Implicit Meaning in Visual Print Advertisements: A Cross-Cultural Examination of the Contextual Communication Effect

L. Schiffman and M. Callow

Although there is an abundance of literature on cross-cultural comparisons of advertising appeals, very little is known about how consumers from different cultures process visual images in print advertisements.

Implicit Meaning in Visual Print Advertisements: A Cross-Cultural Examination of the Contextual Communication Effect

Michael CallowMorgan State University andLeon SchiffmanSt John's University

INTRODUCTION

Past research in international advertising has revealed significant differences in execution styles between countries. These differences are often attributed to cultural forces that shape the consumer's value systems, beliefs and perceptual processes (Zhang & Gelb 1996). An underlying assumption that is rarely tested in cross-cultural advertising research is that the advertising style that is being implemented within each country is in fact the most effective (Taylor et al. 1997). Indeed, rhetorical...

WARC subscribers can sign in to keep reading

Not a subscriber?

Schedule your live demo with our team today

WARC helps you to plan, create and deliver more effective marketing

  • Prove your case and back-up your idea

  • Get expert guidance on strategic challenges

  • Tackle current and emerging marketing themes

We’re long-term subscribers to WARC and it’s a tool we use extensively. We use it to source case studies and best practice for the purposes of internal training, as well as for putting persuasive cases to clients. In compiling a recent case for long-term, sustained investment in brand, we were able to support key marketing principles with numerous case studies sourced from WARC. It helped bring what could have been a relatively dry deck to life with recognisable brand successes from across a broad number of categories. It’s incredibly efficient to have such a wealth of insight in one place.

Insights Team
Bray Leino

You’re in good company

We work with 80% of Forbes' most valuable brands* and 80% of the world's top top-of-the-class agencies.

* Top 10 brands