Fashion Advertising Research Articles

Western and Asian Models in Japanese Fashion Magazine Ads: The Relationship With Brand Origins and International Versus Domestic Magazines

ABSTRACT This study used the method of content analysis to investigate the use of models (or endorsers) from different racial/ethnic backgrounds in Japanese print advertising to enhance our knowledge about model selections in Japanese fashion advertising. Particularly, the relationships among portrayals of Western/Asian models in ads, advertisers' origin (foreign or domestic), and the magazine title (Japanese or Japanese editions of global fashion magazines) were closely examined. The results suggest that the use of Western models was prominent in ads carried in both Japanese and global magazines, and there was a match between the advertisers' origin (foreign or Japanese) and the model's race in the ads. Also, the match between the publication's origin (global or Japanese) and the model's race in the ads existed. Western models tended to be featured in ads for beauty products, clothing, and accessories, while more Asian models were used in ads for health aids, automobiles, and travel.

TV의류광고에 대한 감정이 광고효과에 미치는 영향

The purposes of this study were to investigate the factors of affect induced by fashion advertising and to analyze the effects of affect on advertising effects: advertising preference, brand preference, and purchase intention. A total of 400 college students were surveyed in September, 2006, using 4 TV fashion advertisements(Bean pole, Bang bang, Nike, and Adidas). The data were analyzed with factor analysis, multiple regression analysis, ANOVA, Scheffe Test, Cronbach's <TEX>$\alpha$</TEX>, and path analysis, using the SPSS 12.0. The results were as follows; 1) Two factors of affect were identified: 'pleasure' and 'domination and arousal'; 2) There were differences of induced affect factors, advertising preference, brand preference, and purchase intention among 4 TV fashion advertisements; 3) Advertising preference was more affected by 'pleasure' than by 'domination and arousal'; 4) Brand preference was affected by advertising preference, 'domination and arousal' and 'pleasure' in order of significance; and 5) Purchase intention was affected by brand preference, 'domination and arousal', advertising preference, and 'pleasure' in order of significance.

Advertisements: interpreting images used to sell to young adults

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify images used in advertising directed toward young adults, investigate what young adults thought of these images, and explore how young adults used these images.Design/methodology/approachA content analysis of 674 apparel and cosmetic advertisements located in four fashion magazines (Elle Girl, Seventeen, YM, and TeenVogue) resulted in eight categories. Participants (n=32) viewed advertisements representative of the categories and answered questions related to their thoughts about the model depicted in the advertisement and their use of the images.FindingsParticipants' used the models as a point of comparison. Participants primarily commented on their own weight relative to the thin models and expressed a need to lose weight to appear like them. With two categories of advertisements depicting average weight models participants noted that the model appeared realistic. However, they did not draw comparisons between themselves and these models.Research limitations/implicationsYoung adults do make comparisons between themselves and models used in fashion advertising. These comparisons were primarily downward. Use of average‐sized models may not be a solution to negative impacts on body image, as these participants did not make use of the average‐sized models as a point of comparison.Originality/valueYoung women do compare themselves with models used in advertising. They recognize average weight women in advertising but do not make the same types of comparisons with these models, suggesting that the use of average weight models may be a solution to advertising's impact on developing negative body images in young adults.

Attitude towards fashion advertisements with political content: impacts of opinion leadership and perception of advertisement message

AbstractFashion advertisements with political content are unique in that they go against the accepted strategy of advertising. As fashion advertisements with political content become more prevalent, consumers’ reactions to them become an important subject of research. This study examines consumers’ attitudes towards fashion advertisements with political content with respect to fashion and political opinion leadership, political views, perception of advertisement message and product attitude. Results showed that attitude towards advertisements with political content was influenced significantly by the viewer's political views and agreement with the advertisement message, but not by political opinion leadership. Fashion opinion leadership influenced product attitude only for advertisements without political content. The viewers’ advertisement attitudes were carried over to product attitudes regardless of the presence of political message.

Age is no barrier to wanting to look good: women on body image, age and advertising

PurposeMost fashion advertising in the UK uses and targets young, slim women (and/or men). The purpose of this paper research is to ask whether this approach is relevant and appropriate to older women, who make up a large and growing segment of the market, and who generally have more disposable income to spend on clothes.Design/methodology/approachAdapted qualitative techniques were used to examine two groups of women, one younger and one older. The Contour Drawing Rating Scale was used to examine the women's self‐image and the ideal size they perceived models should be. Triadic Sorting with laddering interviews revealed how the women perceived some recent adverts.FindingsAlthough the older women, on the whole, were larger than the younger women, they displayed a greater level of satisfaction and contentment with their body's size and appearance. Both groups felt that fashion models should be larger than they are currently and the older women, in particular, felt that the advert using “normal‐sized” women was the most effective in selling product.Practical implicationsDirected towards the creators of fashion advertising and fashion retailers, this research was one of the first attempts to uncover how older women view fashion advertising. It reveals that while older women do not necessarily expect to see women of their own age in adverts they do require that the models are more reflective of “normal‐sized” women going about “normal” activities. In short, to interest them in the products being sold, they need advertising to be relevant to their everyday lives, without being condescending or resorting to escapism.Originality/valueThis paper represents one of the first research studies in the UK to explore older “normal” women and their perceptions of body‐image related to fashion advertising. It also uses specifically adapted qualitative methods to achieve its purpose.

모바일 의류광고유형 및 소비자 관여에 따른 광고태도에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study was to clarify differences in consumer`s advertising attitude related to type of mobile fashion advertising and level of apparel and advertising involvement groups. This study surveyed consumers who have an experience of receiving mobile fashion advertising. The subjects of this study were men and women aged 10-20 years of age, living in the metropolitan area and judgments sampling was employed. The data were obtained from 480 questionnaires. The measurement instruments were modified and made up by researcher on the basis of previous studies in the same field. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 11. Major statistical methods were Cronbach`s , t-test, regression analysis, and descriptive statistics. The results were as follows: First, differences in effectiveness of fashion ads in both images ad and text messages ad were shown in this study. Respondents preferred images ad to left messages ad only. Also purchase intentions were more preferred by images ad. Second, the differences of consumer`s advertising attitude were shown according to level of apparel and advertising involvement groups. The high apparel and ad involvement group was more likely to have a preferable attitude to the ads than the low apparel and ad involvement group. Third, consumer`s purchase intentions were influenced by consumer`s advertising attitude on two type`s ad. The conclusion is that images ad will have great potential for fashion ads by mobile phones in the future. Also consumer attitude between other mobile advertising types must be studied in order to gain further insight into fashion advertising by mobile phone.

The simulated (fictitious) body: The production of women's images in fashion photography

In order to understand the reasons behind the use of highly stereotypical and demeaning images of women that typically appear in fashion advertisements, the author studied the production of fashion images in advertising campaigns by two Italian fashion companies in Milan. The study showed that aesthetic standards and contemporary artistic styles were major influences on the creators of these images. The staff of one of the companies was very sensitive to the potential influence of their images on the public; for the most part, the women in their photographs resembled normal women. The staff of the second company was not attempting to portray the real world of consumers and did not perceive themselves as having any influence on the consumer's image of herself. In their objectification of women, their images exemplified the concept of the male gaze. A sample of women in different age groups was interviewed regarding their responses to these photographs. They perceived the images of the first company as being respectful of women's roles. Their reactions to the more stereotypical images produced by the second company were highly negative.

An intergenerational examination of Vogue fashion advertisements

With three participants of different generations, I examine the world of fashion advertising and suggest how teaching can promote new understandings about fashion and identity. Intergenerational analysis of an issue of Vogue magazine revealed what we might call snob appeal, escapist themes, and unrealistic and unflattering images. Analysis also uncovered preferences for dynamic poses, the basic black swimsuit, classical hats, and revealed conservative middle-class similarities in tastes among participants. Vogue may cater for younger single women, but it also appeals to the middle-class, Caucasian imagination and male sensuality and has not yet embraced class, gender and cultural differences. Much of what appears is a fictionalized, romantic view. This study problematizes related socio-political issues, such as semiotic differences, the economics and politics of identity, global tourism, and national image versus global homogeneity. Art teachers need to discuss the uses and abuses of the advertisement world with students of different generations and contexts.

Why are there no lesbian advertisements?

This article addresses the issue of femme gaze and desire in relation to a range of heterosexual fashion advertisements from the British edition of the mainstream fashion magazine Vogue. It considers the lasting legacy of heterosexual feminist and lesbian feminist constructions of the gazing subject, particularly in terms of masculinity, trans-sex identification and masquerading. Both of these fields of knowledge have failed to recognize feminine and femme-inine viewing subjects and to include them in the field of visibility independently, without recourse to masculinity. The article considers possibilities for resistant femme visibility, identification, and desire. It argues through the analysis of fashion images that the concepts of femme-nity and femme-nine are useful in criticizing prevailing regulatory norms of perception and normative expectations on gender, as well as in denaturalizing the assumed relationship between the gaze, gender, sexuality, and desire.

Professional hazards? The impact of models' body size on advertising effectiveness and women's body‐focused anxiety in professions that do and do not emphasize the cultural ideal of thinness

Previous experimental research indicates that the use of average-size women models in advertising prevents the well-documented negative effect of thin models on women's body image, while such adverts are perceived as equally effective (Halliwell & Dittmar, 2004). The current study extends this work by: (a) seeking to replicate the finding of no difference in advertising effectiveness between average-size and thin models (b) examining level of ideal-body internalization as an individual, internal factor that moderates women's vulnerability to thin media models, in the context of (c) comparing women in professions that differ radically in their focus on, and promotion of, the sociocultural ideal of thinness for women--employees in fashion advertising (n = 75) and teachers in secondary schools (n = 75). Adverts showing thin, average-size and no models were perceived as equally effective. High internalizers in both groups of women felt worse about their body image after exposure to thin models compared to other images. Profession affected responses to average-size models. Teachers reported significantly less body-focused anxiety after seeing average-size models compared to no models, while there was no difference for fashion advertisers. This suggests that women in professional environments with less focus on appearance-related ideals can experience increased body-esteem when exposed to average-size models, whereas women in appearance-focused professions report no such relief.

Reviving Lolita?

Lolita: A name that conjures up images of preadolescent allure and perversion. The Lolita look has become a main stay not only of movies, books, and magazines but also of advertising, particularly fashion advertising. In this brief study, Galician’s model for media literacy is applied to four illustrative fashion advertisements. The sexualization of preadolescent and adolescent girls has implications for their psychological and physical well-being.

Image Makers: Advertising, Public Relations, and the Ethos of Advocacy • Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America • Fashion and Its Social Agendas: Class, Gender, and Identity in Clothing

Image Makers: Advertising, Public Relations, and the Ethos of Advocacy • Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America • Fashion and Its Social Agendas: Class, Gender, and Identity in Clothing

Fashion as a Tool of World War II: A Case Study Supporting the SI Theory

Through a historical case study of Akron, Ohio during World War II, a story emerged of how retailers used their fashion advertisements to influence women to take factory jobs in war industries. Akron, Ohio served as a case study because it had three nationally linked department stores, a major newspaper, and the city's war industries were the nation's second largest employer of women during World War II. Because voluntary recruitment efforts were successful, the government did not act on its planned national draft for work that would have included women. As the culture negotiated women's role in the marketplace, pants came to symbolize women's participation in the war effort. The appearance and adoption of pants offers support for the SI theory of fashion.

Gender in Magazine Advertising: Skin Sells Best

This study involves an analysis of 2007 fashion advertisements published in Gentlemen's Quarterly (GQ) and Vogue between 1964, at the beginning of the sexual revolution, and 1994, to see if there were changes in the use of sexual attire and nudity. The analysis indicates that this use increased in GQ, as well as Vogue, suggesting that the sexual objectification of both men's and women's bodies increased over the forty-year period.

Female images in advertising: the implications of social comparison for marketing

Does advertising create insecurities and dissatisfaction with the self? This exploratory study investigated how British women consumers, aged 24–50, responded to a range of ideal images presented in fashion magazines. Congruent with previous research, British women compared themselves with idealised advertising images. However, consumers actively and selectively interpreted the meanings of idealised images represented in advertising stimuli. Although some women raised their standards of comparisons and lowered their own self-assessments after viewing the ideal images, there was also evidence that women employed a variety of strategies when consuming the idealised images portrayed in fashion advertising, depending on the goal of the social comparison process. These strategies are interpreted in the context of social comparison theory, and the implications for integrated marketing communication strategies are discussed.

The Effect of Media Analysis on Attitudes and Behaviors Regarding Body Image Among College Students

Particular strategies of media advocacy can help people contest the dominant body images of fashion advertisements and reframe them to include a broader array of “normal” images. A study with an intervention group (n = 60) and a comparison group (n = 45) of undergraduate college students was conducted to investigate whether analyzing and reframing fashion advertisements changed the students' attitudes and behaviors regarding their own body images. Results from the posttest showed a significant change in beliefs among those in the intervention group but no significant change in behaviors. The comparison group showed no significant change in beliefs or behaviors. Posttest results from the women in the intervention group (n = 44) indicated a significant change in the study participants' beliefs that adult models in advertisements have an ideal body size and shape and that the participants' decisions about dieting or exercising should be based more on looks rather than on health status.

Thinness and Other Refusals in Contemporary Fashion Advertisements

(1998). Thinness and Other Refusals in Contemporary Fashion Advertisements. Fashion Theory: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 129-150.

Racial and Gender Biases in Magazine Advertising

Recent evidence suggests that racial and gender biases in magazine advertisements may be increasing. To explore this possibility, a content analysis was performed on 10 years of fashion advertisements drawn from magazines geared toward White women, Black women, or White men ( N = 1,800 advertisements from 1985–1994). The results indicated that (a) except for Black females in White women's magazines, African Americans were underrepresented in White magazines; (b) female body exposure was greater than male body exposure, and White female body exposure rose significantly during the 10 years; (c) White women were shown in low-status positions nearly twice as often as were other models; and (d) Black women wore the majority of animal prints, most of which were patterned after a predatory animal. These findings suggest that racial and gender biases in magazine advertising persisted, and in some cases increased, between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s.

Environmental Messages in Fashion Advertisements: Impact on Consumer Responses

This study examined if consumers' environmental concerns influence their responses to fashion advertisements. Photographs of models wearing fashionable casual apparel, either in nature or non-nature settings, were combined with environmental or fashion advertising claims and were reproduced as slides. Independent variables were advertising message (environmental vs. non-environmental) and environmental concern (high vs. low); the dependent variable was the affective response to advertisements. Female college students (N = 120), enrolled in merchandising classes, recorded affective responses while viewing stimulus advertising slides. Environmentally-concerned subjects reacted more positively to fashion advertisements than did non-environmentally-concerned subjects, regardless of advertising message. As an interaction effect, environmentally-concerned subjects reacted more positively to the fashion advertisements with an environmental message; subjects who were not environmentally concerned reacted more positively to fashion advertisements without an environmental message. These findings demonstrate the importance of consumers' environmental concerns as a mediator of affective response to fashion advertisements, and suggest the need for further research.

Fashion advertising: Does age, body type or ethnicity influence consumers' perceptions?

The effect that the image of the fashion model had on consumer perceptions of a product was explored. An image of models typically found in fashion advertisements (mainstream models) and three different images of fashion models (older, larger and African‐American peripheral models) which were less frequently used in fashion advertisements, were presented as the stimulus. Stimulus photographs and the Perception of Advertisement Scale were used to investigate the impressions consumers formed toward the model. Hypotheses 1, 2 and 3 were partially accepted. Results revealed that: (1) mainstream and African‐American models were rated far more favourably for attractiveness; (2) the product (a pair of gold earrings) was thought to reflect the personality of older, larger and African‐American models but not the mainstream model (respondents tended to be indifferent to the product); and (3) respondents tended to find the older model more credible than other models. Implications for peripheral market segments are given.