The application of sense-making theory to advertising : an exploratory case study

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of the study was to investigate the controlled transfer of meaning that could befacilitated by the application of knowledge of sense-making theory. An object ofcommunication, an advertisement, was consciously constructed on the basis of sense-makingprinciples. An application of knowledge of sense making was then employed to assess thereception of the advertisement by a selected sample of respondents.The decision to select advertising as the choice of medium for the study stemmed from theincreasing levels of criticism directed at this form of communication as a result of its frequentfailure to deliver intended benefits for its sponsors. The intended benefits relate to the transferof meaning that would prompt recipients of advertising messages to take an action that wouldbe of value to the advertiser.More specific criticisms have centred on the failure of a growing number of advertisingmessages to deliver meaningful benefits as a result of their lack of relevance for the intendedrecipients of these communications. A call for a shift in mind-set away from traditional linearmodels currently employed to facilitate the design of advertising messages has prompted agrowing recognition of the need to employ a more empathetic approach that would facilitate apositive interaction between an advertiser and a target audience.The emergence of what has been termed experiential marketing communications hasadvocated a view that advertising communications can promote stronger allegiances betweenorganisations and their customers by the inclusion of meaningful sensory associations forrecipients. This view, together with the insights revealed by those working in the field ofsense making, suggested that the incorporation of sense-making theory could wellaccommodate the paradigm shift that has been called for in the design of advertisingcommunications. The views and insights outlined above prompted the development of an advertisement thatsought to incorporate sense-making theory into its construction. The requirement to allow forthe transfer of intended meaning in the advertisement was facilitated by incorporating framesand cues, the design of which sought to assist in the resolution of equivocality and enablerespondents to bridge cognitive gaps.The investigation took the form of an exploratory case study. The advertisement, constructedon the basis of sense-making theory, represented the control element of the study. In-depthinterviews were conducted amongst grade 12 learners selected on the basis of their matchingthe target audience for which the advertisement had been designed. The semi-structurednature of the interviews followed a format that allowed for a comparison to be made betweenthe intended input of meaning and the decoding of responses relating to the advertisement.Results indicated that there was a transfer of intended meanings incorporated into theadvertisement as indicated in the decoded responses of respondents. These positive findingstend to indicate that a conscious application of sense-making theory to the construction ofadvertising messages could enhance their effectiveness.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University