This study aims to analyze emotional appeals in brand advertisements themed in COVID-19 during the immediate months after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic. The study focused on the frequencies of use of positive and negative emotional appeals in ad contents, and on the concurrent combinations of those appeals. Researchers conducted a content analysis among ads included in an online archive, selected by industry professionals for their creative quality. The results reveal a preference for positive emotions, as nurturance and affiliation show the highest frequency of use. These appeals, along with sorrow, nostalgia, and excitement, were preferred to be used concurrently. Research findings are consistent with the literature and lead to future examination of emotional appeals in advertising under stressful and uncertain circumstances.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect on brand name recall in advertisements with varying levels of female sexual objectification content among young millennials and the effect of distraction on this recall effort. The question arises whether this group evokes those brands that appear in advertisements using different levels of objectification content. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a correlational design that includes two studies with different groups of subjects: an assessment of perceived female sexual objectification levels in a set of ads and a quasi-experimental study that used the assessed perceived levels of female objectification and brand name short-term recall scores of those ads, with and without the intervention of an attention distractor. Findings Results suggest that female sexual objectification content exerts a limited influence on brand name recall between participants. In addition, it is not men who remember brand names from ads using sexual objectified images, but young women. Research limitations/implications The study had an exploratory scope and used a small non-probabilistic sample. Subjects belong to a cultural context of Western world developing economy, and thus perceived female objectification may vary between different cultural settings. Results refer to graphic advertisements, though this cohort is exposed to other audiovisual content platforms. Originality/value Several studies have addressed female objectification in advertising and media, but few focused on young Latin American audiences and its impact on the recollection of advertised brands. Brand name retention and awareness is still a relevant variable that the advertising industry takes in account as one of several predictors toward buying decisions. Even less research has been made on Latin American social and cultural contexts.

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This study examines the prevalence of emotional appeals in COVID-19-themed brand advertisements from around the world in the months immediately following the World Health Organization’s declaration of the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic. The study analyses the frequencies of use of positive and negative emotional appeals in the content of the ads, and concurrent combinations of such appeals. A content analysis was conducted on a sample of 376 ads from the “Ads of The World” digital archive. The results reveal a preference for positive emotions, with nurturance and affiliation being the most frequent. Sorrow was the third most preferred emotional appeal, and the most used negative emotion. Some brands have compared the virus to a hurricane (Brazil), an assassin with a chainsaw (US) or the death personified (Peru). Advertisers should be careful when using negative emotional appeal content during COVID-19. According to the law of apparent reality, during times of stress the recommendation is to be cautious with negative emotions, as they may be felt more intensely by consumers. Advertising has a social responsibility, which can be directed at promoting consumer behaviours that leave a positive or negative impact on their communities. In a situation such as the pandemic, brand communication professionals must use emotions rigorously, employing this resource to contribute to society, avoiding giving rise to harmful attitudes or behaviours. The research findings are consistent with the literature and lead to future examination of emotional appeals in advertising in stressful and uncertain circumstances.

Investigaciones señalan que el consumo se correlaciona con la experiencia de bienestar subjetivo. No obstante, es poca la literatura que trata sobre este fenómeno entre jóvenes. Este estudio exploratorio tiene por objeto conocer el modo en que estudiantes universitarios perciben que el consumo y las marcas intervienen sobre el bienestar subjetivo, e identificar los elementos que consideran en sus conductas de consumo destinadas a obtener bienestar. Se uso una metodología cualitativa de diseño fenomenológico, con estudiantes universitarios de la ciudad de Lima. El análisis siguió un proceso de codificación descriptiva. La experiencia de consumo y bienestar manifiesta ser un fenómeno relativo a cada persona, en particular su sentido de necesidad y marco valorativo de lo material, factores que parecen ser modulados por el entorno familiar. Los jóvenes encuentran en los actos de compra y las marcas un conducto para atender sus necesidades sociales, específicamente la pertenencia y aceptación en grupos.