Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T23:49:11.421Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The representation of older people in television advertisements and social change: the case of Japan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2014

MICHAEL PRIELER ,
FLORIAN KOHLBACHER ,
SHIGERU HAGIWARA  and
AKIE ARIMA
MICHAEL PRIELER*
Affiliation:
School of Communication, Hallym University, Chuncheon, South Korea.
FLORIAN KOHLBACHER
Affiliation:
Business and Economics Section, German Institute for Japanese Studies, Tokyo, Japan.
SHIGERU HAGIWARA
Affiliation:
Department of Contemporary Communication, St Mary's Junior College, Tokyo, Japan.
AKIE ARIMA
Affiliation:
Department of Communication, Tokyo Woman's Christian University, Japan.
*
Address for correspondence: Michael Prieler, School of Communication, Hallym University, Dasan Hall #507, Hallym University Road 1, Chuncheon 200-702, South Korea. E-mail: prieler@hallym.ac.kr
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The representation of social groups in advertising has been a major concern in academia. However, research focusing on older people has been scant and mainly conducted in Western countries. In Japan, the country that has been most affected by demographic change, this research area has received little attention. Through a content analysis of a systematic sample of 2,972 television advertisements broadcast on the five major commercial television stations in Japan in 1997 and 2007, this paper tries to fill this research gap, examining changes in the representation of older people in Japanese television advertising. When comparing 2007 to 1997, we found that older people appeared more often, were increasingly alone and in major roles, and were portrayed in more favourable ways, which suggests that their status changed. These changes appear to be related to the fact that older people have become more important within Japanese society. However, some aspects have remained unchanged; older people continue to be under-represented, which does not reflect demographic reality, and are used in advertisements for foods and beverages, confirming findings from previous studies. Our findings indicate that the representation of older people in Japanese television advertising has changed but remains unrealistic.

Keywords

Japantelevision advertisingolder peoplerepresentationcontent analysis
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 35 , Issue 4 , April 2015 , pp. 865 - 887
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abrams, J. R., Eveland, W. P. J. and Giles, H. 2003. The effects of television on group vitality: can television empower nondominant groups? In Kalbfleisch, P. J. (ed.), Communication Yearbook 27. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, New Jersey, 193–219.Google Scholar
Acevedo, C. R., Nohara, J. J., Arruda, A. L., Tamashiro, H. R. D. S. and Brashear, T. 2006. How women are depicted in ads? A content analysis study with Brazilian advertisements. International Business & Economics Research Journal, 5, 10, 59–72.Google Scholar
Atkins, T. V., Jenkins, M. C. and Perkins, M. H. 1990–91. Portrayal of persons in television commercials age 50 and older. Psychology, a Journal of Human Behavior, 27/28, 4/1, 30–7.Google Scholar
Bandura, A. 2009. Social cognitive theory of mass communication. In Bryant, J. and Oliver, M. B. (eds), Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research. Routledge, New York, 94–124.Google Scholar
Carrigan, M. and Szmigin, I. 2000. Advertising in an ageing society. Ageing & Society, 20, 2, 217–33.Google Scholar
Choi, S. M., Lee, W.-N. and Kim, H.-J. 2005. Lessons from the rich and famous: a cross-cultural comparison of celebrity endorsement in advertising. Journal of Advertising, 34, 2, 85–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dentsu Senior Project 2007. Dankai Maketingu [Baby Boomer Marketing]. Dentsu, Tokyo.Google Scholar
Donlon, M. M., Ashman, O. and Levy, B. R. 2005. Re-vision of older television characters: a stereotype-awareness intervention. Journal of Social Issues, 61, 2, 307–19.Google Scholar
Festervand, T. A. and Lumpkin, J. R. 1985. Response of elderly consumers to their portrayal by advertisers. Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 8, 2, 203–26.Google Scholar
Formanek, S. 2008. Traditional concepts and images of old age in Japan. In Coulmas, F., Conrad, H., Schad-Seifert, A. and Vogt, G. (eds), The Demographic Challenge: A Handbook About Japan. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands, 323–43.Google Scholar
Francher, J. S. 1973. ‘It's the Pepsi generation…’: accelerated aging and the television commercial. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 4, 3, 245–55.Google Scholar
Frith, K. T. and Mueller, B. 2003. Advertising and Societies: Global Issues. Peter Lang, New York.Google Scholar
Furnham, A. and Mak, T. 1999. Sex-role stereotyping in television commercials: a review and comparison of fourteen studies done on five continents over 25 years. Sex Roles, 41, 5/6, 413–37.Google Scholar
Gerbner, G. 1998. Cultivation analysis: an overview. Mass Communication & Society, 1, 3/4, 175–94.Google Scholar
Gerbner, G., Gross, L., Signorielli, N. and Morgan, M. 1980. Aging with television: images on television drama and conceptions of social reality. Journal of Communication, 30, 1, 37–47.Google Scholar
Giles, H., Bourghis, R. Y. and Taylor, D. M. 1977. Towards a theory of language in ethnic group relations. In Giles, H. (ed.), Language, Ethnicity and Intergroup Relations. Academic Press, London, 307–48.Google Scholar
Goffman, E. 1979. Gender Advertisements. Harper & Row, New York.Google Scholar
Greco, A. J. 1989. Representation of the elderly in advertising: crisis or inconsequence? Journal of Consumer Marketing, 6, 1, 37–44.Google Scholar
Greco, A. J. 1993. The incidence and portrayal of the elderly in television advertising. Journal of Marketing – Theory and Practice, 2, Fall, 140–54.Google Scholar
Hakuhodo Elder Business Suishinshitsu 2006. Dankai Sādo Wēbu: Atarashii Otona Bunka ga Umareru [The Third Babyboomer Wave: The Birth of a New Adult Culture]. Kōbundō, Tokyo.Google Scholar
Harris, A. J. and Feinberg, J. F. 1977. Television and aging: is what you see what you get? The Gerontologist, 17, November, 105–9.Google Scholar
Harwood, J. and Anderson, K. 2002. The presence and portrayal of social groups on prime-time television. Communiation Reports, 15, 2, 81–97.Google Scholar
Hayes, A. F. 2005. Statistical Methods for Communication Science. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, New Jersey.Google Scholar
Hiemstra, R., Goodman, M., Middlemiss, M. A., Vosko, R. and Ziegler, N. 1983. How older persons are portrayed in television advertising: implications for educators. Educational Gerontology, 9, 2/3, 11–22.Google Scholar
Higgs, B. and Milner, L. 2006. Portrayals of maturity in Australian television commercials: a benchmark study. http://vuir.vu.edu.au/876/1/Portrayals_of_Maturity_in_Australian_Television_Commercials-final.pdf.Google Scholar
Kessler, E.-M., Schwender, C. and Bowen, C. E. 2010. The portrayal of older people's social participation on German prime-time TV advertisements. Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 65B, 1, 97–106.Google Scholar
Kohlbacher, F. 2011. Business implications of demographic change in Japan: chances and challenges for human resource and marketing management. In Coulmas, F. and Lützeler, R. (eds), Imploding Populations in Japan and Germany: A Comparison. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands, 269–94.Google Scholar
Kohlbacher, F. and Chéron, E. J. 2012. Understanding ‘silver’ consumers through cognitive age, health condition, financial status and personal values: empirical evidence from the world's most mature market. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 11, 3, 179–88.Google Scholar
Kohlbacher, F., Prieler, M. and Hagiwara, S. 2011. Consumer response to the portrayal of older people in TV advertising: empirical evidence from Japan. In Yi, Z., Xiao, J. J., Cotte, J. and Price, L. (eds), Asia Pacific Advances in Consumer Research (AP-ACR) Conference 2011. Association for Consumer Research, Duluth, Minnesota, 252–3.Google Scholar
Kohlbacher, F., Prieler, M. and Hagiwara, S. 2013. Japan's demographic revolution? A study of advertising practitioners’ views on stereotypes. Asia Pacific Business Review. Published online: 4 10 2013, doi:10.1080/13602381.2013.841.451.Google Scholar
Kolbe, R. H. and Burnett, M. S. 1992. Perceptions of elderly and young adult respondents toward the portrayal of the elderly in advertising: implications to advertising managers. Journal of Marketing Management, 2, 1, 76–85.Google Scholar
Korzenny, F. and Neuendorf, K. 1980. Television viewing and self-concept of the elderly. Journal of Communication, 30, 1, 71–80.Google Scholar
Koyano, W. 1989. Japanese attitudes toward the elderly: a review of research findings. Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology, 4, 4, 335–45.Google Scholar
Koyano, W. 1997. Myths and facts of aging in Japan. In Formanek, S. and Linhart, S. (eds), Aging: Asian Concepts and Experiences – Past and Present. Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna, 213–27.Google Scholar
Langmeyer, L. 1993. Advertising images of mature adults: an update. Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 15, 2, 81–91.Google Scholar
Lee, B.-K., Kim, B.-C. and Han, S. 2006. The portrayal of older people in television advertisements: a cross-cultural content analysis of the United States and Korea. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 63, 4, 279–97.Google Scholar
Lee, M. M., Carpenter, B. and Meyers, L. S. 2007. Representations of older adults in television advertisements. Journal of Aging Studies, 21, 1, 23–30.Google Scholar
Levy, B. R. 1999. The inner self of the Japanese elderly: a defense against negative stereotypes of aging. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 48, 2, 131–44.Google Scholar
Luyt, R. 2011. Representation of gender in South African television advertising: a content analysis. Sex Roles, 65, 5/6, 356–70.Google Scholar
Mares, M.-L. and Cantor, J. 1992. Elderly viewers’ responses to televised portrayals of old age: empathy and mood management versus social comparison. Communication Research, 19, 4, 459–78.Google Scholar
Mastro, D. E. and Stern, S. R. 2003. Representations of race in television commercials: a content analysis of prime-time advertising. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 47, 4, 638–47.Google Scholar
McLuhan, M. 1994. Understanding Media: The Extension of Man. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.Google Scholar
Miller, D. W., Leyell, T. S. and Mazachek, J. 2004. Stereotypes of the elderly in U.S. television commercials from the 1950s to the 1990s. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 58, 4, 315–40.Google Scholar
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 1995. Census 1995. Available online at http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kokusei/1995/1513.htm [Accessed 10 May 2010].Google Scholar
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 2005. Census 2005. Available online at http://www.e-stat.go.jp/SG1/estat/ListE.do?bid=000001005118&cycode=0 [Accessed 10 May 2010].Google Scholar
Neuendorf, K. A. 2011. Content analysis – a methodological primer for gender research. Sex Roles, 64, 3/4, 276–89.Google Scholar
Nihon Shinbun Kyokai 2010. Bēsumedia to Seikatsusha – Atarashii Hyōkajiku wo Kangaeru: 2009nen Zenkoku Media Sesshoku Hyōka Chōsa Hōkokusho [Thinking About a New Evaluation Axis of Life Styles Based on Media Usage: 2009 Nationwide Media Contact and Evaluation Survey Report]. Nihon Shinbun Kyokai, Tokyo.Google Scholar
Nikkei Kōkoku Kenkyūjo 2009. Kōkoku Hakusho [White Paper on Advertising]. Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Tokyo.Google Scholar
O'Leary, J. S. 1993. A new look at Japan's honorable elders. Journal of Aging Studies, 7, 1, 1–24.Google Scholar
Ong, F. S. and Chang, H. K. 2009. Older people as models in advertisements: a cross-cultural content analysis of two Asian countries. Journal of Business & Policy Research, 4, 2, 1–15.Google Scholar
Palmore, E. and Maeda, D. 1985. The Honorable Elders Revisited: A Revised Cross-cultural Analysis of Ageing in Japan. Duke University Press, Durham, North Carolina.Google Scholar
Passuth, P. M. and Cook, F. L. 1985. Effects of television viewing on knowledge and attitudes about older adults: a critical reexamination. The Gerontologist, 25, 1, 69–77.Google Scholar
Peterson, R. T. and Ross, D. T. 1997. A content analysis of the portrayal of mature individuals in television commercials. Journal of Business Ethics, 16, 4, 425–33.Google Scholar
Prieler, M. 2008. Silver advertising: elderly people in Japanese TV ads. In Kohlbacher, F. and Herstatt, C. (eds), The Silver Market Phenomenon: Business Opportunities in an Era of Demographic Change. Springer, Heidelberg, Germany, 269–77.Google Scholar
Prieler, M., Kohlbacher, F., Hagiwara, S. and Arima, A. 2009. How older people are represented in Japanese TV commercials: a content analysis. Keio Communication Review, 31, 5–21.Google Scholar
Prieler, M., Kohlbacher, F., Hagiwara, S. and Arima, A. 2010. Older celebrity versus non-celebrity television advertising: a Japanese perspective. Keio Communication Review, 32, 5–23.Google Scholar
Prieler, M., Kohlbacher, F., Hagiwara, S. and Arima, A. 2011. Gender representation of older people in Japanese television advertisements. Sex Roles, 64, 5/6, 405–15.Google Scholar
Riffe, D., Lacy, S. and Fico, F. G. 2005. Analyzing Media Messages: Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Research. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahway, New Jersey.Google Scholar
Robinson, T. E. 1998. Portraying Older People in Advertising: Magazine, Television, and Newspapers. Garland, New York.Google Scholar
Robinson, T., Gustafson, B. and Popovich, M. 2008. Perceptions of negative stereotyping of older people in magazine advertisements: comparing the perceptions of older adults and college students. Ageing & Society, 28, 2, 233–51.Google Scholar
Roy, A. and Harwood, J. 1997. Underrepresented, positively portrayed: older adults in television commercials. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 25, 1, 39–56.Google Scholar
Simcock, P. and Sudbury, L. 2006. The invisible majority? Older models in UK television advertising. International Journal of Advertising, 25, 1, 87–106.Google Scholar
Stephens, N. 1991. Cognitive age: a useful concept for advertising? Journal of Advertising, 20, 4, 37–48.Google Scholar
Swayne, L. E. and Greco, A. J. 1987. The portrayal of older Americans in television commercials. Journal of Advertising, 16, 1, 47–54.Google Scholar
Szmigin, I. and Carrigan, M. 2000. Does advertising in the UK need older models? Journal of Product & Brand Management, 9, 2, 128–43.Google Scholar
Taylor, C. R. and Stern, B. B. 1997. Asian-Americans: television advertising and the ‘model minority’ stereotype. Journal of Advertising, 26, 2, 47–61.Google Scholar
The Nikkei Weekly 2010. Boomers wield financial clout. 1 November.Google Scholar
Tsuji, Y. 1997. Continuities and changes in the conceptions of old age in Japan. In Formanek, S. and Linhart, S. (eds), Aging: Asian Concepts and Experiences – Past and Present. Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna, 197–210.Google Scholar
United Nations 2012. World Populations Prospects: The 2012 Revision. Available online at http://esa.un.org/wpp/wpp2012/wpp2012_1.htm [Accessed 10 September 2012].Google Scholar
Westerhof, G. J., Harink, K., Van Selm, M., Strick, M. and Van Baaren, R. 2010. Filling a missing link: the influence of portrayals of older characters in television commercials on the memory performance of older adults. Ageing & Society, 30, 5, 897–912.Google Scholar
World Advertising Research Center 2012. Share of Total Adspend Forecast by Country, 2012. Available online at www.warc.com [Accessed 12 December 2012].Google Scholar
Yoon, H. and Powell, H. 2012. Older consumers and celebrity advertising. Ageing & Society, 32, 8, 1319–36.Google Scholar
Zhang, Y. B., Harwood, J., Ylänne-McEwen, V., Williams, A., Wadleigh, P. M. and Thimm, C. 2006. The portrayal of older adults in advertising: a cross-national review. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 25, 3, 264–82.Google Scholar
Zhang, Y. B., Song, Y. and Carver, L. J. 2008. Cultural values and aging in Chinese television commercials. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 18, 2, 209–24.Google Scholar