Animals in Advertising: The Effects of Cultural Meanings

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Running Head: ANIMALS IN ADVERTSING: CULTURAL MEANINGS

Animals in Advertising: The Effects of Cultural Meanings

Stacie L. Taylor

Benedictine University at Springfield

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ANIMALS IN ADVERTSING: CULTURAL MEANINGS

Abstract

When products are associated with an image, consumers can then connect the product to

the same cultural meaning; but advertisers beware, meanings of animals cannot always transcend

cultural boundaries. This paper examines the use of animals in advertising and variations of

several animals’ meanings among cultures. The study conducted for this paper utilizes word

association in attempt to identify the cultural meanings behind four animals—consistent with

Midwestern Americans—and demonstrate that shared meanings do exist within a culture. It is

suggested that a better understanding of the cultural meanings of animals in different parts of the

world will lead to stronger, more successful advertising campaigns. Humans relate to animals

both on a personal and cultural level, thus becoming effective tools used in advertising.

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Animals in Advertising: The Effects of Cultural Meanings

It is typical for an advertisement to function by associating a product with an image that

stimulates desirable emotions and engages the consumer. For instance, the image of a dog may

elicit feelings of companionship or affection in some viewers. When products are associated with

an image, consumers can then connect the product to the same cultural meaning; but advertisers

beware, meanings of animals cannot always transcend cultural boundaries. This paper examines

the use of animals in advertising and variations of several animals’ meanings among cultures.

The study conducted for this paper attempts to identify the cultural meanings behind four

animals—consistent with Midwestern Americans—and demonstrate that shared meanings do

exist within a culture. It is suggested that a better understanding of these cultural meanings will

lead to stronger, more successful advertising campaigns. Humans relate to animals both on a

personal and cultural level, thus becoming effective tools used in advertising.

Animals in Advertising

Whether in a cartoon or live form, animals are trending in today’s advertisements.

According to research by Kim, Lim, and Bhargava (1998), several animal front-runners in USA

Today's Ad Meter include bears dancing for Pepsi commercials and frogs, lizards, and ferrets

posing for Budweiser. A correlating article by Lancendorfer, Atkin, and Reece (2008) notes that

in recent years nearly one in five Super Bowl advertisements feature an animal. Some of the

most memorable were a Clydesdale horse, a zebra, monkeys, and numerous breeds of dogs. This

consistent use of animals in advertising supports the idea that consumers can be influenced by

messages that link a product with a desirable stimulus. Furthermore, these Super Bowl ads

demonstrate that the relevance of the animal to the product is not a determining factor. Since the

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animals sometimes act solely as attention-getters, their ability to provide product information is

not essential (Kim, Lim, and Bhargava, 1998).

Human-Animal Bond

The animals most often used in advertisements are vertebrates. Consumers are often

captivated by the sense of self that can be found in these animals. Advertisers often play on these

resemblances, magnifying human qualities in animals for emotional effect. It is natural for a

consumer to be able to relate to an animal because humans habitually refer to certain animals as

having qualities similar to humans such as loyalty, gracefulness, strength, cleverness or affection.

Positive feelings consumers get from these animals can be transferred to their thoughts of the

brand being presented, making animals an ad-maker’s go-to.

Beams, a leading clothing company out of Tokyo, uses “long-legged flamingos in

stunning stilettos” in their advertisements (Wentz, 2006). This is an example of illuminating

desirable human qualities found in animals. Another example of this was examined in an article

by Diaz and Williams (2012). This case is found in a Volkswagen advertisement featuring a choir

of dogs barking Darth Vader’s theme song from the Star Wars series—another high-budget

Super Bowl ad. Tim Mahoney, the chief product and marketing officer for Volkswagen of

America, disclosed that the dogs that auditioned were not only being casted for their bark—but

“for their resemblance to Star Wars characters” (Diaz & Williams, 2012). Mahoney challenges

viewers to see if they can find Chewbacca (Diaz & Williams, 2012).

This obsession with animals in the media is no surprise with pet ownership being at an

all-time high. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (2006), more

than 69 million families in America benefit from the affection and companionship of a pet and

92% consider their pet a part of their family (as cited in Lancendorfer et al., 2008). These

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296307001889#bib23

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numbers show that nearly two-thirds of American homes support at least one pet. Marketers

project that spending in the pet market will continue to grow. The importance of animal

companions and the human-animal bond has become a key factor in the creation of influential

advertisements (Lancendorfer et al., 2008).

Misrepresentation and Cruel, Dangerous Practices

Consumers experience advertisements featuring animals quite regularly whether they are

being used directly or simply for their aesthetic value. Many times, the animal is only being used

for its attention-getting ability and may have absolutely nothing to do with the product being

promoted. For example, Jeff Herbert, the chief marketing officer for Aflac, plans on cutting the

infamous Aflac duck trade character from the upcoming advertisements. Herbert believes that

most consumers are unaware of what Aflac offers as a product. Though the duck has boosted

brand recognition and even made its way into pop culture, it lacks any kind of congruency to the

product (Sanders, 2007). This misrepresentation is not only having negative effects on

companies, but is detrimental to the animal actors.

Though the use of animals in advertising is a growing trend, it is not always a good

option. An article by Beck, Stoinski, Shumaker, Ross, and Perkins (2005) highlights this issue.

Because it is not the ad maker’s objective, advertisements that feature animals rarely contain any

information that is useful to the animal’s welfare. Consumers experiencing chimpanzees and

orangutans, only through viewing advertisements, may not realize that playing board games and

painting pictures are not natural primate behaviors. The presence of apes in advertisements may

lead people to believe they are numerous and make good pets. In fact, the primates used in

advertisements are endangered and rarely serve as domesticated pets.

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Even the most well-trained apes can become dangerous when in an unfamiliar setting or when

being handled by an unfamiliar trainer. According to an article in USA Today (2005), during the

filming of a CareerBuilder.com advertisement—shot to air during the Super Bowl—a human

actor, Griffon Creech, was nearly attacked by the ape co-star (as cited in Beck et al., 2005).

Wild animals are unpredictable and many endure a number of harsh cruelties on a regular basis.

As Beck et al. states:

To maintain control and to deliver performances on cue, handlers often secretly beat, kick

or electrically shock even young apes, and the increase in strength and independence that

occurs naturally as the apes mature is matched by a corresponding increase in the

frequency and intensity of physical abuse. This finally results in broken spirits and

chronic fearful compliance. The physical and psychological effects are difficult to cure

even when the apes are rescued and placed in a caring environment. More often however,

when these actors become too difficult to handle, they lose their commercial value, and

are re-sold into other inexpert and inhumane conditions (2005).

When these animal actors outlive their entertainment careers, they are often bought, sold, and

traded in the wild animal pet commerce, perpetuating the aforementioned cruelties.

There are ways in which animals can be humanely and responsibly used in

advertisements. Many wild and domestic animals are easily trained and comply very well for

entertainment and advertising purposes without cruelty. Animal trainers and handlers have made

great strides in discovering more non-aversive techniques, with the understanding that it makes

good ethical and business sense to treat animal actors kindly and respectfully. Another method

being used by advertisers is the use of stock footage that is shot either in the wilderness or in an

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appropriate captive environment. The aforementioned Volkswagen commercial demonstrates an

additional alternative method. Instead of making the canine actors bark until they hit the perfect

pitch, ad makers mixed several artificial barks in with the natural ones—making it easier on both

the actors and ad makers. In these cases, cruelty is not an issue (Beck et al., 2005).

Trade Characters

Very often in modern advertisements, an animal, or an animated version of an animal, is

used as a trade character for a company. The presence of a trade character is important to brand

recognition among consumers and has proven to be an effective communication tool. The

character is meant to visually represent a product or company by giving the product a face and

personality. The character sometimes represents the brand by embodying a cultural meaning that

the company attempts to highlight—and other times may have no connection to the brand at all.

For example, a study, similar to the study highlighted in this paper, was conducted by Tsai-Yun

Mou and Tay-Sheng Jeng at Kun Shan University examining the trade character used by the

insurance company Taiwan Life. After reviewing the results of their word association task

concerning the word “dinosaur,” they concluded that their subjects did not—in any way—

associate dinosaurs with life insurance (2008, p. 3). Whereas most consumers can understand the

connection between the Snuggle bear and a fabric softening product.

According to an article by B. J. Phillips (1996), there are several notable uses for the

trade character. These include the ability to attract attention, boost identification of a product,

and maintain marketing stability (Phillips 1996). “American popular culture has quietly become

inhabited by all sorts of talking animals and dancing products that are used by advertisers to

promote their brands” (Phillips, 1996). Trade characters appear to be effective advertisement

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tools, causing the brand preference of consumers to change at an above average rate (Stewart &

Furse, 1986 as cited in Phillips, 1996).

Because these trade characters embody shared cultural meanings, it is important for

advertisers to understand the context in which they are perceived. This will help in determining

valuable characters and avoiding undesirable ones. Sometimes this task may prove itself difficult

because a person cannot just construct their own meaning. It is something that must be learned

by experiencing the animal in one’s own culture. The more obvious the cultural meaning, the

easier it will be for a consumer to decode the advertisement and associate the desired meaning

with the product (Phillips, 1996).

After outlining how animals are used in advertisements, it is important to explore the

meanings that animals embody within specific cultures. A cultural meaning is not something that

an advertising agency can simply create. It is something that has developed over time and can

vary greatly from culture to culture.

Cultural Differences

Just as languages, customs, and trends may vary from one culture to the next, meanings

of animals do as well. Tor Pettersen, a Norwegian graphic designer, illuminates several

differences he has come across in his advertising career. As Pettersen attempted to create a new

logo for a binary e-mail system his first thought was to make use of an animal that shared a

similar quality. He thought of a naked mole rat digging elaborate networks of tunnels. On the

contrary, Pettersen thought, “when it comes to using wildlife in advertising, it's not so much the

nature of the beast as the feeling the creature evokes in humans that really counts”

(Harbrecht,1993). As many great advertisers have come to realize, cultural influences play a

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large part in evoking consumers. Animals can be found on packaged goods, billboards,

commercials, and equipment all around the globe; but advertisers beware, meanings of animals

cannot always transcend cultural boundaries.

As can be found in the present study, American families seem to share a mutual adoration

towards the canine population; however, in some parts of the world dogs are food. In Islamic

countries, dogs are not kept as pets because they are considered filthy creatures (Harbrecht,

1993). In this case, a company like Cottonelle would not want to associate a puppy with their

brand of toilet paper.

John Deere, an agriculture machinery enterprise, felt the effects of cultural differences

when they entered the South American market. Using a logo featuring a buck and a slogan that

reads, “Nothing runs like a Deere,” may seem witty and make the company seem superior and

masculine in the United States; however, Brazilians have always known “deer” as slang for “big-

city homosexual” (Harbrecht, 1993). This is not the only instance of an American advertising

folly when it comes to Brazil. Pettersen recalls:

When Ford Motor Company wanted to sell Pintos in Brazil, its market researchers

discovered a little problem. Pinto in English may suggest a frisky, wild colt, but in

Portuguese, Pinto means "small male appendage." Try telling males in the land of

machismo that what they have to have is a Pinto (Harbrecht, 1993).

Bats, in the Western world, are symbols of Halloween and blood; in China, they represent

prosperity because the Chinese word for red bat sounds a lot like “vast good fortune” (Harbrecht,

1993). Similarly, Westerners tend to tie negative thoughts to snakes; however, Chris Jordan of

Shanks and Jordan Advertising in Singapore explains that in the Orient, snakes are found on the

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labels of many medicines because their cultural meaning is that of strength and virility

(Harbrecht, 1993). Another animal that gets a bad rap from Americans is the black cat. It is a

common superstition that these cats are affiliated with bad luck and witches; whereas, the

Japanese view them in the complete opposite light seeing them as symbols of good luck.

Though animals embody different meanings in different cultures, their purpose in

advertising remains the same. Patrick Jacobsen, an advertising collector in California, noticed

this trend when examining his collection. He noted that British Colombian apples were branded

by a bear, while Australian apples were branded by a seal. Similarly, fruits from Argentina were

labeled with a puma and fruits from South Africa were labeled with a lion—all admirable

animals in their respective region (Harbrecht, 1993).

Whereas not all animals can transcend cultural boundaries, some have a universal appeal.

For example, swans, elephants, and cats seem to captivate consumers across the world according

to Harbrecht (1993). It is very possible for an animal to convey a very complex message

concerning the product, however, as mentioned above, in some cases the animal is extremely

incomparable. For example, what does a gecko have to do with auto insurance? Why should beer

be associated with a golden eagle? Robert J. Thompson, an associate professor of popular culture

at Syracuse University, explains that "people have beliefs and fantasies about animals that have

no basis in reality" (Harbrecht, 1993).

Harbrecht’s article, “Animals in the Ad Game” suggests that:

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If nature had a truth-in-advertising law, earthworms—vital to soil ecosystems—by all

rights should have the vegetable brands locked. Dung beetles, which valiantly clean up

after elephants, should grace household cleansers, and toads should sell bathing suits. In

advertising, the actual animal is irrelevant. Its image is the message, odd as it may be

(1996).

Method

Experimental Design

Participants in the present study were asked to complete a word association task. This

task consisted of four different animals that could possibly be used in advertisements or as trade

characters. In order to generate completely uninfluenced responses, informants were only given

the name of the animals and were not given a visual cue. It is expected that a visual cue may

persuade or narrow the thoughts of the informant and not allow for spontaneous meanings to be

elicited. For example, in this study, the animal “dog” was referred to several times as being

“playful” and “friendly.” A picture of a dog chained to a fence may elicit a contradictory

meaning. Nevertheless, a picture would guide the informant on how to respond and not generate

the true cultural meaning embedded within them. The word association method is an effective

and simple way to explore these cultural meanings.

Results

The participants in this study were 30 female and 18 male professionals employed at a

major medical center in the Midwest. Informants participated in the study on a voluntary basis

and in their free time. Of these respondents, 15% were between the ages of 18 and 25; 19% were

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between the ages of 26 and 35; 31% were between the ages of 36 and 50; 35% were between the

ages of 51 and 65. The results of this study were attempting to support the idea that animals do

embody shared meanings within a culture.

Each participant received a four-word association task sheet containing instructions,

followed by an informed consent agreement. For each word, or animal, presented, the participant

was given four spaces to respond with any word or phrase that came to mind when they thought

about that particular animal. It was brought to the participant’s attention that wrong answers do

not exist and that they should be hasty with their answers in order to generate original responses.

Informants responded to the following animals: spider, dog, polar bear, and dolphin.

Each response was grouped into an appropriate category. Categories were generated

according to the responses given by participants. The study resulted in more categories than

originally anticipated. The final categories included the following: Appearance, Environment,

Temperament, Behavior, Human/Animal Interaction, and Pop culture. Those that did not fall into

any of these categories were grouped into the ‘Other’ category. There were only 10 to 18

responses to each animal that were not placed into one of the set categories.

Between 172 and 194 words were mentioned in response to each animal given in the

word association task. There were four spaces available designed for responses; however, some

could not fill each of the spaces and several felt it necessary to create a fifth or sixth space. These

extra responses were calculated in the study because they were clearly something the respondent

felt needed to be included. 92% of the responses were easily categorized into these six

categories: Appearance, Environment, Temperament, Behavior, Human/Animal Interaction, and

Pop culture. Those that did not fall into any of these categories were grouped into the ‘Other’

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category. These categories all trended throughout the responses to the task and may be beneficial

to the development of effective advertisements and the creation of trade characters. The results

presented a dominant category and sometimes even word in each category. There was a

significant amount of similarity between responses given by informants. This backs the theory

that through word association, common meanings that consumers associate with animals can be

derived.

The category ‘Appearance’ includes responses that reflect on the subject’s mental image

of the animal. This also includes when a specific type or breed of the animal was mentioned

because they can be distinguished according to their appearance. Another recurring response that

is categorized under ‘Appearance’ is when an informant responded with an adjective such as

“cute” or “creepy.” This is because I assume they are referring to the way the animal looks. For

example, “that dog looks cute.”

The category ‘Environment’ includes responses that deal with the animal’s surroundings

and atmosphere. For example, respondents mentioned “cold” and “snow.” In the event that

another animal that shared that habitat was mentioned, it was also categorized under

‘Environment’.

The category ‘Temperament’ encompasses any responses that deal with the animal’s

personality. For example, a dog was said to be “loyal” and a response to a dolphin was “smart.”

This must not be confused with the responses that were categorized in ‘Behavior’. The category

‘Behavior’ dealt directly with actions that the animal is capable of. For example, “bite” was a

response to several of the animals presented.

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The category ‘Human/Animal Interaction’ summarizes all responses dealing with the

ways in which humans interact or coexist with these animals. A recurring response was “zoo.”

This was categorized under ‘Human/Animal Interaction’ because a zoo is a place where humans

go to experience these animals—putting these animals in a zoo is not a natural environment for

them.

The category ‘Pop Culture’ encompasses all references to popular culture. These

responses are how the animal has been represented in movies, advertisements, sports teams, etc.

All responses that did not fit into any of these categories were grouped into the category ‘Other’.

These were typically chain associations; for example, several people responded to Polar Bear

with “global warming”—an understandable chain association. A detailed review of how the

informant’s responses fit with these categories is noted below.

Spider

The first animal given in the word association task was “spider.” The category

‘Appearance’ was the leading category for this animal, comprising more than 45% of the

informant’s responses. This indicates that the thought of a spider invokes strong visual imagery.

Several recurring responses that fell into this category were “black,” “eight legs,” and various

adjectives describing them as unlikable (gross, creepy, nasty, etc.). Most of the responses

reflected that people have a shared aversion for spiders and sometimes even a case of

arachnophobia. Only two of the 48 respondents reacted positively towards the word “spider,”

giving answers that involved their ability to control the flying insect population.

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Because ‘Appearance’ housed the majority of the responses, the other categories remain

relatively low. The second most predominant category, comprising 14% of the responses, was

‘Environment’ with the most recurring answer being “web.” The third category in rank was

‘Human/Animal Interaction’ with 12% of the responses. A leading response in this category was

“smash”—represented in a variety of ways. Correspondingly grouped in this category were

responses such as “scream,” and interjections such as “yuck.” The categories ‘Behavior’ and

‘Pop Culture’ tied, receiving 11% of the responses. ‘Behavior’s’ leading responses were “bite”

(30%) and “crawl” (35%). The feedback that fell under ‘Pop Culture’ consisted of answers such

as “Spiderman,” “Charlotte,” “Itsy-Bitsy,” and types of cars named after the spider. The lowest

ranking category—with only four responses— was ‘Temperament’ (2%). This reveals that it is

possible that people do not know much about a spider’s temperament. The ‘Other’ category

consisted of 5% of the responses.

Advertisers should use caution if deciding to use a spider to represent their product

because of the high frequency of negative associations. It is important to reflect on the desirable

qualities and steer clear of things that might trigger these negative thoughts.

Dog

The second animal mentioned in the word association task is “dog.” Unsurprisingly, the

dominant category that prevailed was ‘Human/Animal Interaction’ (25%). Because dogs are

domesticated house pets, many people have special positive relationships with them and interact

with them on a daily basis. A recurring response that fell under this category was specific names

of pets. For example, “Jesse” was categorized under ‘Human/Animal Interactions’ because that

is the name in which the informant interacts with their own dog, Jesse. The respondents seem to

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have a very physical relationship with dogs—“petting” them, “cuddling” them, and just having a

general “love” for them.

‘Behavior’ (23%), ‘Temperament’ (16%), and ‘Appearance’ (19%) all had between 30-

43 responses. Respondents mentioned that a dog’s behavior consists of “playing,” “smiling,” and

“running.” With the exception of a few “bite” responses, all of the behaviors were positive. The

responses that fit into the category ‘Temperament’ indicate that people view dogs as having very

positive human-like qualities, for example, “loyal,” “fun,” “happy,” “sweet,” etc. The positive

responses continued into the “Appearance’ category.

The categories ‘Environment’ (2%), ‘Pop Culture’ (6%), and ‘Other’ (9%) all ranked

fairly low comparatively. A surprising recurring response to “Dog” that was categorized under

‘Other’ was “cat” (35% of all responses that fell into the category ‘Other’).

Polar Bear

The third animal listed in the word association task was “Polar Bear.” The overriding

category was ‘Appearance’ with 43% of the responses. The most recurring response was “white”

(69%). There is very little human/polar bear interaction. It is to be assumed that a mid-westerner

has only experienced a polar bear in pictures or on television with the exception of the few that

have been captured and placed in zoos. This is a possible cause for the strong visual imagery

presented in the results. The second leading category— also associated with visual imagery—

was ‘Environment’ (27%). 48% of the responses that fell under the category ‘Environment’ were

“cold.” Others in this category were “snow” and “ice.”

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Because 70% of the responses fell under ‘Appearance’ and ‘Environment,’ the other

categories remained fairly low. The ‘Other’ (9%) category unexpectedly came third in rank—

containing a vast amount of chain associations. Another frequent response to “Polar Bear” was

“global warming.” Falling just short of the ‘Other’ category was ‘Pop Culture’ (8%). “Polar

Bear” was chosen for this study as a subject in hopes to provoke the response “Coca-Cola.” 75%

of the responses that fit into the category ‘Pop Culture’ were “Coca-Cola.” Though a lower

number than expected—25% of the participants did respond accordingly, pointing to a

significant impact of the Coca-Cola winter-advertising campaign.

‘Temperament’ (6%) and ‘Behavior’ (6%) ranked similarly and ‘Human/Animal

Interaction’ (1%)—as can be expected—holds the fewest responses. The responses in these

categories were surprisingly positive. Only 31% of these responses were negative, representing

the polar bear as “fierce” and “mean.”

Dolphin

The last animal listed on the word association task was “Dolphin.” Unexpectedly, the

responses were fairly evenly spread across the categories. This is another animal that, according

to the responses, has little-to-no negative qualities. The leading category was ‘Temperament’

with 20% of the responses. Of the responses to ‘Temperament,’ 54% were variations of the

adjective “smart.” Several other recurring responses were “happy,” “funny,” and “playful.”

The categories ‘Appearance,’ and ‘Environment’ each received 19% of the responses and

‘Behavior’ received 18% of the responses. The responses to ‘Appearance’ were often referring to

the colors of dolphins and the fact that they are “wet” and appear “shinny.” The leading

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responses that fell into the ‘Behavior’ category were “tricks,” “jump,” and “swim.” People seem

to frequently visualize dolphins in motion. It is also apparent that the participants are very aware

of a dolphin’s environment. These similarities of recurring answers and comparable percentages

suggest a strong shared cultural meaning.

The category ‘Pop Culture’ came not too far behind with 12% of the responses. The

prominent answer in this category was “Flipper.” It is possible that because “Flipper” has such a

high frequency, the participants may have received much of what they know about dolphins from

movies and television. The category ‘Human/Animal Interaction’ had only 6% of the responses.

The responses seem to suggest that there is not much human/animal interaction with dolphins

except for at “Sea World” or other aquariums. All responses that did not fit into these categories

were grouped into ‘Other’ (6%).

Discussion

The results collected support the idea that animals do hold shared cultural meanings that

could be beneficial to the development of effective advertisements. The word association task

helped to elicit shared meanings that four specific animals have within the American culture.

Future research and Limitations

The responses to the word association task were all able to be categorized into seven

categories: Appearance, Environment, Temperament, Behavior, Human/Animal Interaction, Pop

Culture and Other. These classifications have practical applications in the development of

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advertisements. Depending on the animal, different categories may prove themselves more

useful. For example, now that it has been noted that people do not tie positive feelings to spiders,

advertisers can choose to either avoid the use of them or utilize their negative qualities in a way

that highlights the positive attributes of their product.

The word association method is brief and spontaneous; it does not necessarily reveal the

process in which these animals have obtained these meanings. Future research should focus on

the building blocks of the cultural meanings. If advertisers can understand the process in which

they are built, they may be able to more effectively exploit their significances.

Another concern derived from the research was the role of age. A recurring response to

“dog” was the word “cat.” This first came to my attention as a recollection of the television

cartoon series, “Cat-Dog.” It then occurred to me that a very small portion of the respondents

were of the generation that would have experienced the show; it is a possibility that their children

were viewers. Future research should investigate how responses are affected by the respondents

age, generation, and gender.

The participant pool of the current study consisted of only 48 mid-western adults. Future

studies should reach a wider range of Americans— in both age and culture— in order to come to

a more holistic conclusion.

Conclusion

Despite the troubles of working with animals, they have proven themselves effective

advertising tools. It is believed that animals can embody positive meanings that can then be

linked with the product at hand. The current research suggests that through word association,

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shared meanings of animals can be derived and then applied to the development of

advertisements. It is important for advertisers to have a strong understanding of the culture they

are working with because animals can be associated with a variety of meanings depending on the

culture.

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References

Beck, B. B., Stoinski, T., Shumaker, R., Ross, S., & Perkins, L. (2005). Animals in advertising.

1-4. Retrieved from http://orangutanssp.org/2005_members_forum_final.pdf

Diaz, A., & Williams, S. (2012). How VW conducted its canine chorus. Advertising Age, 83(4),

26.

Harbrecht, D. (1993). Animals in the ad game. International Wildlife, 23(6), 38. Retrieved from

Academic Search Premier.

Kim, J., Lim, J.S., & Bhargava, M. (1998). The role of affect in attitude formation: A classical

conditioning approach. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 26(2), 143-152.

Lancendorfer, K. M., Atkin, J. L., & Reece, B. B. (2008). Animals in advertising: Love dogs?

Love the ad! Journal of Business Research. 61(5), 384-391. Retrieved from

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296307001889

Phillips, B. J. (1996). Advertising and the cultural meaning of animals. In K. P. Corfman & J. G.

Lynch Jr. (Eds.), Advances in consumer research, 23, 354-360. Retrieved from

http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/display.asp?id=7982

Sanders, L. (2007). Aflac CMO says: Shut the duck up. Advertising Age, 78(8), 1-63.

Wentz, Laurel (2006). Beams: Happy life. Advertising Age, 77(31), 14.

Winters, P. (1993). In soft-drink ads, polar bears are hot. Advertising Age, 64(15), 26.

Yun Mou & Tay-Sheng Jeng Kun Shan. (2008). Appeal or rationality? On design of a

spokesperson. International Design and Cinema Conference. 1-10.

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Word Association

In order to generate completely uninfluenced responses, please complete the task given on this

page before reading the following page.

Please read each word given and take a moment to respond to that word with 4 other words or

phrases that come to mind. It is important that your responses are listed in the order in which

they came to you and wrong answers do not exist. After completing the word association, please

sign the informed consent form and return.

Spider

1.

2.

3.

4.

Dog

1.

2.

3.

4.

Polar Bear

1.

2.

3.

4.

Dolphin

1.

2.

3.

4.

Age

18-25

26-35

36-50

51-65

65+

Gender

Male

Female

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An Investigation of Shared Cultural Meanings of Animals

Informed Consent Form

Purpose of Study:

The study you have just participated in is concerning the presence of animals in advertising. My

research aims to support the idea that animals embody specific cultural meanings that are useful

to the development of effective advertisements.

Using the word association method, I hope to obtain a better understanding of the meanings

animals hold within the American culture. Your responses to the given animals will help

determine if a shared meaning does exist, as well as whether the animal has a positive or

negative connotation. If an advertiser can better understand these meanings, they can then use the

positive feelings an animal evokes to represent qualities within their product; as well as avoid

using animals with negative connotations.

Risks or Discomforts:

No risks or discomforts are anticipated from taking part in this study. If you feel uncomfortable

with a question, you can skip that question or withdraw from the study altogether. If you decide

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24


An Investigation of Shared Cultural Meanings of Animals- Results

Age

18-25 7

26-35 9

36-50 15

51-65 17

65+ 0

Gender

Male 18

Female 30

Spider

Appearance 86

Environment 27

Temperament 4

Behavior 20

Human/Animal Interaction 23

Pop Culture 20

Other 10

Dog

Appearance 36

Environment 5

Temperament 30

Behavior 43


Pop Culture 11

Other 17

Polar Bear

Appearance 83

Environment 52

Temperament 11

Behavior 12


Pop Culture 16

Other 18

Dolphin

Appearance 37

Environment 37

Temperament 39

Behavior 36


Pop Culture 23

Other 11

25


0 20 40 60 80 100

Other

Pop Culture

Human/Animal Interaction

Temperament

Behavior

Environment

Appearance

Spider

Dog

Polar Bear

Dolphin

45%

14%

2%

11%

12% 11% 5%

Spider

Appearance Environment Temperament

Behavior Human/Animal Interaction Pop Culture

Other

26


19% 2%

16%

23%

25%

6% 9%

Dog



Other

43%

27% 6%

6% 1%

8% 9%

Polar Bear



Other

27


19%

19%

20%

18%

6% 12% 6%

Dolphin



Other

Documents

Animals in Advertising: The Effects of Cultural Meanings