacco settlement proposal to eliminate lifestyle content of cigarette and beer advertisements simply by eliminating models was inadequate to achieve its intended purpose.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AitkenP.P., EadieD.R., LeatharD.S., McNeilE.J., and ScottA.C. (1988), “Television Advertisements for Alcoholic Drinks Do Reinforce Underage Drinking,”British Journal of Addiction, 83, 1399–499.
2.
AitkenP.P., LeatharD.S., and O'HaganF.J. (1985), “Children's Perceptions of Advertisements for Cigarettes,”Social Science & Medicine, 21(7), 785–97.
3.
AlbrightCheryl L., AltmanDavid G., SlaterMichael D., and MaccobyNathan (1988), “Cigarette Advertisements in Magazines: Evidence for a Differential Focus on Women's and Youth Magazines,”Health Education Quarterly, 15(Summer), 225–33.
4.
AltmanDavid G., SlaterMichael D., AlbrightCheryl L., and MaccobyNathan (1987), “How an Unhealthy Product Is Sold: Cigarette Advertising in Magazines, 1960–1985,”Journal of Communications, 37(4), 95–106.
5.
AndrewsJ. Craig, AkhterSyed H., DurvasulaSrinivas, and MuehlingDarrell D. (1992), “The Effects of Advertising Distinctiveness and Message Content Involvement on Cognitive and Affective Responses to Advertising,”Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 14(1), 45–58.
6.
BasilM.D., AltmanDavid G., SlaterMichael, AlbrightCheryl L., and MaccobyNathan (1991), “How Cigarettes Are Advertised in Magazines: Special Messages for Special Markets,”Health Communication, 3(2), 75–91.
7.
CallcottMargaret F., and LeeWei-Na (1994), “A Content Analysis of Animation and Animated Spokes-Characters in Television Commercials,”Journal of Advertising, 23(December), 1–12.
8.
CovellK. (1992), “The Appeal of Image Advertisements: Age, Gender and Product Differences,”Journal of Early Adolescence, 12(February), 46–60.
9.
DiFranzaJoseph R., RichardsJohn W.Jr., PaulmanPaul H., Wolf-GillespieNancy, FletcherChristopher, JaffeRobert D., and MurrayDavid (1991), “RJR Nabisco's Cartoon Camel Promotes Camel Cigarettes to Children,”Journal of the American Medical Association, 266(22), 3149–53.
10.
FischerP.M., SchwarzM.P., RichardsJ.W.Jr., GoldsteinA.O., and RojasT.H. (1991), “Brand Logo Recognition by Children Aged 3 to 6 Years: Mickey Mouse and Old Joe the Camel,”Journal of the American Medical Association, 266(22), 3145–48.
11.
Food and Drug Administration (1996), Rules and Regulations, 61Fed. Reg. 168, 44508–44519–0.
12.
Food and Drug Administration v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation et al. (2000), Supreme Court of the United States, 529 U.S. No. 98–1152.
13.
HenkeLucy L. (1995), “Young Children's Perceptions of Cigarette Brand Advertising Symbols: Awareness, Affect, and Target Marketing Identification,”Journal of Advertising, 24(Winter), 13–28.
14.
HuangP.P, BurtonD., L'HoweH., and SosinD.M. (1992), “Black–White Differences in Appeal of Cigarette Advertisements Among Adolescents,”Tobacco Control, (1), 249–55.
15.
KellyKathleen J., and EdwardsRuth W. (1998), “Image Advertisements for Alcohol Products: Is Their Appeal Associated with Adolescents’ Intention to Consume Alcohol?”Adolescence, 33(Spring), 47–59.
16.
KingKaren Whitehill, ReidLeonard N., MoonYoung Sook, and RingoldDebra Jones (1991), “Changes in the Visual Imagery of Cigarette Ads, 1954–1986,”Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 10(Spring), 63–80.
17.
KolbeRichard H., and BurnettMelissa S. (1991), “Content-Analysis Research: An Examination of Applications with Directives for Improving Research Reliability and Objectivity,”Journal of Consumer Research, 18(September), 243–50.
18.
MaddenPatricia A., and GrubeJoel W. (1994), “The Frequency and Nature of Alcohol and Tobacco Advertising in Televised Sports, 1990 Through 1992,”American Journal of Public Health, 84(2), 297–99.
19.
MizerskiRichard (1995), “The Relationship Between Cartoon Trade Character Recognition and Attitude Toward Product Category in Young Children,”Journal of Marketing, 59(4), 59–70.
20.
New York Times (1997), “Excerpts from Agreement Between States and Tobacco Industry,” (June 25), B8–B9.
21.
PerreaultWilliam D.Jr., and LeighLaurence E. (1989), “Reliability of Nominal Data Based on Qualitative Judgments,”Journal of Marketing Research, 26(May), 135–48.
22.
PettyRichard E., and CacioppoJohn T. (1986), Communication and Persuasion: Central and Peripheral Routes to Attitude Change.New York: Springer-Verlag.
23.
PierceJ.P., ChoiW.S., GilpinE.A., FarkasA.J., and BerryC.C. (1998), “Tobacco Industry Promotion of Cigarettes and Adolescent Smoking,”Journal of the American Medical Association, 279(7), 511–53.
24.
PollayRichard W. (1990), “Information and Imagery in Contemporary Canadian Cigarette Ads,” in Proceedings of the American Academy of Advertising, StoutPatricia, ed. Austin, TX: University of Texas, 74–79.
25.
PollayRichard W. (1991), “Signs and Symbols in Cigarette Advertising: A Historical Analysis of the Use of Pictures of Health,” in Marketing and Semiotics, Hartvig-LarsenHanne, MickDavid G., and AlstedChristian, eds. Copenhagen: Handelshojskolens Forlag, 160–76.
26.
PollayRichard W. (1995), “Lifestyle Advertising for Cigarettes,” working paper No. 95.7, History of Advertising Archives, Faculty of Commerce, University of British Columbia.
27.
RingoldDebra J., and CalfeeJohn E. (1989), “The Informational Content of Cigarette Advertising: 1926–1986,”Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 8, 1–23.
28.
SchudsonMichael (1984), Advertising: The Uneasy Persuasion.New York: Basic Books.
29.
SchusterP. Camille, and PowellChristine Pacelli (1987), “Comparison of Cigarette and Alcohol Advertising Controversies,”Journal of Advertising, 16(2), 26–33.
30.
Simmons Market Research Bureau (1994), Simmons 1984 Study of Media and Markets.New York: Simmons Market Research Bureau.
31.
SlaterMichael D., RounerDonna, MurphyKevin, BeauvaisFrederick, Van LeuvenJim, and Domenech-RodriguezMelanie (1996), “Adolescent Male Reactions to TV Beer Ads: The Effects of Sports Content and Programming Context,”Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 57(4), 425–33.
32.
SnyderM., and DeBonoK.G. (1985), “Appeals to Image and Claims About Quality: Understanding the Psychology of Advertising,”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49(3), 586–97.
33.
TorrySaundra (1999), “Giving the Medium a New Message; With Settlement, Anti-Smoking Billboards Replace Tobacco Ads,”The Washington Post, (April 23), A03.
34.
TuckwellKeith J. (1988), Canadian Advertising in Action.Scarborough, ON: Prentice-Hall Canada.
35.
UngerJennifer B., Anderson JohnsonC., and RohrbachLouise A. (1995), “Recognition and Liking of Tobacco and Alcohol Advertisements Among Adolescents: Relationships with Susceptibility to Substance Use,”Preventive Medicine, 24, 461–66.
36.
WarnerKenneth E. (1985), “Tobacco Industry Response to Public Health Concern: A Content Analysis of Cigarette Advertisements,”Health Education Quarterly, 12, 115–27.
37.
WellsWilliam, BurnettJohn, and MoriartySandra (1995), Advertising Principles and Practice, 3d Annotated Instructor's Ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
38.
ZellerShawn (1998), “Last Call for Frankie and Louie,”National Journal, 30(22), 1246–47.
