Advertising Communications Research Articles

“The Pelevin Phenomenon” in the context of advertising pragmatics (using the example of an e-mail campaign for the release of the novel “Journey to Eleusis”)

INTODUCTION. Victor Pelevin, a popular Russian writer, is of scientific interest not only as a literary phenomenon, but also as a marketing phenomenon that has not yet been studied by the scientific community. V. Pelevin’s marketing strategy, despite the minimalism, is effective, his image attracts attention, which determines relevance of our research. The purpose of the work is to analyze the inclusion of the writer’s image in advertising communications, as well as to identify the specifics of using modern mailing, including the introduction of game elements.MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study was conducted based on the September e-mail campaign of one of the bookstore chains. A qualitative content analysis and a descriptive method were used. The subject of the study is the image of a modern writer in the refraction of advertising discourse.RESULT AND DISCUSSION. The analysis showed that the image of V. Pelevin, like the release of a new book, becomes an informational occasion, and not an end in itself of the campaign. Despite the fact that the new novel belongs to the “Transhumanism” series, the e-mail newsletter contains images of characters from other novels, which is determined by their popularity. The newsletter uses a recognizable image of the author and references to his work as a whole – to supertext – coupled with the corporate style of the book chain. The image of the author is mythologized and intertwined with literary heroes, which is reflected in this advertising campaign.CONCLUSION. The Pelevin’s new book has not become a key topic of advertising communication; the emphasis is on V. Pelevin’s work as a supertext, and not directly on the “Transhumanism” cycle.

An Overview of the Functions and Role of Advertising as a Communication Tool in Belarus, Egypt, and the UK

This article is meant to focus on the fundamental functions of advertising as a communicative tool. It shines the spotlight on the communicative functions of advertising, and the role of advertising in three countries Belarus, Egypt, and the UK. I committed to show the functions of advertising and its characteristics and approaches in the three countries. The functions of advertising as a communication tool is to inform consumers, provides consumers with information, connects advertisers and consumer audience in the market, and alter how consumers view a specific issue. Moreover, advertising communication educates consumers and it will make their lives better. This article aims to provide researchers with some knowledge about the functions of advertising communications, and on the influence of advertising communications on the public of the mentioned countries.

The use of cartoon characters in brand advertising communications

The authors of the article explore how the cartoon characters are perceived in advertising products of famous brands among young people. To study this issue, focus groups were held, in which representatives of the youth audience took part. To demonstrate the stimulus material, 22 characters from animated films were selected (cartoons of the Soviet period, Disney studios cartoons and other foreign cartoons). For a large number of products, especially for children, the use of cartoon characters is logical and relevant in most cases. The level of popularity of Soviet cartoons is quite high, which gives brands the opportunity to use their characters in advertising communications. The most popular are the heroes of foreign cartoons (Disney studios and others). According to the results of the study, it was concluded that the use of cartoon characters in advertising communications of the brand contributes to its successful promotion, makes advertising bright and memorable, such advertising attracts the attention of the target audience and arouses its interest. At the same time, the authors point out that it is impossible to take the character out of the context of the cartoon, his image should be exactly the way people used to see him. In this case, advertising communication will be really successful. The results of the study can be used by brands when promoting goods and services using cartoon characters.

Comparative Study on Advertising as a Means of Communications; its Issues and Characteristics

This article is meant to provide some initial notions, materials, and concept for the study of advertising communication. It draws on advertising communication definitions. I analyzed vary definitions of advertising communications for English, Russian, and Arabic authors. I committed to bridging the gap between the huge body of research on advertising communications definitions. I am hoping that this lays a solid enough foundation for researchers to dig deeper into some of the issues brought up. The characteristics of advertising communication are particularly explained in the second half of the article. We need to understand how advertising communications work in order to arm ourselves with knowledge about practical forms of social communication. Advertising communications have an impact on our lives, our perspectives, and feelings. In addition to introducing researchers to the most crucial definitions of advertising communications, this article aims to teach them how to study, research, and investigate this field of communication as well as how it influences and shapes our social lives.

Information consistency as response to pre-launch advertising communications: The case of YouTube trailers

IntroductionPre-launch advertising communications are critical for the early adoption of experiential products. Often, companies release a variety of advertising messages for the same product, which results in a lack of information consistency. Research on the effect of advertising communications with different message content is scarce. Further, most studies on information consistency rely on experimental methods, leaving the actual effect of consumer response on product adoption unknown.MethodsTreating online comments to movie trailers as consumer response to advertising communication, we propose a natural language processing methodology to measure information consistency. We validate our measurement through an online experiment and test it on 1.3 million YouTube comments.ResultsOur empirical results provide evidence that information consistency driven by trailer-viewing is a key driver of opening box office success.DiscussionInsights deriving from this study are important to marketing communications research, especially in contexts where early product adoption is critical.

The Internet of Things as a Promising Channel of Advertising Communication

The study explored the future of the advertising industry. In particular, the possibility of a new advertising communication channel associated with the development of Internet of Things technologies is being considered. In his reasoning, the author started from the fact that at present, along with the omnipresence of the Internet, there is a rapid growth of the Internet of Things segment. The further development of the Internet of Things is largely due to the quantitative and qualitative improvement of its physical infrastructure. "Smart" things connected in networks capture and analyze data, exchange information, and take over part of the communications familiar to humans. As a result, new social practices are emerging, including those related to the involvement of connected things in the human decision-making process. A favorable scenario assumes the appearance in the future of many "smart" technologies that will make things even smarter, give them the opportunity to perform a variety of functions and services in the interests of a person. With their help, the interaction of things with things, things with a person can lead to the emergence of completely new forms of interaction that do not fit into the standard framework of ideas about communication. Based upon the analysis, the author concluded that "smart" structures, which, due to the presence of specific technological and communication parameters, can become a fundamentally new channel of advertising communication and even transform the entire advertising industry. The study examined the features of the model of advertising communication based on the Internet of Things, in which connected physical and virtual things can act as both subjects and objects of advertising communication. The study identified technical solutions that will allow to create the basis for the functioning of advertising communications based upon the Internet of Things. The methods that can accelerate the implementation of the idea of using the Internet of Things as an advertising communication channel were described.

Особенности рекламных коммуникаций оппозиционного кандидата (на материалах предвыборной кампании П. Н. Грудинина)

The article contains results of the research of advertising communication of the candidate P. N. Grudinin. Drawing on the data from social surveys, the author puts forward a thesis that the political idea promoted by the candidate is irrelevant for the majority of voters in Russia. The following features of advertising communications are highlighted: an appeal to the past; the lack of attempts to expand the electoral base; use of oppositions.

Зміст і особливості реклами в умовах глобалізації

The paper summarizes modern views of scientists and marketing practitioners on the content and functions of advertising; changes in the forms and mechanisms of advertising communications are analyzed; characteristics and priority tasks of advertising intelligence under the conditions of globalization and development of modern information and communication technologies are determined. It is demonstrated that proceeding from the content and specifics of theoretical paradigms of advertising, which determined the general attitude of scientists to the analysis of advertising, in the dynamics of modern ideas as to the nature and place of advertising in society the following stages are observed: - 1930s: considering advertising as a necessary means of informing consumers about goods and services and stimulating their demand; characterization and assessment of the consequences of the use of advertising that misleads consumers as unfair competition; - 1960s: substantiation of the advertising content as an element in the promotion complex, along with its other elements – personal selling, promotion and publicity; - 1980s: regarding all components of the promotion complex as internally interconnected and interdependent parts of a single communication system – integrated marketing communications – IMC; - 1990s: determination of qualitative transformations of the content, forms and mechanisms of advertising under the influence of globalization and the development of information and communication technologies – ICT. Based on the analysis of current trends in advertising, a fundamental conclusion has been made that nowadays we observe coexistence of the "classic" – traditional advertising with its own characteristics, and digital advertising: Internet Advertising, Social media marketing – SMM, Mobile Advertising, etc. As to its qualitative characteristics, communication in digital advertising is in many respects opposite to the classical forms. That is: it is individualized and personalized, often has no obvious sponsor, and can be free o charge.

Management of advertising communication in health care organizations

The article examines the impact of advertising communications on the patient flow of medical organizations in the Russian healthcare system, reflecting significant changes in the global communication industry. The study of the current changes indicates the relevance of the topic of marketing communications among the heads of Russian and foreign medical companies, government agencies responsible for medicine, the media, advertising companies and consumers of medical services. Issues of concern to the medical services advertising industry and regulatory authorities in healthcare, the impact of advertising on the development of the medical market, and international experience in state regulation of advertising communications in the field of medicine are relevant. Today, the development of an effective policy aimed at attracting new customers and expanding the service sector is a prerequisite for the success of any medical organization. Along with the increasing competition of organizations working in the medical market for consumers of medical services, the need for effective management of advertising communications is also increasing, thanks to which the company's status is maintained, qualified, high-quality treatment is provided, and a high level of service is maintained. Thus, the management of advertising communications in medical organizations has its own specifics and requires compliance with Russian legislation. Ads for medical services must truthfully inform the patient about the nature and direction of the medical organization's work.

Aspects of choosing by applicants a secondary special or higher education institution

A brief overview of the modern system of secondary special and higher education in the Russian Federation has been given. The problem of competitiveness of educational institutions in the Russian Federation and the world in General has been raised. Statistical data conducted at the end of 2019 questionnaires among the students of the Department of Advertising and Public Relations the State University of Management (Moscow) and students of the Faculty of Advertising and Internet Communications, the International College of Arts and Communications (Moscow).The influence of several factors on the choice by learners of studying educational institutions has been explored, key factors for choice has been highlighted. The opinions of students in terms of the applicability of disciplines in their future profession, assessment of students of the faculty of the institution, the relevance of the cost of education quality and prospects for future employment in the profession after graduation have been analysed.According to the results of the survey, answers were given to such questions as: how do applicants themselves choose an educational program – their future profession? How do they perceive the educational service provided to them by the educational institution? How do applicants who have already become students evaluate their choice of educational institution, the quality of educational service and prospects for their future employment? What is necessary for the formation of demand for educational service?Based on the conducted sociological research, conclusions regarding the choice of educational institution by applicants have been made. The authors’ recommendations to educational institutions to attract applicants and increase their competitiveness in the market of educational services are given.

An Evaluation of the Self-Regulation of Promotional Competitions in South Africa

Promotional competitions are competitions in which prizes are awarded by lot or chance in order to promote goods or services. In order to protect participants and consumers against abuse, these competitions are usually regulated by gambling or consumer protection legislation. However, the relevant legislation is often complemented by self-regulation, which is the focus of this contribution.
 Self-regulation entails the regulation or governing of an industry by the role players in that industry. This article commences by explaining the relevant terminology and exploring self-regulation in general, including the various forms of self-regulation and the binding force thereof. The nature of self-regulation is discussed together with the advantages and challenges associated with this form of regulation. This is followed by some examples of self-regulation on a global level in order to provide a comparative perspective on the topic. The provisions of the International Chamber of Commerce’s Consolidated Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice are summarised and the European Advertising Standards Alliance’s role in self-regulation is considered. Attention is also given to the relevant industry codes in the United Kingdom in view of the comprehensive way in which promotional competitions are covered by the self-regulation in that country.
 The main part of the article centres on the self-regulatory position in South Africa. The brief overview of the role and function of the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASASA) is provided. The provisions of the ASASA’s Code of Advertising Practice are then examined and some ASASA rulings are discussed in order to illustrate the relevant principles. Thereafter, the focus shifts to the Code of Conduct of the Wireless Application Service Providers’ Association, which contains detailed provisions relating to promotional competitions. Some relevant rulings are also considered. In conclusion, comments are made regarding the current state of the self-regulation of promotional competitions in South Africa.

Mathematical model and algorithm for selection of Internet sites and places for display of communication messages in planning advertising campaigns

Yuriy P. Yekhlakov - Professor, Head of Department of Data Processing Automation, Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics (TUSUR)Address: 40, Prospect Lenina, Tomsk, 634050, Russian FederationE-mail: upe@tusur.ruDmitriy N. Baraksanov - Senior Lecturer, Department of Data Processing Automation, Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics (TUSUR)Address: 40, Prospect Lenina, Tomsk, 634050, Russian FederationE-mail: bdn@tusur.ru This paper discusses the problem of selecting a set of online marketing tools, advertising space, places and duration of display of advertising communications(AC) restricted by a tight advertising budget. The tool offered to evaluate the efficiency of AC display is the conversion rate. The paper reviews the methods for calculating the conversion rate. The formalized problem statement is represented as an integer valued linear programming model and reduced to maximization of the total conversion from advertising communications displayed under a tight advertising budget and with a limited selection of online marketing tools and duration of AC display. The paper describes a solution algorithm based on the method of wave planning. It allows the decision maker to run an iterative decision making process in each interval of the planning period based on the AC conversion rate obtained at the previous stage. The authors propose methods for calculating input parameters for the model: AC display conversion rate, cost of AC placement in the advertising space over the shortest possible period, average number of AC displays over the shortest possible period. The paper describes the results of experimental study of the model and the algorithm using the example of AC planning for Electronic Timetable software marketing to colleges and universities of the Kemerovo region. The results have practical value for executives and marketing managers of small innovation-based companies running advertising campaigns and planning communications with potential consumers using the tools of online marketing.

Cross-cultural Communication in Russian Advertising

The processes of globalization/glocalization in contemporary world give rise to s cross-cultural communication across the cultures (Gudykunst, 2003) where a crucial role is played by advertising. The current investigation is dedicated to cross-cultural aspects of Russian advertising and deals with the adverts created for Russian and foreign companies working in Moscow in late 2000s to mid 2010s. The study aims to highlight not so much economical or political components of cross-cultural advertising communications as their cultural constituents. The analysis of textual and visual content of the adverts based on the semiological approach (Barthes, 2013) showed that cross-cultural communication in advertising in Russia mostly involves “global symbols” (Urri, 2002), well-known touristic referents of concrete cultures. Symbols from the sign systems of different cultures are not only translated by advertising by means of semantic codes alien to them, but the signs and their referents are re-encoded in a substantial way. The postmodern cross-cultural game in advertising constructs the culture’s external and internal self-representations on the basis of its external ethnic images which have developed in foreign cultures. Cross-cultural communication in Russian advertising creates a multi-layered blend of cultures and imparts new cultural meanings into authentic artifacts and images and the semiosphere of the intercommunicating cultures in general. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n6s5p250

SEC releases study on the fiduciary duty of investment advisers and broker‐dealers

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explain a study released by the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 21, 2011, the “Fiduciary Study,” concerning legal and regulatory standards of care for providing investment advice and recommendations to retail customers.Design/methodology/approachThe paper explains the Fiduciary Study's concern that retail investors do not fully understand the roles played by, and the different standards of care that apply to, investment advisers and broker‐dealers. It summarizes the SEC's core recommendations concerning uniform investment adviser and broker‐dealer standards for conduct, avoidance of conflicts of interest, fiduciary duties, principal trading, duty of care owed to investors, personalized investment advice about securities, and investor education. It summarizes the SEC's recommendations on harmonizing investment adviser and broker‐dealer regulations on advertising and other communications, use of finders and solicitors, supervision, licensing and registration of firms, licensing and continuing education requirements for professionals, and books and records.FindingsThe SEC's core recommendations are designed to clarify the respective roles of, and establish uniform standards for, investment advisers and broker‐dealers, so that retail investors will be better informed and protected.Originality/valueThis paper provides a useful summary and practical advice from experienced financial services lawyers.

Mosaics of meaning: Anthropology and marketing

From an anthropological standpoint, modern marketing could be thought of as a system whereby consumption myths and rituals are created and sustained through the mechanism of branding. This paper describes the relevance of anthropological concepts to several areas of marketing: understanding brand symbolism, the contribution of advertising and other communications to brand values, the significance of relationship marketing in the context of the social fragmentation of modern society and the development of global brands.