Forgotten classics: Motivation in Advertising, by Pierre Martineau (1957)

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review and summarize Pierre Martineau’s Motivation in Advertising and to assess its status as a valid forgotten classic of the marketing literature. Design/methodology/approach Motivation in Advertising is reviewed and summarized, and its contributions to marketing and advertising history, thought and practice are assessed. Findings Martineau was among a handful of figures behind the “motivation research” movement among marketers and advertisers during the late 1940s to the 1960s. His “new philosophy” regarding communication theory, persuasion and advertising message strategy and tactics remains highly influential and relevant. Written during a period of tremendous growth in consumption in the USA and a revolution in the use of qualitative research in marketing and advertising, Martineau’s book represents much more than a work about his experiences with motivation research, but a significant contribution to advertising communication theory as well. Originality/value Pierre Martineau was the subject of a historical biography (Martin, 1985), which also focused substantially on the principal themes and contributions of Motivation in Advertising. The book was also widely reviewed shortly after its publication. This more recent review and assessment, however, reveals the work’s valuable historical insights into how postmodern consumption evolved and many present-day perspectives of consumer behavior and advertising effects coalesced during the Consumer Revolution and at the outset of modern advertising’s “Golden Age”.