This handbook contains a collections of nine articles on the subject of direct-response advertising. The handbook gives advice on how to create effective advertisements for home study courses. The nine articles are the following: "Overview of Home Study Advertising in the 1990s" (Michael P. Lambert); "Ad Features that Sell"…

A study explored the differences in consumer perceptions of product attributes for national brand and generic grocery products as they related to the frequency of generic purchases. It was hypothesized that consumers perceive national brands more favorably than they do generics, but that the more frequently they purchase generics, the more…

Finds willingness to buy is affected both by the content of the advertisement and the buyer's predisposition to buy the advertised brand. (RB)

Describes a journalism methods course in advertising in which college students observed and analyzed videotaped commercials produced by sixth graders. (RB)

Attesting to the continuing economic strength and institutional vitality of the newspaper business in 1987, this booklet presents a statistical summary of the industry in the United States and Canada. The statistics cover a wide range of topics, including (1) number of daily newspapers; (2) daily newspaper circulation; (3) single copy sales price;…

A study examined whether the suburban press is better off if competing metropolitan daily newspapers are allowed to merge operations in a joint operating agreement (JOA) as provided by the Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970, or if the weaker of the two dailies is allowed to close down, throwing the suburban paper into competition with a monopoly…

A review of the literature reveals that publishers have suggested that magazines would cost twice as much and newspapers five times as much if they were not supported by advertising revenues. However, recent research indicates that this is not true. Although statistics regarding magazine publication are easier to obtain than those regarding…

The issue of whether to "standardize" or "specialize" in international advertising campaigns is important because it may help determine whether each audience should be addressed separately or whether advertising agencies should attempt to address the collective global consumer. Print and television advertisements for American…

Cooperative education is an educational method that offers many opportunities and benefits to students, employers, and higher educational institutions. Higher education has traditionally resisted marketing in any form. This has largely been the result of the traditional, narrow promotional concept of marketing. In contrast to this view, marketing…

The ethical dilemma presented by the ratings sweeps is a fundamental operating principle of advertiser-financed television broadcasting: broadcasters generate operating revenue and profit by exchanging audiences for money with advertisers. In order to create or attract audiences to be sold, the broadcaster formulates or acquires and then…

Mobil Oil's program of "advertorials," or company stances on controversial issues appearing in principal print media, has had several significant results since its inception in 1970. The professed reasons for this campaign were to give the company itself more visibility and to stir up discussion on issues affecting the public. The…

Society has stereotyped the elderly as those who are unable, dependent, institutionalized, and handicapped in various other ways. Stereotyping older people in this manner allows them to be cast aside in the market as well. The marketing community should concentrate more on this thriving aggregate, for they have disposable income--some for the…

This document summarizes the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco and Health Education Act of 1985 bill. A summary of the impact of the bill is included which notes the following: (1) programs to inform the public of the dangers of smokeless tobacco are to be established; (2) smokeless tobacco products will carry one of three warning statements; and…

Self-regulation, as defined by the National Advertising Division/National Advertising Review Board (NAD/NARB), is a process whereby the advertising industry regulates itself and turns to the federal government only if the system fails. The NAD/NARB system involves a two-step process: complaints are initially handled by the NAD and then are either…

The question of why advertisements for contraceptives are not shown on television in the United States is explored in this paper. The statement is made that although television is permeated with sex, network broadcasters steadfastly ban contraceptive advertising from the airways on the grounds that they do not want to alienate or offend viewers.…