Services' influence on minority portrayals in magazine advertising

Abstract

PurposeThe primary goal of this study is to examine how services advertising strategy relates to the prevalence of minority portrayals in magazine advertisements.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a content analysis method. Over 1,000 advertisements were collected, and 455 were employed in the study. Chi‐square difference tests were used to test hypotheses. A second sample was collected to verify some initial findings.FindingsIt was found that minority models were more likely to appear in advertisements for services than in advertisements for goods. Differences were also found across types of services. Asian models were overrepresented in advertisements for technologies, a product category with a strong services influence.Research limitations/implicationsEmphasis was placed on portrayals of African‐Americans and Asians, so findings are most directly applicable to these groups. The generalizability of the results may be limited to the types of publications from which the sample was drawn.Practical implicationsGiven the frequency of minority portrayals in advertisements for services, especially for particular types of services, managers must consider implementing this approach to reach these customer groups. Those already implementing portrayals of minority models must be mindful of the negative effects of stereotyping.Originality/valueThe paper considers services advertising strategy in light of changes in the make‐up of the US population. It applies the same theoretical approach to explain differences in the frequency of minority portrayals in services advertising versus goods advertising, and across different types of services.