The Handbook of International Advertising Research

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International Advertising Research

A Historical Review

Gordon E. Miracle

Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to review and evaluate the historical literature on international advertising research. This review includes an assessment of the:

• contributions of such research to knowledge;
• research approaches that have been used in the past;
• research topics that need to be investigated; and
• appropriate research approaches to do so.

International advertising researchers, teachers, and business executives (including students who are future executives or researchers) can make use of such information not only to avoid mistakes of the past but also to maximize the benefits from using such knowledge in the future.

Definition of key terms

Advertising. Historically, most international advertisers have tended to think of advertising in broad terms – to include other marketing communication activities. In the USA in the 1960s the terms “promotional strategy” and “marketing communication mix” came into wide usage, followed later by “integrated marketing communication.” For many, the term advertising, broadly defined, continued to be the term of choice. In this chapter “advertising” will be used broadly to include all marketing communication activities. They include not only sales messages in mass media, but also sales promotion, point-of-purchase materials, marketing public relations, customer relations, sponsorship of events, collateral sales materials, corporate advertising, outdoor boards, kiosk ...