Generational Cohorts and Their Beliefs and Attitude towards Advertising

Ernest Cyril, de Run and Hiram, Ting (2013) Generational Cohorts and Their Beliefs and Attitude towards Advertising. Research Update, 9 (2). pp. 10-11.

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Abstract

This research is aimed to determine beliefs and attitude towards advertising from the perspective of generational cohorts in Sarawak. Despite being an important segmentation approach, little is known about the effect of generation on views about advertising in the state because much of its labels and descriptions are borrowed from Western sources, especially the U.S. Utilising the theories of generations, interviews were used at the outset to find out external events which bring about the formation of cohorts. Accordingly, 48 interviews were conducted and data were content-analysed by multiple coders. The findings were then incorporated into the second phase of the study to investigate the cohorts’ view about advertising using the theory of reasoned action as the underpinning premise. A questionnaire-based survey of 1,410 respondents was conducted. From the analysis, five distinct cohorts were identified. They are labeled as Neoteric-inheritors (birth years: 1991 and onwards), Prospective-pursuers (birth years: 1978 to 1990), Social-strivers (birth years: 1962 to 1977), Idealistic-strugglers (birth years: 1945 to 1961) and Battling-lifers (birth years: before 1945) based on their attachment to events during their respective coming-of-age years. The later findings showed that beliefs and attitudes towards advertising are significantly different across cohorts. While Neoteric-inheritors and Prospective-pursuers have largely exhibited similar beliefs and attitudes, Social-strivers do not share the hedonic aspect of advertising. The attitude of older cohorts, however, is driven by positive aspects about advertising. The research thus highlights the negation of cohort segregation between Sarawak and the U.S., and the implication of generational differences on views about advertising.

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