Content analysis of roles portrayed by women in advertisements in selected South African media

Women have been portrayed in advertising in stereotypical roles for years. Typical stereotypes include the nurturing mother or the alluring seductress. Since the social climate and the roles of females have evolved through the years, the appropriate portrayal of women in today’s media has become debatable. Findings from previous advertising research studies indicate that women are generally not depicted in powerful roles. This may limit the perceptions of women as it does not reflect their abilities and positions of power that they hold in real life. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the roles portrayed by women in magazine advertisements and television commercials in South Africa. Several secondary research objectives were set including inter alia the incidence of female models in advertisements and commercials, the ethnic representation of women in advertisements and commercials, and the types of products and services advertised using female models. Data were collected from full-page and double-page advertisements appearing in nine consumer magazines as well as commercials broadcasted during prime time on the four free-to-air television channels. The research method used was content analysis, which focused on the visual elements in advertisements and commercials - particularly the female model. The sample included 203 magazine advertisements and 245 television commercials. The results indicated that 55 per cent of magazine advertisements and 40 per cent of television commercials featured women. The findings also indicated various roles portrayed by women. The most prevalent role portrayal in magazine advertisements was that of a physically decorative woman (27%), typified as a woman that symbolises the physical ideal. In television commercials, women were most often depicted as product users, with 25 per cent of the portrayals showing a woman actually using or preparing to use the advertised product. The less prevalent portrayals included career woman, homemaker, mother, mannequin, romantic, sex object, social being, background elements as well as various “other” categories. From the “other” portrayals, the study has also identified new roles that had not been specifically identified in previous studies. The new roles identified in magazines were leisure woman and sportswoman, and in television commercials, customer and spokesperson. The results further revealed that women are used as visual attention-attracting focus points in advertisements across a range of different product or service categories. The product category that most often featured women in both media was personal care products (41% for magazine and 26% for television advertisements). The implications of the study are that South African advertisers need to consider the suitability of the models that are used to attract attention to their advertisements, as well as the fit between the role portrayal and the brand image. From a practical perspective, the study provides insight to advertisers regarding the relevance of female portrayals in advertising. One of the recommendations is that future research should be conducted to determine women’s opinions on female portrayals in advertisements. The study contributes to the available literature on this topic in several ways. Firstly, current female roles in South African magazine and television advertising have been identified. Moreover, a number of new role portrayals were also identified and described. The information gained in the study could be utilised by other researchers as a basis for future studies.Thesis (DCom)--University of Pretoria, 2011.Marketing ManagementDComUnrestricte

Linkedin users' self-brand congruence, attitudes and social media use integration

This article describes a sample of LinkedIn users in South Africa. The main purpose of the study reported on was to compile a consumer profile of LinkedIn users based on several measures (e.g. usage behaviour, self- and brand-personality traits and attitudes towards the LinkedIn brand). The study contributes to the literature by including users’ personality traits, perceived brand-personality traits, self-brand congruence (SBC) and social media use integration (SMUI) in the investigation. Self-congruity theory was used as a basis to examine SBC in the LinkedIn context. The study entailed a cross-sectional quantitative design using a survey of LinkedIn users in Gauteng, the economic hub of South Africa. The primary results indicated that despite low usage patterns, users’ SBC is high and their attitudes towards the LinkedIn brand are positive. SMUI is not prevalent, yet it correlates positively with brand attitude.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rcsa20hj2019Marketing Managemen

Through the looking-glass : exploring the wonderland of 'other' female portrayals in advertising

Research on gender portrayals in advertising are prolific and mostly focus on stereotypical roles. However, there is no previous research report analysing portrayals that fall into the “other” category of female roles. This paper aims to provide an outline of female role portrayals in advertising and, importantly, to examine the “other” role category for new portrayals. A quantitative content analysis was conducted on samples of South African magazine and television advertisements. The findings indicate that the stereotypical decorative role was prevalent in magazine advertisements. In television advertisements the product user was the person most often featured. A detailed analysis of the “other” category in both media revealed four new role portrayals. These new roles represent a different view of the modern woman and may be used to differentiate effectively those brands in media that are cluttered with advertising messages. The research provides direction for future content analytic studies on the topic of female portrayals in advertising.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rcsa202015-12-30hb201

The social media use integration scale : toward reliability and validity

The growing importance of social media and research interest in the field makes it imperative to consider the measures used to assess social networking site (SNS) use. The Facebook Intensity Scale has seen prolific use since its development; however, it has been criticized by some scholars. Jenkins-Guarnieri, Wright, and Johnson (2013) suggested another scale, the Social Media Use Integration Scale (SMUIS), which was developed to be suitable for use across different SNS platforms. They advised further research to confirm its psychometric properties, testing it on a more diverse sample than US college students and on social media other than Facebook. In this study, EFAs and a CFA were conducted to examine the validity of the SMUIS on Facebook and LinkedIn in the African context. The results provide preliminary evidence of the reliability and validity of the SMUIS for diverse age ranges. Further testing of the scale on LinkedIn is recommended.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/hihc202018-03-22hj2018Marketing Managemen

Dynamite in small packages: the Engaged Elite as an Facebook emerging niche market

Social networking sites, such as Facebook, have gained immense popularity as communication platform. Generation Y’ers have a strong need to engage and connect – both digitally, and in person. This paper examines the Facebook behaviour of Generation Y by means of a self-administered, campus-intercept survey of 383 university students. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether various clusters of Generation Y Facebook-users could be identified on the basis of their Facebook behaviour and usage. All multi-item constructs were subjected to an exploratory-factor analysis and a two-Step Cluster analysis. Three clusters, labeled ‘Engaged Elite’, ‘Neutral Masses’ and ‘Facebook Floaters’ were revealed. The results indicate that Facebook remains a feasible communication channel to initiate and engage in a number of marketing activities. However, the focus should not be on ‘pushing’ content and information, but rather on engaging the users – and to facilitate sharing between users across their networks

The central role of consumer–brand engagement in product and service brand contexts

This paper examines key relational drivers and brand outcomes of consumer–brand engagement (CBE) in smartphone (product) and social media (service) brand contexts. The study utilised structural equation modelling to analyse data collected from 503 smartphone owners and 491 social media users through online surveys. The findings show that, in both brand contexts, brand trust, self-expressive brand, and brand interactivity influence CBE. Furthermore, CBE positively influences brand evangelism and consumer-based brand equity. The mediating role of CBE is also reported. The findings imply that developing consumer relationship management (CRM) initiatives that generate brand trust, self-expressive brand, and brand interactivity, will lead to consumers having mutually rewarding and interactive relationships with the brand, leading to favourable brand outcomes. The paper contributes theoretically and contextually by testing an S-D logic-informed conceptual model that explains the important role of CBE in interrelating with important relational concepts in two contexts.Open access funding provided by University of Pretoria. Funding was provided by National Research Foundation.https://link.springer.com/journal/41270hj2023Marketing Managemen

Motivation, engagement, attitudes and buying intent of female Facebook users

ORIENTATION : This research examined the influence of motives and engagement on brand attitudes and the influence thereof on buying intentions in the context of online social media brand communities. RESEARCH PURPOSE : The primary purpose was to investigate the interrelationship between motives, engagement, brand attitudes and buying intent of female Facebook brand apparel community members in South Africa. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY : Social media created a new tool for marketers to break through advertising clutter. Scholars assert that the influence of social media brand communities on consumers’ attitudes, behaviour and intentions need to be studied, and such research should be applied to a specific industry. RESEARCH DESIGN, APPROACH AND METHOD : A total of 333 female apparel brand community members on Facebook completed a quantitative, structured online survey. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to investigate the interrelationship between the constructs. MAIN FINDINGS : The results indicated significant relationships between some of the hypothesised constructs, namely hedonic motives and brand attitude, as well as brand attitude and buying intention. PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS : The findings suggested marketers should create entertaining and useful brand community experiences, as that would lead to favourable attitudes, and positively influence buying intention. Suggestions for marketers to use this platform effectively to engage community members were provided. CONTRIBUTION : The research contributed to the limited knowledge on brand community behaviour on Facebook in an emerging market context. This research examined female consumers, an influential segment of social media users. It provided empirical support for theI.l.R. was a Masters’ student in the Department of Marketing Management. T.M. was the study leader.http://www.actacommercii.co.zaam2016Marketing Managemen

Motivation, engagement, attitudes and buying intent of female Facebook users

ORIENTATION : This research examined the influence of motives and engagement on brand attitudes and the influence thereof on buying intentions in the context of online social media brand communities. RESEARCH PURPOSE : The primary purpose was to investigate the interrelationship between motives, engagement, brand attitudes and buying intent of female Facebook brand apparel community members in South Africa. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY : Social media created a new tool for marketers to break through advertising clutter. Scholars assert that the influence of social media brand communities on consumers’ attitudes, behaviour and intentions need to be studied, and such research should be applied to a specific industry. RESEARCH DESIGN, APPROACH AND METHOD : A total of 333 female apparel brand community members on Facebook completed a quantitative, structured online survey. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to investigate the interrelationship between the constructs. MAIN FINDINGS : The results indicated significant relationships between some of the hypothesised constructs, namely hedonic motives and brand attitude, as well as brand attitude and buying intention. PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS : The findings suggested marketers should create entertaining and useful brand community experiences, as that would lead to favourable attitudes, and positively influence buying intention. Suggestions for marketers to use this platform effectively to engage community members were provided. CONTRIBUTION : The research contributed to the limited knowledge on brand community behaviour on Facebook in an emerging market context. This research examined female consumers, an influential segment of social media users. It provided empirical support for theI.l.R. was a Masters’ student in the Department of Marketing Management. T.M. was the study leader.http://www.actacommercii.co.zaam2016Marketing Managemen

The behavioural intentions of speciality coffee consumers in South Africa

More than 1.6 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide on a daily basis. South Africa is rapidly adapting to worldwide trends with speciality coffee consumption on the rise, with South Africa recently having been recognised as a key player in the speciality coffee industry. Emerging market trends in speciality coffee consumption have resulted in a number of changes in consumption patterns, preferences and consumer behaviour. The purpose of this study was to determine the behavioural intention of speciality coffee consumers in South Africa, using the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The data were gathered from a non-probability sample of 327 respondents, who were selected through a self-completion online questionnaire. The results indicate that males consume more speciality coffee than females. The majority of respondents consume speciality coffee more than once a day, and foam cappuccinos are consumed most regularly. The results of the stepwise multiple regression analysis demonstrate the utility of the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a conceptual framework for predicting the behavioural intention of speciality coffee consumers. The findings indicate that attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control are important predictors of behavioural intention. Furthermore, perceived behavioural control is the most important factor influencing speciality coffee consumption, and the most influential of the direct measures of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. With the current rise in speciality coffee consumption among South Africans, the Theory of Planned Behaviour framework contributes to understanding those factors which influence regular speciality coffee consumption. It is recommended that marketers and practitioners adapt their offerings to appeal to the specific needs of the growing speciality coffee market in South Africa.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1470-64312017-07-31hb2016Marketing Managemen