Writing about Consumer Behavior

Listed below are a number of
options that you can choose for the project. Select only one option and
write a paper about 5-7 pages and also 3-5 slides of powerpoint. please
see attachment for the requirement.

1. Watch three
hours of prime time network television (Do not use cable television
channels for this project). Code the ads for: who you think the target
audience is (men, women, or both), the actors used in the ad (male,
female, groups), and how the genders are portrayed in the ad. In
particular, ads should be coded to reflect dimensions of masculine and
feminine sex roles. For example, one aspect of the masculine sex role is
assertiveness. Based on your coding of ads, you should be able to
determine how often men are portrayed as assertive and how often women
are portrayed as assertive in the ads shown. Once you have coded the ads
for characteristics of gender roles, analyze your results. That is,
base on what you observed, what can you conclude about gender roles
today? How women are portrayed in ads and how well does this fit with
traditional women’s gender roles? How well do the men’s portrayals fit
traditional male gender roles? Given your observations, what can you
conclude about the state of gender role today?

2. Watch
two hours of Saturday morning children’s programming. Record how many
ads are shown? What types of products are advertised? Are there any
frequently used techniques and themes across the ads (i.e., cartoon
characters, bright colors, etc)? What impact might these types of ads
have on children’s values over time? Next, watch two hours of prime time
programming and record how many ads are shown. What types of products
are advertised? Are there any frequently used techniques and theme
(i.e., Comparative ads, one-side appeals, humor, etc) across the ads?
What impact might these types of ads have on adults’ value over time?

Based on your observation, discuss the relationship between advertising and consumers’ values.

3.
Make a log of all the commercials shown on one network television
channel over a two-hour period. Do the same thing for a cable channel on
the same day and time period (this can be done in two consecutive
weeks). Categorize each commercial according to product category and
whether they are presented as a drama or argument. Categorize each
according to the type of message used (e.g., one vs. two-sided appeals,
comparative ads, etc) and the type of spokesperson used (e.g.,
television actors, celebrities, company spokesperson, animated
character, etc). You may also use other dimensions by which to code ads;
the previously listed dimensions are examples. Based on your
categorizations, what can you conclude about the dominant forms of
persuasive appeals used by marketers? Were there any differences in
types of commercials between the two networks? If so, why might this be
the case? Be sure to include tables of your categorizations in the
paper. (Videotapes of selected commercials may be helpful for the class
presentation. Be sure to hand in your coding sheets of ads with your
paper.)