Abstract: Generations X and Y Attitude towards Controversial Advertising

 

DOI 10.14707/ajbr.120008

Hiram Ting   Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
Ernest Cyril de Run   Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Abstract

Segmentation has been useful in advertising decisions and subsequently the
generation approach has emerged as a superior segmentation approach. The purpose
of this article is to examine the attitudes of generation X and generation Y towards
controversial advertising. Structured questionnaires were distributed throughout
Malaysia, and a total of 768 usable questionnaires were obtained. Findings show that
the two generational cohorts are significantly different in attitude towards
controversial advertising.

Generation X found the advertising of female contraceptives, feminine hygiene products, and funeral services to be more controversial, whereas generation Y found the advertising of alcoholic products,
condoms, and gambling to be more of a controversy. In terms of the reasons of controversy, generation X found only health and safety issues to be more  controversial whereas generation Y, hard sell, nudity, racist images, sexist images, and subject too personal. Future studies are therefore needed to validate the segregation of generations in Malaysia to secure effective marketing strategy.

Keywords:   Generation X, Generation Y, Controversial advertising, Malaysia

 

 

 

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