Content Analysis of Gift Advertisements

Abstract

The objective of this study is to conduct a content analysis of gift themed  advertisements that appear in the Indian print media. It seeks to contribute  to the neglected area of gift advertising by seeking to understand the  practitioners use of the gift theme. Three coders were trained to analyse  advertisements on select criteria culled from gifting literature viz., type  of product, type of relationship, gift-giving occasion, type of emotional  appeal, verbal and visual cues and gender portrayal. The study reveals  the limited popularity of the gift theme as a complete years vigil on two  popular media vehicles resulted in only 53 usable advertisements. On  the elements of type of product featured and gift giving occasion the  results are as expected but they are contrary to literature on all the other  variables. There is evidence of lack of variety in the use of the gift theme in  advertisements. This theory- practice gap in yet another area of marketing  is potentially worrisome and the possible reasons for it forwarded in this  research need to be verified by future researchers.