Advertising Theories Emma Knowles

Uses and Gratification – Blumer and Katz

This theory suggests that the audience can digest the same media in different ways. This is significant as adverts need to be fully focused on the target audience.

They are:

• Diversion

• Personal relationship

• Personal Identity

• Surveillance

Reception Theory – David Morley This theory also looks at how media is received by different audiences. For adverts it is crucial that the target audience takes the dominant reading.

• Dominant Reading - Audience shares the encoded meaning

• Negotiated Reading - Audience shares some of the meaning

• Oppositional Reading - Audience rejects the meaning, or takes something different

Moral Panic - Cohen

• ”It is an intense feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order.”

• According to Stanley Cohen, a moral panic occurs when "a condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests.”

This is relevant to advertising as it has a huge audience and in turn has a significant effect on society, therefore there is a risk of adverts creating a moral panic.

Marketing Mix - McCarthy

This theory consists of the four basic elements of advertising called the four P’s.

• For representing the actual Product.

• For the process of determining the price of a product.

• For the variables of getting the product placed well so it is easy for the consumer.

• For the process of reaching the target market and convincing them to go out and buy the product, therefore promotion

Hierarchy of Needs - MaslowThis is significant for advertising as the pyramid represents all our basic human needs and therefore if the audience is going to accept the marketing techniques they need to feel that the certain product is going to fulfill those basic needs.

Semiotics- Henry Stubbe

• It is the study of how these signs are interpreted.

• There can be hidden signs within brand names, logos, package designs, print and television advertisements

The two levels of interpretation

• Surface level (Denotation)The surface level uses signs creatively to create an image or personality for their product. These signs can be images, words, fonts, colours, or slogan.

• Underlying level (Connotation)The underlying level is made up of hidden meanings. The combination of images, words, colours, and slogan must be interpreted by the audience or consumer.

Semiotics of gender

Again this is relevant due to the importance of the advert engaging the specified audience and therefore depending on the targeted gender the advert should be appropriate.

• Certain characteristics of object may enhance or decrease the elaboration of the message such as, the product being perceived as feminine.

• The characteristics of individuals can affect attention and elaboration of the message (traditional or non-traditional gender role orientation).

• Situational factors may be important to influence the elaboration of the message.