The Handbook of International Advertising Research

2

Research Methods for International Advertising Studies

A Practical Guide

Charles R. Taylor and John B. Ford

Introduction

While there has been a clear increase in the number of international advertising research studies in recent years, it has been widely observed that there have at times been issues with the research methodologies used in these studies (e.g., Craig & Douglas, 2005; Taylor, 2005; Zinkhan, 1994). Several areas have been cited for improvement at a macro level, including the use of more sophisticated theory bases, increased use of advanced analytical techniques, stronger experimental designs, and more attention being paid to equivalence. The purpose of this chapter is to provide guidelines for conducting international advertising research. To this end, the chapter will explore issues facing cross-national researchers in the areas of conceptualizing studies, and choosing appropriate theory bases, methods, and analytical techniques. Collectively, the guidelines identified are designed to be useful to researchers conducting international and/or cross-national studies of advertising. It should be made clear at the outset that the comprehensive set of guidelines, including establishing equivalence, is designed to apply to cross-national studies in countries where different languages are spoken. However, several of the guidelines are applicable to international advertising research in general. As a result, the remainder of the chapter will refer to “cross-cultural advertising” ...