Date of Award

6-8-2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Pavel Shlossberg

Second Advisor

Dr. John Caputo

Abstract

As illustrated by the 2010 U.S. Census data, the demographics of the United States have changed. If companies concentrate their marketing solely on the majority demographic, they could lose an opportunity to capitalize on the spending power of other non-majority consumers or create brand identification with other cultural or ethnic groups. As companies appeal to various demographics, they also have an obligation to avoid harm and produce a benefit – what William David Ross refers to as one’s prima facie duty (Ross, 2002). Appealing to various co-cultures or ethnic groups has been a focus for both advertisers and researchers for decades. Two marketing techniques that have been successful at reaching non-majority audiences are targeted and multicultural marketing, the rationale for which is conceptualized within two communication theories: communication accommodation theory and distinctiveness theory (Grier & Deshpandé, 2001, Brumbaugh, 2009, Johnson & Grier, 2011, Holland & Gentry, 1999). This study conducts a content analysis of three newspapers’ advertisements containing people in the Washington, D.C. metro region to test if targeted, multicultural, or other approaches are being utilized in one specific, diverse market. A codebook was used to guide the interpretive approach to coding, and the results provide a current assessment of how companies are appealing to an ethnically diverse audience, as well as identify patterns or themes across and within publications.

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