PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Chingching Chang
TI  - Cultural Masculinity/Femininity Influences on Advertising Appeals
AID  - 10.2501/S0021849906060296
DP  - 2006 Sep 01
TA  - Journal of Advertising Research
PG  - 315--323
VI  - 46
IP  - 3
4099  - http://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/46/3/315.short
4100  - http://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/46/3/315.full
SO  - J Advert Res2006 Sep 01; 46
AB  - This study explored the question of whether masculinity/femininity at the cultural level can influence responses to advertisements employing image and utilitarian appeals, presumably through its effect on individual-level self-construals with regard to masculinity/femininity. An experiment showed that participants from the United States, considered to be a predominantly “masculine” culture, liked the utilitarian appeal advertisement better and rated it more believable than the image appeal advertisement. In addition, they liked the image appeal advertisement more and found it more believable when it was preceded by a utilitarian appeal advertisement than when it came first. In contrast, participants from Taiwan, considered a predominantly “androgynous” culture, responded equally well to both advertising appeal types, and presentation order did not influence their evaluations. Ethnographic interviews were included to provide emic perspectives from consumers, depicting the subjective significance of experiences for consumers in both cultures. Cultural masculinity/femininity appears to be an important factor to consider when formulating advertising appeals.