Older consumers have long been the ‘invisible majority’ in advertising despite the rapid increase in an ageing population. A significant proportion of this population have high levels of disposable income, even in times of recession, but advertisers are not encouraging them to part with it. This paper intends to find out why advertisers have been slow or struggle to target older consumers effectively. The aims of this study are two-fold. First, it explores the portrayal and representation of older consumers in Tesco's ‘Dotty’ campaign and Marks & Spencer's (M&S) ‘Twiggy’ campaign, with special reference to the use of celebrities. The second aim is to demonstrate how the focus has shifted from the more traditional, negative stereotyping (Tesco campaign) to a more progressive approach, presenting aspirational images that older consumers can identify with (M&S campaign). Although both campaigns were effective in terms of increasing profits, this paper suggests that the ongoing M&S example of using older celebrities in advertising campaigns demonstrates a more effective creative strategy that is in tune not only with a growing population of older consumers but is also especially applicable in times of economic uncertainty.

Purpose Prospective students are exposed to abundant choices, and they are eagerly searching for information to select the best universities for themselves. Likewise, prospectuses are regularly produced by universities to meet this information needs; the purpose of this paper is to examine the key marketing messages used in their prospectuses. Design/methodology/approach The 2017 undergraduate prospectuses of 121 universities in the UK (out of the 134 members of University UK) were thematically analysed using NVivo10. Findings Messages were predominantly about the location, the course, student experience, credibility and career progression. They are framed in an appealing way, filled with facts and figures, images of beautiful buildings and smiling students, testimonials of facilities and experiences that form a sense of compatibility and belonging. Research limitations/implications This study provides insights for the higher educational institutions to enhance their future marketing communications strategies in terms of effectively differentiating one university from another by highlighting the predominantly used appeals among 121 prospectuses and the need for adopting a more consistent approach between the clearing period and non-clearing period in terms of designing the prospectuses. This study has considered only the print platform, and therefore future studies should also look at social media and university websites in the context of the integrated marketing communications. Practical implications Accurate and coherent narratives should be provided, taking into consideration the diverse nature of target audience. Universities need to realise that they can be held responsible for the promises presented in their prospectuses. Using the city appeal by many universities may be challenging, as there is need to attract students not just to the city itself, but to the university’s campus. Originality/value Having a significantly larger sample than any other previous studies in this field, the empirical evidence provided in this paper is rich and in-depth, thanks to the size and age of the sample as well as the integrated and combined methodological approach. Five keys themes with sub-themes, descriptions and examples were provided, suitable for future research in higher education marketing.

This pedagogic commentary introduces the concept of “brand blunders” to the macromarketing literature and considers the interaction between advertising, race, and society from a macromarketing perspective. We first analyze relevant literature on cultural stereotyping in advertising for both gender and race, and evaluate consumer responses to ideologies in advertisements. Three prominent recent racial controversies are selected to examine the nature of the advertising imagery, consumer interpretations of the advertisements in question, and the company responses to the public furor created by these campaigns. We then consider the issues, implications, and potential actions for macromarketing raised by these examples, and some key research questions that arise for future macromarketing scholarship. The commentary is intended to provide macromarketing educators with a summary of the key knowledge base on the relationship between advertising, race, and society, for use in courses in advertising, brand management, consumer research, innovation management, marketing communications, and marketing strategy.

PurposeThis paper aims to review and map the landscape of luxury wine consumption in multidisciplinary literature. It highlights the key themes of analysis, consumer markets and common behaviours of luxury wine consumption.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyses 85 articles on luxury wine consumption using Leximancer and content analysis.FindingsSix main topics in the extant literature are identified as follows: product perception, wine price, wine information, consumption behaviour, group and China market. Our study revealed the shift in luxury consumption towards affordability, availability, middle-class, younger consumers and predominantly Asian markets.Research limitations/implicationsAs a follow-up to this research, empirical research on luxury wine consumption is needed to establish more precise definitions of terms.Social implicationsWine as a product is susceptible to social changes and preferences, positioning it between old and common luxury.Originality/valueThis research offers theoretical insights into research on luxury wine, including how the literature reflects recent societal changes. It also provides a roadmap for future research in this field.

This paper examines the ways in which nationalism and the narratives of the nation were constructed in the Olympic opening ceremonies in Beijing 2008 and London 2012. The ritual of the opening ceremony represents a concentration of features, qualities and messages that combine the local and global, the culturally specific and universal, in a complex production. Using textual analysis of the telecast of the above two opening ceremonies, the study found that the Beijing 2008 opening ceremony used a grand narrative of progress, emphasising the unified identity of Chineseness, while privileging the official narrative of the nation and one collective identity. In contrast, the London 2012 opening ceremony highlighted the fragmented but diversified identity of Britishness, transpiring social inclusivity, cultural hybridity and multiculturalism. This may be related to the rise of different type of nationalism in the context of increasing globalisation. The Beijing opening ceremony represented the Sinocentric Chinese new nationalism, whereas the London 2012 counterpart, up to a point, highlighted civic‐based multicultural nationalism.