The Effects of Different Advertising Appeals Towards Generation Y.

...

2.3.2. Generation Y

Generation Y have been described as the generation that is more individualistic, knowledgeable, sophisticated, mature, technologically savvy, and organized (Syrett and Lammiman, 2003). Due to these characteristics, this generation is also known as Millennials, Echo Boomers, Internet Generation, Generation We and Connect 24/7 (Wiedmer, 2015). Generation Y includes consumers who were born in 1980 to 1999 (U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, 2012). Currently they represent the largest generational group of 71 million population (Wiedmer, 2015). The culture of individualism is very significant in the lives of Generation Y. Generation Y tend to make decisions based on their own self-interest. They only confide with immediate family and rarely ever confide with strangers. Furthermore, they favour making their own decisions and carving their own paths in life. Being a unique individual in their society is important to them as well (Chen, 2008).

Members of Generation Y are born into the technological world, and can use the latest digital device with ease (Neuborne, 1999). Due to these technological advancements, this generation is prone to be more materialistic and indulgent (Hanzaee and Aghasibeig, 2010). Moreover, having grown up in an age of instant global communication, members of Generation Y are more exposed than ever to digital media and its advertisements (Barbagallo, 2003), making them a suitable target market for advertising agencies to promote their products in the digital world. In addition to being more technologically savvy, Generation Y has more distinct generational differences from their parent generation, Generation X. In comparison to them, Generation Y is more longing for success and realize that there will be no governmental body to take care of them in future (Cambal, M. and Zibrinova, E. 2011). Based on a research done by Loroz (2006), Generation Y and Generation X was compared on four different factors: image vs. functional, value vs. indulgence, waste vs. ecological, and high sexual content vs. low sexual content. The research concluded that image, indulgence, ecological and high sex appeals were more effective for Generation Y. These results is ultimately tied to Generation Y’s main characteristics and lifestyle.

2.3.3. Sex appeal

Sex appeal is one of the most widely used appeals in advertising (Edgley, 1989). This is because sex appeal in advertisements is known to help the audience recall the advertisement better and enhance brand recognition as sexual content is unforgettable and relatable (Liu, Cheng and Li, 2009). The acceptance of sex appeal can be affected by age. It has been said that sexually explicit advertisements is more effective towards young consumers (Huang, 2004). Previous research has found that generation Y shows a more positive attitude towards sex appeal than baby boomers (Loroz and Helgeson, 2013). However, the effectiveness of sex appeal depends on what it is advertising. This means that if the product could be linked to sex appeal, it would be more effective (Sherman and Quester, 2005). As a result, sexual appeals are more compelling for sexually related items. For example: perfumes, health and beauty products, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, etc. Moreover, when a consumer watches a commercial containing sexual appeals, they might first consider the relatedness of the advertisement within its context. If a consumer were to fail to relate the product to the sexual image, then the sex appeal plays an unimportant role in advertising (Chang and Tseng, 2014). In addition, a sex appeal based advert using a celebrity helps with the effectiveness while using a non-celebrity is not as effective (Bird, Caldwell, Defanti and Vaghi, 2010). Also, personality does affect how one responds to sexual appeals in advertising (Black,Morton and Orgon, 2010). The level of sexual appeal being used affects the consumer’s opinions and attitudes towards the appeal as well. (Ye, Y and Zhou, 2006)

Furthermore, the level of acceptance and effectiveness of this appeal differs in different cultures (Sawang, 2010). In recent years, sex appeal is becoming increasingly popular due to society being more comfortable with their sexuality. As societies began to be more open-minded, sexual appeals in advertising has the effect of drawing the attention of many consumers through sexuality which transfers into interest in the brand or product being advertised (Klug and Ellis, 2012). In today’s world of economy the role of culture is certainly very vital because effective communication relies mostly on understanding different cultures. Consumers become familiarized with culture’s value systems, beliefs, and perception process because they are grew up in that particular culture. Hence, they react to advertising messages in a way that is compatible to their cultural values and norms. Religion is one of the most basic aspect of culture. Malaysia is a Muslim country with subcultures thus, sexual orientations in advertising are reflected as unpleasant in a religious context (Ismail and Melewar, 2014).

However, how religious a person is affects the attitude and acceptance towards sex appeal. Those who are very religious sees the use of sex appeal as immoral while people who aren’t as religious are more open-minded towards it (Putveru and Swimberghek, 2013). Moral appraisals of advertising for consumer differ by their individual ethical ideologies. There are two types of ethical ideologies which are relativism (based on personal perspective and values and decisions made are based on the situation) and idealism (acts are said to be moral or immoral based on the universal moral rule). Sex appeal must be used with care and must take ethical precautions into considerations to help them avoid with ethical issues. (Maciejewski, 2004). Need for Cognition (NFC) can be defined as an individual who enjoys decoding a complex message, in other words, they like to think. High NFC consumers do not favour sex appeal. On the other hand, low NFC consumers favour sex appeals as it is often more direct and does not involve a lot of thinking (Putrevu, 2008).

2.3.4. Humour Appeal

Humour appeal is the use of comedy or jokes in an advertisement to entice consumers in purchasing a product or service (Wolburg, 2007). According to Buijzen and Valkenburg (2004), there are seven different types of categories in humour appeal, these categories include: slapstick, clownish humour, surprise, misunderstanding, irony, satire, and parody. These approaches have different effects on different individuals. What some individuals may find funny, others may have the opposite effect. According to Beard (2005), humour is one of the most common advertising