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Russell N Laczniak
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Journal of Advertising
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To cite this article: Russell N. Laczniak (2015): The Journal of Advertising and the Development of Advertising Theory:
Reflections and Directions for Future Research, Journal of Advertising, DOI: 10.1080/00913367.2015.1060909
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Journal of Advertising, 0(0), 1–5
Copyright Ó 2015, American Academy of Advertising
ISSN: 0091-3367 print / 1557-7805 online
DOI: 10.1080/00913367.2015.1060909
Invited Article Series: Learning from the Past, Looking for the Future
Russell N. Laczniak
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
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1
2 R. N. LACZNIAK
that it focused on the intellectual development of the advertis- pursuit of theory development is neither easy nor is it accom-
ing discipline. In other words, I tried to emphasize that JA cen- plished in a simple, single way. As noted, I hope to interject
tered on the development and extension of advertising theory. some thoughts I have on the matter, since (as I hope you will
I suppose that the latter comment was motivated, to a large see later in this essay) some recent scholars in aligned disci-
extent, by my effort to differentiate the JA brand from that of plines question the contribution of theory—at least theory as
the Journal of Advertising Research (JAR). In my mind, JAR we have described it in the advertising context.
focused more on practical research questions and less on the-
ory. (Table 1 provides a comparison of the missions of JAR JA HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: LACZNIAK’S VIEWS
and JA). At the time, I felt that development of theory should OF THE IMPORTANCE OF ADVERTISING THEORY
be at the heart of academic pursuits and that theoretical devel- In my first full-fledged “From the Editor” column, I
opments need to be used to guide the “science” of advertising. attempted to provide some guidelines to potential contributors
In fact, I still believe this to be true. to JA. Among my recommendations was the following
Given this backdrop, it should come as no surprise that I (Laczniak 2003, p. 5):
decided to use this essay to discuss theory development in
advertising. In this piece I wish to (1) describe theory (more An acceptable manuscript should make a substantive contribution
specifically, advertising theory), (2) briefly summarize an to the advertising theory. Therefore, I am looking for papers that
ongoing debate regarding theory development in aligned disci- shed light on theory. Of course I do believe that theory-based
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TABLE 1
Mission Statements of the Journal of Advertising Research and Journal of Advertising
Journal Name Abbreviation Mission Statement
Journal of Advertising JAR JAR encourages dialogue between practitioners and academics to expand the
Research scientific body of knowledge about all facets of marketing and advertising
research and to facilitate translation of that knowledge to support the ARF’s
[Advertising Research Foundation’s] mission of “effective business through
research and insights.”
Journal of Advertising JA JA is the premier academic publication covering significant intellectual
development pertaining to advertising theories and their relationship with
practice. The goal of the journal is to provide a public forum that reflects the
current understanding of advertising as a process of communication, its role
in the changing environment, and the relationships between these and other
components of the advertising business and practice.
INVITED ARTICLE SERIES 3
note that advertising theory should provide an understanding for a contextualized type of entity (e.g., exposure to ads will
of how advertising, via its many elements and attributes, ulti- lead receivers to view brands more favorably when the
mately affects people. Based on this thinking, I believe that receivers exposed to the ad are in good moods but not bad
advertising theory should define how and when structural ele- moods). The terms strong and weak are not used by accident;
ments of ads (e.g., message sources, ad devices) influence they are thought to indicate the usefulness of the theory in the
receivers, knowing that all receivers are not the same and thus real world (stronger theories apply to more situations). This is
may not respond in a single, similar manner. Such a notion is a seemingly important point in that it suggests researchers
consistent with Preston’s (2012) view that what is articulated should endeavor to build strong (or at least stronger than previ-
in an ad is not necessarily what is “understood” by the ad’s ously developed) theories.
audience. According to Preston, it is this very point which However, being an advertising scholar (and I hope that I
often creates some amount of discord between academic can include myself in that category), I believe that
research in advertising and advertising practitioners because, “weaker” theories are perhaps at the heart of what we actu-
in Preston’s view, professional copywriters view their writing ally should try to develop. Indeed, Thorson and Rodgers
skills as strong enough to communicate effectively and with- (2012) and Preston (2012) argue that ads intend to influence
out much chance of misinterpretation by receivers. behaviors but note that all ads will not be equally success-
Having said this, I also recognize that, by its very nature, ful in doing so for all consumers. One of the examples that
advertising is an applied discipline. Nan and Faber (2004) use Thorson and Rodgers (2012) draw on is the notion that ads
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the term variable field, which more formally suggests the affect low-involvement versus high-involvement (involve-
advertising discipline is applied and practical and as a result is ment relating to the personal relevance of the ad to the
constantly evolving as its environment changes. As the con- receiver) consumers differently. In other words, the effects
texts of advertising are constantly evolving (e.g., the media cli- of advertising depend on the receivers’ involvement levels.
mate is constantly changing; it is clearly becoming more In my opinion, this generalization appears to be largely
digital; Sundar, Xu, and Dou 2012), research in the area tends contextual (i.e., ad effects are dependent, to a large extent,
to borrow ideas from more basic disciplines of economics, on the context of receiver involvement). To provide further
psychology, and sociology to form its own theoretical frame- support that contextual theories dominate our domain, I
work. Indeed, Nan and Faber note that variable fields often note that my own contribution with Les Carlson to the
borrow theoretical notions from “mother” disciplines and use Rodgers and Thorson book attempted to uncover empirical
these ideas to formalize thinking which, in turn, is used to generalizations from prior work that dealt with the effects
guide research. As a result, theories in applied disciplines need of advertising on children (Laczniak and Carlson 2012). Of
to balance relevance with rigor out of necessity (a point clearly the eight empirical generalizations (EGs) we discussed in
emphasized by Preston 2012). Theories must be well thought our chapter, only one could be considered to be context
out but also deal with issues of relevance to the real world. I free (EG1: Children are influenced by advertising), while
believe such a notion at least partially motivated Rodgers and the other seven are contextualized (e.g., EG2: Children’s
Thorson (2012) to develop their book. understanding of advertising’s persuasive intent increases
with age). In my mind, EG2 is more useful than EG1 in
that it can help advertising practitioners and public policy-
BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE THEORY DEVELOPMENT makers develop an understanding that not all children will
IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY respond to a particular ad in the same way. Children’s
It is important to note that theorists in some aligned disci- responses to ads will depend on, at least to a certain extent,
plines (e.g., management and information systems) recently their ages.
have begun to question the nature and usefulness of theory Figure 1 is a pictorial representation of my views of the
development. One specific issue centers on a notion that sug- potential usefulness of weaker and stronger theories in differ-
gests theories can be dichotomized into a strong-versus weak- ing types of disciplines. For applied disciplines, this depiction
theory dyad with the differentiating factor centering on con- suggests that contextualization in theory development is
textualization (see Hong et al. 2014; Porter, Bareiss, and Holte important because it avails researchers opportunities to
1990; Whetten, Felin, and King 2009). Specifically, strong account for the subtle nuances that often arise, making the
(or universal) theories are thought to describe research gener- direct application of universal theories to specific phenomenon
alizations that are context free. Extending this notion to our difficult (or impossible). Indeed, as theories become contextu-
discipline, strong theories would contain advertising general- alized, researchers can better explain the occurrences of area-
izations that could be made for all receivers, across all media, specific phenomenon (such as how a low-versus a high-
for all messages (e.g., exposure to ads will lead receivers to involvement receiver might respond to a humorous ad). Thus,
view brands in a more favorable manner). On the other hand, in my mind, putting context in (or weakening) theory provides
weak theories are more contextualized—that is, they suggest a scholars with greater clarity regarding the phenomenon of
generalization should be observed only in a specific context or study (i.e., advertising) because it allows the study of nuances.
4 R. N. LACZNIAK
conclusions may be viewed as “weakening” theory, they Meaningful,” in Advertising Theory, S. Rodgers and E. Thorson, eds., New
most likely will provide a context to theoretical expectations York: Routledge, 18–33.
that will be more meaningful to both scholars and Hambrick, Donald C. (2007), “The Field of Management’s Devotion to The-
ory: Too Much of a Good Thing?,” Academy of Management Journal, 50
practitioners. (6), 1346–1352.
Hong, Weiyin, Frank K. Y. Chan, James Y. L. Thong, Lewis C. Chaslow, and
Gurpreet Dhillon (2014), “A Framework and Guidelines for Context-Spe-
CONCLUDING COMMENT cific Theorizing in Information Systems Research,” Information Systems
Research, 25 (1), 111–136.
As I reflected on my time as editor of JA, I must admit I got
Ko, Hanjun, Chang-Hoan Cho, and Marilyn S. Roberts (2005), “Internet Uses
a bit nostalgic. However, I quickly recalled my zeal for talking and Gratifications: A Structural Equation Model of Interactive
about theory development in advertising. My thoughts con- Advertising,” Journal of Advertising, 34 (2), 57–70.
tinue to be that scholarly work in advertising should be guided Laczniak, Russell N. (2003), “From the Editor,” Journal of Advertising, 32 (2), 5.
by theory. I am hopeful that, via this essay, current and future Laczniak, Russell N., and Les Carlson (2012), “A Theory of Advertising to
Children,” in Advertising Theory, S. Rodgers and E. Thorson, eds., New
scholars in advertising will be able to add to their understand-
York: Routledge, 135–148.
ing of their roles in developing advertising theory. Moreover, I Nan, Xiaoli, and Ronald Faber (2004), “Advertising Theory: Reconceptualiz-
hope I have also made a case that “weaker” (contextualized) ing the Building Blocks,” Marketing Theory, 4, 7–30.
theory can be very useful in this realm and that the resulting Pasadeos, Yorgo, Joseph Phelps, and Aimee Edison (2008), “Searching for
work can be both rigorous and practical at the same time. Our ‘Own Theory’ in Advertising: An Update of Research Networks,”
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