The Journal of Advertising’s Production and Dissemination of Advertising Knowledge: A 50th Anniversary Commemorative Review

Abstract

The Journal of Advertising (JA) is a leading journal devoted to the development of advertising theory and practice. In celebration of JA’s 50th anniversary, this article presents an in-depth retrospective of the journal and compares it with the other leading advertising journals, such as Journal of Advertising Research (JAR), International Journal of Advertising (IJA), and Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising (JCIRA). To do so, this article conducts a bibliometric review using performance analysis and natural language processing (NLP) as a means for co-word analysis on bibliometric information retrieved from Scopus. Using performance analysis, this article demonstrates that JA is the leading advertising journal in terms of research influence (h-index) and impact (g-index), as the journal receives the highest average and total citations despite publishing 11% less than its closest peers (JAR and IJA). Using NLP as a means for co-word analysis, this article reveals eight clusters or themes (1972–2020) that avail in JA’s body of knowledge (i.e., advertising appeals, advertising involvement, advertising credibility, advertising brands, advertising impact, advertising modeling and strategies, advertising communication and engagement, and advertising response) as well as nine clusters or themes (2000–2020) that reflect the four leading advertising journals’ collective contributions to the body of advertising knowledge (i.e., community advertising, responsible advertising, digital and social media advertising, product placement advertising, advertising impact, advertising credibility and persuasiveness, gamification and signaling in advertising, sponsorship advertising, and attitudes toward advertising). The article concludes with key takeaways and suggestions for prospective authors interested to publish in JA.