Hye Jin Paek

Racial Ideology, Model Minorities, and the "Not-So-Silent Partner:" Stereotyping of Asian Americans in U.S. Magazine Advertising

As one of the most visible and powerful media institutions of U.S. popular culture, advertising plays a central role in conveying and disseminating a dominant racial ideology. After establishing an analytical framework based on the relationship between racial ideology and stereotypes of Asian Americans, this study investigates how Asian Americans are represented in American news magazines advertising and how racial ideology is embedded within those depictions. Quantitative analysis found Asian Americans are frequently depicted as highly educated, proficient with technology, and affluent. A textual analysis reinforced these findings and also led to additional insights related to gender dynamics, potential conflicts within the Asian American category, and the relationships between Asian Americans and other minority groups.

Downshifting Consumer = Upshifting Citizen? An Examination of a Local Freecycle Community

Critics suggest that contemporary consumer culture creates overworked and overshopped consumers who no longer engage in civic life. The authors challenge this conventional criticism against consumption within an individualistic lifestyle and argue instead that consumers who are “downshifting” do engage in civic life. In particular, this research examines downshifting attitudes among members of freecycle.org, a grassroots “gift economy” community. Results of an online survey show that downshifting consumers are indeed less materialistic and brand-conscious. They also tend to practice political consumption (e.g., boycotts, buycotts). Most important, they tend to engage in a digital form, but not a traditional form, of civic and political participation. The authors contend that alternative forms of consumption might be a new form of civic engagement.

A content analysis of advertising in a global magazine across seven countries: Implications for global advertising strategies

Purpose – This research examines global advertising strategies and tactics in a global media brand for a shared audience across seven countries (Brazil, China, France, India, South Korea, Thailand, and USA).Design/methodology/approach – A content analysis of advertisements in local editions of Cosmopolitan magazine compares the extent of standardization in execution elements (advertising copy, models) across product nationality (multinational, domestic) and category (beauty, other).Findings – Local editions deliver more multinational than domestic product ads across all countries, except India. Overall, multinational product ads tend to use standardized strategies and tactics more than domestic product ads, although this propensity varies across countries. Beauty products (cosmetics, fashion) are more likely to use standardized approaches than are other products (e.g. cars, food, household goods).Research limitations/implications – The research only examines one type of magazine and for one type of audien...

Nudity of female and male models in primetime TV advertising across seven countries

This study partially replicates and extends previous research on nudity by examining TV advertising across multiple countries (Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, South Korea, Thailand and the United States) and by incorporating multiple factors (cultural values, advertising regulation and product type). Results show that female (but not male) nudity differed substantially across countries, and females were portrayed in greater states of undress than males. US and Chinese commercials showed the lowest level of nudity, whereas German and Thai ads showed the highest level. Cultural values (masculinity/ femininity) and advertising regulation (pre-clearance policy) explain only minimally the degree of model nudity in ads across the countries. Although each of the three factors offers some value for predicting degrees of male and female nudity, congruent product category appears to be the most significant predictor, supporting a match-up hypothesis and congruency theory. Results are discussed in terms of global advertising strategy.

Project FIT: rationale, design and baseline characteristics of a school- and community-based intervention to address physical activity and healthy eating among low-income elementary school children.

BackgroundThis paper describes Project FIT, a collaboration between the public school system, local health systems, physicians, neighborhood associations, businesses, faith-based leaders, community agencies and university researchers to develop a multi-faceted approach to promote physical activity and healthy eating toward the general goal of preventing and reducing childhood obesity among children in Grand Rapids, MI, USA.Methods/designThere are four overall components to Project FIT: school, community, social marketing, and school staff wellness - all that focus on: 1) increasing access to safe and affordable physical activity and nutrition education opportunities in the schools and surrounding neighborhoods; 2) improving the affordability and availability of nutritious food in the neighborhoods surrounding the schools; 3) improving the knowledge, self-efficacy, attitudes and behaviors regarding nutrition and physical activity among school staff, parents and students; 4) impacting the culture of the schools and neighborhoods to incorporate healthful values; and 5) encouraging dialogue among all community partners to leverage existing programs and introduce new ones.DiscussionAt baseline, there was generally low physical activity (70% do not meet recommendation of 60 minutes per day), excessive screen time (75% do not meet recommendation of < 2 hours per day), and low intake of vegetables and whole grains and high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, French fries and chips and desserts as well as a high prevalence of overweight and obesity (48.5% including 6% with severe obesity) among low income, primarily Hispanic and African American 3rd-5th grade children (n = 403).Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01385046

To Buy or Not to Buy: Determinants of Socially Responsible Consumer Behavior and Consumer Reactions to Cause-Related and Boycotting Ads

Abstract Using U.S. national survey data, we identify consumer characteristics (altruism, opinion leadership, attitudes toward big business and brand values, beliefs in advertising ethics) that relate to buycotting and boycotting as two forms of socially responsible consumer behavior (SRCB). In a follow-up experiment, we show that some of these characteristics are also associated with consumer reactions to cause-related and boycotting ads. Altruism and beliefs in advertising ethics are significantly related to participants responses to cause-related advertising, whereas SRCB tendency and advertising ethics appear more strongly related to boycotting advertising effects.

Assessment of a healthy corner store program (FIT Store) in low-income, urban, and ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Michigan.

This study evaluated a community-based and social marketing healthy corner store program (FIT store) to improve the affordability and availability of healthy foods in low-income, urban, and ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Michigan. The Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores data were analyzed for the FIT (N = 4) stores. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted among the FIT store customers before (N = 401) and after (N = 318) the intervention. Three FIT stores improved their total Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores availability score from before to after the intervention. A significantly higher level of FIT awareness and monthly bean and nut consumption was reported in the postintervention.

Age-dependent effects of food advergame brand integration and interactivity

Food marketing is under increased scrutiny for its implicated role in the childhood obesity epidemic. Free branded online advergames are ubiquitous. Using a customised online game, this study examined how food advergames exert their influence on children. The findings of the experiment demonstrate the effects of brand integration and interactivity (playing versus watching) on children’s brand recall, attitudes, taste expectations, purchase requests and health perceptions for brands placed in a game. The results offer evidence that younger children are responsive to advergames and warrant additional study in this domain.

Project FIT: A School, Community and Social Marketing Intervention Improves Healthy Eating Among Low-Income Elementary School Children

Project FIT was a two-year multi-component nutrition and physical activity intervention delivered in ethnically-diverse low-income elementary schools in Grand Rapids, MI. This paper reports effects on children’s nutrition outcomes and process evaluation of the school component. A quasi-experimental design was utilized. 3rd, 4th and 5th-grade students (Yr 1 baseline: Nxa0=xa0410; Yr 2 baseline: Nxa0=xa0405; age range: 7.5–12.6xa0years) were measured in the fall and spring over the two-year intervention. Ordinal logistic, mixed effect models and generalized estimating equations were fitted, and the robust standard errors were utilized. Primary outcomes favoring the intervention students were found regarding consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grain bread during year 2. Process evaluation revealed that implementation of most intervention components increased during year 2. Project FIT resulted in small but beneficial effects on consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain bread in ethnically diverse low-income elementary school children.

Emerging Issues and Future Directions of the Field of Health Communication

The interdisciplinary intersections between communication science and health-related fields are pervasive, with numerous differences in regard to epistemology, career planning, funding perspectives, educational goals, and cultural orientations. This article identifies and elaborates on these challenges with illustrative examples. Furthermore, concrete suggestions for future scholarship are recommended to facilitate compatible, coherent, and interdisciplinary health communication inquiry. The authors hope that this article helps current and future generations of health communication scholars to make more informed decisions when facing some of the challenges discussed in this article so that they will be able to seize the interdisciplinary and international potential of this unique and important field of study.