The Uncommon Sense of Advertising - Understanding Contemporary Advertising Appeals in Print of Top Advertisers in India

This paper reviews the advertising appeals of India’s top advertisers and relates them to the nature of products advertised and the culture reflected as per Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. The findings of a content study of 200 print advertisements, using Pollay’s 42 advertising appeals, are reported. The study covers both high involvement and low involvement products where appeals used in each element of advertising were classified using Pollay’s 42 advertising appeals. The paper presents a framework that can help advertisers to asses appeals used and determine the role that both culture and advertising appeals play in the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.