Comparison of Beliefs about Advertising, Attitude toward Advertising, and Materialism Held by African Americans and Caucasians

Abstract

This research investigated the relationship between advertising and materialism across African-American and Caucasian groups (87 students and 79 community adults) as well as general attitude toward advertising and beliefs about advertising. The association between attitude toward advertising and materialism was positive. The African-American respondents held more materialistic values than their Caucasian peers; they exhibited a more favorable general attitude toward advertising and held more favorable beliefs about advertising. These findings are consistent with the criticism that advertising is at least connected with materialistic values in our society.

Receptiveness of Black Americans to outdoor advertising

“…Maybe surprisingly, the affluent black consumers without college education show higher levels of receptiveness. However, this finding is consistent with the observations that black consumers are more materialistic (Yoon, 1995), have greater market maven traits (Feick and Price, 1987), and many prefer to continue urban living, even if more affluent (Packaged Facts, 2008). So why does receptiveness appear to decline just for those more affluent black consumers who do have college education?…”

“…Feick and Price (1987) find that highly informed market mavens are more likely to be female and/or black, and market mavens are both strong diffusers and seekers of market information, thus a natural target for advertisers. Yoon (1995) confirms these positive attitudes to advertising and suggests that black consumers also tend to be more materialistic. The findings of Morris (1993) offer further support, noting that African Americans buy premium brands as a statement of their status.…”

“…Both the White and the Black American focus groups confirmed and illustrated instances of the cultural, environmental, and economic factors discussed above. The Black Americans demonstrated a greater degree of openness in discussing the influence of billboards within their society, and supported the views that they have strong interest in material possessions (Morris, 1993;Yoon, 1995). In summary, the possible explanations appear to fall into four interrelated categories:…”

“…Overall, Black Americans emerge as far more receptive to billboards, suggesting a very large and increasingly lucrative segment that billboards can target very effectively. In addition, this is a market with high involvement in material possessions and market knowledge (Feick and Price, 1987;Morris, 1993;Yoon, 1995). However, this aggregate view of this very large consumer group provides an incomplete picture of the distinct segments within the Black American market.…”

“…Furthermore, the higher levels of materialism (Morris, 1993;Yoon, 1995) and market mavenism (Feick and Price, 1987) among black consumers may well endure in spite of increasing income levels, therefore counteracting a possible tendency toward reduced receptiveness to billboards as income increases. The evidence suggests potentially conflicting influences, justifying further testing for interaction effects.…”