Content analysis of television advertising for cars and minivans: 1983–1998

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Abstract

Very little systematic information is available about the predominant advertising themes automobile manufacturers have depicted over the years. The goal of the present study was to analyze television vehicle advertising to understand how cars and passenger vans are being portrayed in the media and how this has changed over time. A virtually complete sample (561) of car and passenger van advertisements from 1998, and a sample of advertisements from 1983 (98), 1988 (96), and 1993 (95), was analyzed for content. Performance, most often exemplified as speed, power, and maneuverability, was the primary theme in 17% of advertisements in 1998 and was depicted in half of all advertisements. Performance was also the most frequent theme over time. Sales incentives also was a popular theme in each year studied, and was predominant in 1993. Safety was mentioned infrequently, except in 1993; a time when manufacturers were competing to install airbags in their vehicles. A focus on vehicle performance in advertising that does not depict the potential negative consequences can have the deleterious effects of glamorizing and legitimizing high-speed travel. Furthermore, manufacturers are missing an opportunity to promote vehicle safety, a feature that consumers have indicated is very important to them.

Introduction

The essence of advertising is building brands. The goal is to persuade consumers to recognize and prefer a particular product or brand (Fisher, 1993). Thus, the way in which automobile manufacturers advertise their vehicles conveys the brand image they are trying to portray. For example, trucks often are portrayed as rugged; vehicles such as cars or passenger vans might be portrayed as luxurious, sporty, roomy, good value for money, or suitable for family travel. Little systematic information is available about the predominant themes manufacturers are currently using in advertising, nor is there any knowledge of how these themes have changed over the years.

One popular notion is that safety does not sell, although this has been disputed. This notion arose after a reputedly unsuccessful attempt by Ford in the 1950s to sell a vehicle based on its safety features. Although that particular vehicle did not sell especially well, according to O’Neill (1982), Ford itself thought it would have sold even fewer vehicles without the campaign. In fact, Ford could not keep up with the demand for the optional seat belts it was offering. Today, the picture is very different, with manufacturers competing with one another to provide new and different safety features in their vehicles. In the early 1990s, manufacturers were installing frontal airbags well ahead of the federal mandate to do so in recognition of their selling power. In today’s market, features such as side airbags, stability and traction control systems, backup warning controls and high-tech navigational aids are being installed at an unprecedented rate.

Manufacturers now publicly acknowledge that safety is an important consideration in vehicle design. A recent DaimlerChrysler survey (Stoffer, 2000) indicates that many more consumers in 1999 say safety is an extremely or very important reason for buying a particular new car compared with 1981 (84 versus 64%). The growing importance of safety in the purchase decision is confirmed by numerous studies in the US and other countries where buyers have been asked about their purchase decisions (Consumer Attitude Research, 1994, Ferguson, 1992, Ferguson and Williams, 1996, General Motors Corporation, 1994; Lex Report on Motoring, 1994, Lex Report on Motoring, 1995). However, safety may not be the central concern in the final purchase decision because it is considered at different stages in the buying process (Ferguson and Williams, 1996). When asked about the three most important factors that led them to buy a particular vehicle, consumers put appearance, vehicle cost, manufacturer reputation, and performance/handling, among other things, ahead of safety. Although not mentioned spontaneously as one of the three most important factors in the final decision, consumers rated safety very highly, and about three-quarters said that it was a very important factor in their decision.

According to Barabba and Zaltman (1991), advertising reflects what the advertiser believes the consumer wants and what it is capable of providing. That being the case, one might expect that safety would be a primary theme in vehicle advertising. Very few systematic analyses have been done regarding advertising messages and themes that predominate in the US. However, a recent study of print advertisements from 1987 to 1996 in Switzerland showed that roughly one in two cars are promoted using messages that are actually detrimental to safety, with performance/power and sportiness leading the way (Swiss Council for Accident Prevention, 1998). Furthermore, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2000) claimed in a recent report that cars are more powerful now than they have been since the government started keeping records 43 years ago.

This study examines vehicle-advertising themes in the US from 1983 to 1998, focusing on the national television audience. Using content analysis, a full year’s advertisements from 1998 and a sample of advertisements from 1983, 1988, and 1993 were analyzed to determine what the dominant themes were and how they have changed over time.

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Methods

Vehicle advertisements were obtained from Advertising Information Services, a company that was founded in the 1970s by a consortium of advertising agencies to monitor television, radio, and print advertising marketed nationally and in major markets around the country. Advertising Information Services continually monitors and records television broadcasts appearing on network and cable television around the clock and notes in their database the day, time, location and description of every unique

Results

Table 3 shows the distribution of primary themes in the complete set of 1998 advertisements (5 of the 22 themes are not included in the table because they were mentioned very infrequently). Also shown is a breakdown of themes by country of manufacturer. Performance was the most frequent primary theme depicted in the advertisements (17%), followed by incentives/sales themes (15%), economy/good value (12%), and themes that stressed the new and different features of the vehicle (11%). Quality and

Conclusions

During 1998, as well as throughout the previous decade and a half, performance and sales incentives have been the predominant themes in car and passenger van advertising on television. Even though many studies have shown that safety plays an important role in car purchase decisions, it is given very little attention in advertising. According to a survey of recent new car buyers who were asked where in the purchase decision safety was taken into account (Ferguson and Williams, 1996) safety is

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

References (17)

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