A content analysis of connectedness vs. separateness themes used in US and PRC print advertisements

Abstract

Psychologists and anthropologists have long observed that people in different cultures have different self‐concepts in terms of the relation between self and other people. The separated self‐schema or “separatedness” is most often attributed to Western cultures. Applies the connectedness‐separateness theory to test a set of hypotheses using content analysis of advertising themes across cultures. Results revealed that “connected appeals” were used more in PRC advertising, while “separated appeals” were used more in US advertising. Target audiences and product types were found to moderate the cultural effect. The findings were predicted and explained by the connectedness‐separateness self‐schema theory. Implications and future research directions are discussed.