Marketing is commonly assumed to be responsible for the consumer society with its hedonistic lifestyle and for undermining other cultures by its materialistic stance. This, for many critics, is the dark side of consumer marketing, undermining its ethical standing. This paper considers the connection between marketing, the consumer society, globalization and the hedonistic lifestyle, and whether marketing is guilty as charged. After all, anything that affects the image of marketing as a profession is important, as this influences both recruitment and social acceptance.

After discussing the concepts of nation and image, this article considers (1) the extent to which the notion of a brand is applicable to a nation, (2) the mechanisms by which a nation’s image influences attitudes toward its products, (3) the choice processes in which country of origin is most likely to play a significant role, and (4) the extent to which the image of a nation can be manipulated. One conclusion is that the reputational capital of a nation with respect to a product category will influence choice more than a nation’s overall attractiveness, though fragments of a nation’s imagery may nonetheless be successfully exploited.

This paper addresses the reemergence of attention to the role of emotion in advertising. Conceptual clarity requires that emotions be distinguished from other motivational and affective constructs. Having thus narrowed our focus, we present a model of the emotional process and a typology of emotional content. We then address some related managerial issues in advertising strategy and methodological problems in measuring emotions. Finally, the preceding considerations suggest directions for future research on the role of emotion in advertising.

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