Relationship advertising: How advertising can enhance social bonds

Timothy de Waal Malefyt

Journal of Business Research, 2015, vol. 68, issue 12, 2494-2502

Abstract: Social critics and scholars have disparaged advertising for its role in negatively influencing social relations in American society. This paper suggests the contrary. Advertising can potentially reflect positive social relations among people, enhance social bonds, and ideally, inspire positive value exchange between consumers and producers. To support this argument, the case study presented here offers qualitative research that investigated consumer home use of a prepared soup brand. Ethnographic research led to insights into the creative use of soup among women and the joyful connections it fostered among family members eating prepared meals together. The positive value of consumer–brand relationships discovered by qualitative research, ultimately helped produce a successful advertising campaign that reflected positive social bonds among consumers.

Keywords: Advertising; Qualitative research; Ethnography; Relationship theory; Positive marketing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:68:y:2015:i:12:p:2494-2502

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.06.036

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