AN INVESTIGATION ON WOMEN’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS ADVERTISEMENTS DEPICTING PHYSICAL PERFECTION IN WOMEN’S MAGAZINES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN BABY BOOMBERS AND GENERATION X IN IPOH CITY, PERAK

By

LEONG HOI NGAH

ABSTRACT

This research had been conducted to investigate the women’s attitude towards advertisements depicting physical perfection in women’s magazines (Baby Boombers Vs. Generation X). This research based on grounded theories of consumers’ Tricomponent View of Attitudes and Attitudes-Towards-The-Ad-Model with reference to consumers’ cognitive, affective and conative component of attitudes. The objectives of this study is to understand the impact of advertisements on women’s attitudes towards a particular brands or product, to identify the effect of advertisements depicting physical perfection on the Baby Boomber and the Generation X’s perception towards their own physical attractiveness and to investigate the differences in attitudes and beliefs between the Baby Boomber and the Generation X’s towards advertisements depicting physical perfection. The methodology adopted in this research is the distribution of questionnaires to both the Baby Boombers and Generation X, in-depth interview with an industry expert and focus group interview with the Baby Boombers and GererationX. Data gathered was analyzed using statistical package for social science which is known as SPSS.; as well as Microsoft Excel 2000. The results disclosed that Generation X hold positive beliefs and perception towards advertisements depicting physical perfection where as Baby Boombers tend to be more skeptical and critical of such advertisements. This also explains why Baby Boomebers also appear to have a lower tendency of comparing themselves to the models they see in advertisements. On the other hand, Generation X tends to benchmark their physical attractiveness towards the models they see in advertisements and are always finding ways to improve physically. In addition, Baby Boombers and Generation X’s conative component proved to be totally revesed practically in their buying behaviour whereby Generation X are more likely to purchase products as an influence of advertisements in women’s magazines. The results also show that the sequence of the Tricomponent View odf Attitudes and the Attitude-Toward-The-Ad Model is questionable. This is because respondents do not necessarily have to go through the cognition stage before arriving at the affective stage as stated theoretically. Helpful insights and recommendations such as specific targeting and methods of executing the right appeal of advertisements to the right target market were made to the magazine industry, advertisement industry and the burgeoning business of fashion industry.

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Bachelor of Arts (Hons) In Marketing

August 2001

Number 10