Alienation and Criticisms of Advertising

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Abstract
The enduring nature of criticisms of advertising suggests that they may be related to market and political elements in the environment. That is, the criticisms may not flow solely from shortcomings of advertising practices, which is the conclusion typically implied. The purpose of this study was to examine the general hypothesis that advertising criticisms are positively related to environmental elements consisting of consumer and political alienation. Such relationships were observed among mail survey respondents who represented wide ranges in age, education and income, and differences in ethnic backgrounds. Managerial implications of these findings include the potential for enhancing advertising effectiveness and efficiency, and for reducing the likelihood of stimulating criticisms and reinforcing alienation.