22nd Annual Student Research Conference
Print and Web-Based Advertising Toward Senior Citizens
Tracy H. Mulderig
Dr. Mark Hatala, Faculty Mentor
The purpose of this study was to assess differences between online advertisements and print-based advertisements targeted to an audience of senior citizens. Because of the Internet's ability to better isolate target audiences (Rust & Varki, 1996), it was hypothesized that magazines would contain more universally appealing advertising topics such as travel and healthcare, whereas Internet advertisements would more frequently address individualized topics such as senior living facilities and dating. 294 Internet banner advertisements from senior-focused websites and 241 advertisements in AARP magazine were collected. Each advertisement was scored under 27 advertisement topic categories. Word count for each ad, usage of all capital letters, movement, pictures of individuals, and the presence of smiles were also recorded for each of the 535 advertisements. The results supported the hypothesis that topics in Internet advertisements were more narrowly targeted than those present in magazine advertisements.
Keywords: Advertisements, Seniors, Internet, AARP
Topic(s):Psychology
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 18-2
Location: VH 1010
Time: 10:00