A Segmentation Study of Attitudes About Advertising

Abstract

Five factors emerge from a study designed to examine attitudes about
advertising. The first factor, labeled the Institutional Backers,
supports advertising and denies that it is merely used to manipulate
consumers. The Self-Determining Individualists seek information and use
advertising in making decisions. The Angry Social Critics condemn
advertising as well ass business, marketing, and consumers, and react
particularly negatively to ads dealing with sexual roles. The Amused
Observers, unlike the others, find little of self-importance in
advertising, considering it a novelty and even incidental to consuming.
Although they find little pleasure in advertisements, the Self-Reliant
Copers use information from ads, but feel they make up their own minds.
Discussion focuses on the motivational aspects of advertising and,
methodologically, on the limitations of uni-dimensional approaches to
measurement.