Abstract | ABSTRACT The interest towards gender related studies in marketing emerged since late 1960s along with the critical developments regarding gender inequalities (Pilcher & Whelehan, 2004, Cova, et al., 2013). The shifting methods and approaches of analysing gender stimulated the formation of a discipline called ‘gender studieslan, 2001; Durante et al, 2011; Fan&Miao, 2012; Tiferet et at, 2012). Due to the complexity of understanding and interpreting gender roles in Marketing Communication (MC) scholars suggested and implemented interdisciplinary methods for more in –depth interpretation (Zotos & Tsichla (2014), Luyt, (2011). Knoll et al (2011)). Nonetheless, majority of scholars tend to focus on the gender stereotyping and comparative studies of male and female role portrayals in TV/print ads via quantitative content analysis (Berger (2015) Schroeder & Zwick (2004) (Kroska, 2006). This study aims to bring innovation in the field by applying multiple methods of investigation of archetypal images of “mother” in MC. This study explores the Russian consumer culture by focusing on the gender ideology and its role in the print advertisements. The doctoral project is divided into several stages that will subsequently contribute towards the knowledge by its originality. By heavily relying on Bourdieu’s sociology (Bourdieu, 1989) and Consumer Culture Theory traditions (Arnould & Thompson, 2005), the first stage of the research aims to explore and interpret the production of gender ideology in MC by the use of critical visual methods (Schroeder, 2002) and qualitative content analysis (QCA) (Schreier, 2012) and in the second stage further extends the investigation of the re- production of gender ideology from critical feminist perspective. The last stage of the study employs qualitative methods; in-depth interviews with Russian mothers, in order to understand how images used in advertisements influence the construction of identity of Russian women. The first stage of investigation concentrates on the advertisements published in three popular Russian women and baby magazines and correspondingly compares the representations of woman as mother in three most popular British magazines. The dimensions and categories of QCA emerged according to the critical visual analysis (Schroeder, 2002) that took into consideration the key historic events within this specific culture, sociological stimulus and changing patterns of everyday life, political and economic influence, including the consequences of soviet power in Russian culture. Totally 45 randomly selected issues of Russian magazines for the period of 2013-2015 have been selected and overall 160 ads with images of mother have been analysed. At this stage the research continues the comparative content analysis of images advertised in most popular mother and baby magazines in the UK. For the effectiveness and validation of the research outcomes additional inquiry is arranged with editors and advertisement agencies with the tactical purpose of understanding how the particular images of motherhood are positioned in ads and generally how the ads are designed and originated. This will largely contribute towards the theme formations for the in-depth interviews with Russian mothers. The expected outcome of the research will be concluded in the final section of the thesis where managerial implications are discussed and the outcomes of the previously mentioned stages are synthesised. |
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