Submit your papersSubmit Now
For Enquiries: [email protected]
IIARD LogoIIARD

A Thematic Analysis of Award-Winning Multinational Advertising Campaigns

Oyokunyi Otu Ita, PhD, PAM, Christiana Chundung

Abstract

This study examines the dominant thematic and persuasive strategies employed in a purposively selected sample of award-winning multinational advertising campaigns. Adopting a qualitative content analysis design, the study analysed eight advertisements drawn from the Ads of the World archive and recognised at the 2021 International Advertising Festival, spanning environmental advocacy, cultural adaptation, emotional appeal, road and personal safety, food security, and health-oriented marketing. Findings indicate that multinational advertisers rely on a recurring repertoire of persuasive devices — emotive visual metaphor, cultural allusion and wordplay, statistical shock appeals, and symbolic minimalism — to communicate socially resonant messages while calibrating tone and language to local sensibilities. Environmental sustainability, emotional appeal, humour, and cultural nuance emerged as the most prominent cross-cutting themes, while campaigns addressing sensitive subjects such as illness and road fatalities favoured understated, symbol-driven visual narratives over explicit textual messaging. The study argues that effective multinational advertising balances a globally consistent brand identity with market-specific cultural calibration, and that persuasive effectiveness depends less on message volume than on the precision of a single unifying visual or linguistic device. The paper concludes with implications for practitioners designing cross-cultural campaigns and outlines directions for future research using larger, cross-regionally balanced samples and audience-reception data.

Keywords

multinational advertising; thematic analysis; persuasive appeals; cultural adaptation; qualitative content analysis; global branding

References

Arens, W. (2013). Contemporary advertising and integrated marketing communication (13th ed.). McGraw-Hill Irwin. Arens, W. F. (2004). Contemporary advertising (9th ed.). McGraw-Hill Irwin. Arens, W. F., Weigold, M. F., & Arens, C. (2011). Contemporary advertising and integrated marketing communication (13th ed.). McGraw-Hill Irwin. Assael, H. (2010). Consumer behaviour and marketing action (3rd ed.). Kent Publishing Company. Ayanwale, A. B., Alimi, T., & Ayanbimipe, M. A. (2011). The influence of advertising on consumer brand preference. Journal of Social Science, 10(1), 9–16. Baker, M. (2008). The strategic marketing plan audit. Strategy Publications. Balmer, J. T., & Grayser, S. A. (2006). Corporate marketing: Integrating corporate identity and corporate branding. European Journal of Marketing, 40, 730–741. Belch, G., & Belch, M. (2015). Advertising and promotion: An integrated marketing communications perspective (10th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Berkman, H. W., & Gilson, C. (1987). Advertising: Concepts and strategies. Random House. Bovee, C. L., & Arens, W. F. (1994). Contemporary advertising (5th ed.). Irwin. Bradley, S., & Meeds, R. (2002). Surface structure transformations and advertising slogans. Psychology & Marketing, 19, 590–595. Burnett, J. (2008). Core concepts of marketing. Jacobs Foundation. Chaiken, S., & Trope, Y. (Eds.). (1999). Dual-process theories in social psychology. Guilford Press. Chebat, D. C., Gelinas-Chebat, C., Homborhger, S., & Woodside, A. G. (2003). Testing consumers' motivation and linguistic ability as moderators of advertising readability. Psychology & Marketing, 20(7), 599–624. Chibok, B. M., Msheliza, S. K., & Ndubuisi, W. C. (2013). Analysis of consumer perception and usage of mobile telecommunication brands in the Maiduguri township in Nigeria. Journal of Business and Management, 12(4), 44–48. Chunawalla, S. A., & Sethia, K. C. (2006). Foundation of advertising theory and practice (6th ed.). Himalaya Publishing House. Cone, S. (2008). Powerlines: Words that sell brands, grip fans, and sometimes change history. Bloomberg Press. Corder, C. (1986). A multimedia advertising effectiveness measurement method. Journal of Managerial and Decision Economics, 14, 281–284. Cox, D., & Cox, A. D. (2002). Beyond first impressions: The effects of repeated exposure on consumer liking of visually complex and simple product designs. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 30, 119–130. Dahlén, M., & Rosengren, S. (2005). Brands affect slogans affect brands? Competitive interference, brand equity and the brand-slogan link. Journal of Brand Management, 12(3), 151–164. Dimofte, C., & Yalch, R. (2007). Consumer response to polysemous brand slogans. Journal of Consumer Research, 33(4), 515–522. Keller, K. L. (2008). Strategic brand management: Building, measuring and managing brand equity (3rd ed.). Prentice Hall. Kohli, C., Leuthesser, L., & Suri, R. (2007). Got slogan? Guidelines for creating effective slogans. Business Horizons, 50, 415–422. Kohli, C., Thomas, S., & Suri, R. (2013). Are you in good hands? Slogan recall: What really matters. Journal of Advertising Research, 53, 31–42. Kotler, P. (2017). Marketing management (15th ed.). Pearson. Krishnan, H. S., & Chakravarti, D. (2003). A process analysis of the effects of humorous advertising execution on brand claims memory. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13(2), 230–245. Kumar, A. (2000). Interference effects of contextual cues in advertisements on memory for ad content. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 9(3), 155–166. Ladipo, P. K. A., & Nwagwu, K. O. (2014). An empirical determination of Lagos mainland customers' perception of the advertising slogan “New or New Improved” as used by low- risk brand marketers. British Journal of Economics, Management & Trade, 4(1), 129–145. Ladipo, P. K. A., Olufayo, T. O., & Bakare, R. D. (2012). Learning construct: Its implication for marketing and buyers' perception of product stimulus. American Journal of Business and Management, 1(3), 119–123. Marsh, C., Guth, D. W., & Short, B. P. (2005). Strategic writing: Multimedia writing for public relations, advertising, sales and marketing, and business communication. Pearson. Mathur, L., & Mathur, K. (1995). The effect of advertising slogan changes on the market value of firms. Journal of Advertising Research, 35, 59–65. McNeal, J. U. (2007). On becoming a consumer: The development of consumer behavior patterns in childhood. Elsevier. McQuarrie, E., & Mick, D. G. (1999). Visual rhetoric in advertising text: Interpretive, experimental and reader-response analyses. Journal of Consumer Research, 26, 37–54. Mitchell, V. W., Macklin, J., & Paxman, J. (2007). Social uses of advertising. International Journal of Advertising, 26(2), 199–222. Molian, D. (1993). I am a doughnut: Lessons for the sloganeer. European Business Journal, 5(2), 40–47. Peter, E. (2014). Advertising slogan recall and consumers' patronage. New Media and Mass Communication, 22, 1–10. Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2011). Central and peripheral routes to persuasion. In L. Percy & A. G. Woodside (Eds.), Advertising and consumer psychology (pp. 3–23). Lexington Books. Petty, R. E., & Schuman, D. (1983). Central and peripheral routes to advertising effectiveness: The moderating role of involvement. Journal of Consumer Research, 10, 135–146. Phan, M. T., & Johar, G. V. (1997). Contingent processes of source identification. Journal of Consumer Research, 24, 249–265. Phillips, B. J. (1986). Advertising and society: An introduction. NTC Business Books. Pick, D. F., Sweeney, J., & Clay, J. A. (1991). Creative advertising and the Von Restorff effect. Psychological Reports, 69, 923–926. Pieters, R., Warlop, L., & Wedel, M. (2002). Breaking through the clutter: Benefits of advertisement originality and familiarity for brand attention and memory. Management Science, 48, 765–781. Pride, W. M., & Ferrell, O. C. (2000). Marketing: Concepts and strategies. Houghton Mifflin. Pryor, K., & Brodie, R. (1998). How advertising slogans can prime evaluations of brand extensions: Further empirical results. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 7(6), 497– 508. Reece, B. B., Vanden Bergh, B. C., & Li, H. (1994). What makes a slogan memorable and who remembers it. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 16(2), 41–57. Reeves, R. (1982). Reality in advertising. Alfred A. Knopf. Robinson, W. A. (1997). Best sales promotions (6th ed.). Business Books. Rosengren, S., & Dahlén, M. (2006). Brand–slogan matching in a cluttered environment. Journal of Marketing Communications, 12(4), 263–279. Sekuler, R., & Blake, R. (2002). Perception (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Shittu, A. R. A. (2013). Perception of social media advertising among Ahmadu Bello University students. The Nigerian Journal of Communication, 11(1). Shimp, T. A. (2007). Advertising, promotion, and other aspects of integrated marketing communication. Harcourt College Publishers. Sidelinger, R. A., & McCroskey, J. R. (1997). Communication correlates of teacher clarity in the college classroom. Communication Research Reports, 14, 1–10. Smith, R. E., MacKenzie, S. B., Yang, X., Buchholz, L., & Darley, W. K. (2007). Modeling the determinants and effects of creativity in advertising. Marketing Science, 26, 819–833. Thorson, E., & Leavitt, C. (1992). Impact of a competing ad on prior ad's brand name recall. In L. F. Feick & M. Hunt (Eds.), Marketing theory and applications (Vol. 3). American Marketing Association.

More Articles from INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION STUDIES

Clickbait Strategies and Influence on Consumer Trust and Behavior

Author: Alaba Tobin-West Diamond, Stella. C. Enyindah PhD, Oyinkepreye Brisibe PhD

Digital Public Relations and Corporate Reputation Management Strategies of Oando, Seplat and Renaissance Africa Energy Companies in Nigeria

Author: Dickson, Lauren Dawari, Prof. Godwin B. Okon, Prof. Richard N. Amadi, Dr. Itieke-Idamieba Harry

Evaluating the Influence of Strategic Health Communication Campaign on Vaccine Hesitancy in Rural Rivers State Communities

Author: Gabriel, Obokuru, Prof. Nsereka, Barigbon Gbara, Dike, Harcourt Whyte PhD, Nwankpa Nduka N. PhD

Integrated Marketing Communications and Subscriber Growth in A Sub-Saharan Telecom Sub-Brand

Author: Rita Korkor Agyei1, Ogochukwu T. Izuchukwu2, Dominic Feboh3, Abiola Idowu4