Reflections of Culture: An Analysis of Korean Advertising Appeals from 1980’s to 2010’s

Objectives: The objective of this paper was to investigate the modernization of cultural values in Korean culture during its transition into a more westernized society in the past 30 years. Methods/Statistical analysis: A longitudinal content analysis of 320 ads analyzed how cultural values in Korean magazine advertising messages have changed as Korea has developed from a traditional to an industrial country. Findings: During this period, the study shows, modern advertising claims (individualistic advertising message claims, materialistic advertising message claims, future orientation claims) became increasingly used, whereas traditional advertising appeals (collectivistic advertising message claims, humanistic advertising message claims, past orientation claims) became decreasingly appeared in Korean magazine advertisements. This study suggests that the usage of Korean advertising message mirrors the cultural dynamics and economical changes of Korea. Improvements/Applications: Findings of the research showed that convergence toward modern-western cultural values is a meaningful subject to investigate in the study of persuasive communications and culture.