Trends in Advertising Research: A Look at the Content of Marketing-Oriented Journals from 1976 to 1985

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Abstract
It is important to examine periodically the outlets for advertising research to provide both producers and consumers of that research with an accurate view of topics and trends. For this paper, the content of 10 years of advertising research in six marketing/advertising journals was analyzed to determine the direction in which these journal editors, reviewers, and authors are taking the field of advertising research. Variables examined include advertising topics researched, empirical methods used, and the journal audience(s) addressed. Sample findings include a significant relationship between the journals and the topics they publish (e.g., JA published research covering a variety of topics, such as social issues, advertising practice, and advertising content, while JAR was more specialized, devoting over half of its content to advertising practice alone). JCR has significantly increased publication of advertising research over time, and significant topics of advertising research remain under-published (e.g., advertising of services, direct response advertising, and industrial advertising). Implications of these and other findings are drawn for advertising researchers, journal editors and reviewers, and advertising/marketing practitioners.