This qualitative study investigates the use of acculturation-themed images in nonprofit strategic communications and digital advocacy efforts of 13 organizations serving Hispanic and Latinx immigrant communities in two U.S. states. The study analyzes data from 14 in-depth interviews with the public relations and marketing communication professionals responsible for the website content and digital strategy for the organizations. Based on study findings, the authors argue that these nonprofits are using their websites in soft advocacy efforts to promote positive prototypes of the populations they serve to majority audiences and leverage the flexibility of social media for most of their digital advocacy efforts. This analysis applies acculturation theory to a study of digital social advocacy and extends the literature on nonprofit public relations and public interest communications.
Observers have long recognized the unfortunate gap between the interests and priorities of those who study advertising versus those who practice it. This long-standing separation, commonly referred to as the academician–practitioner gap, is deemed to be detrimental to both groups, and is considered significantly larger within the ranks of advertising as compared to other fields. Building on the work of Nyilasy and Reid (2009), the current study utilizes a two-step textual and content analysis of the proceedings from advertising's two flagship conferences—the American Academy of Advertising (3As) and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As)—from 2010 to 2015 to identify potential changes in dissemination, as well as differences in knowledge content and form between the two groups. Results indicate there continues to be a sizable gap between academicians and practitioners in terms of topics of interest, the method and frequency of knowledge dissemination, as well as in the format and authorship of content. Recommendations on how to improve the flow of communication between academicians and practitioners, thus making knowledge creation more interdependent and reciprocal, are also suggested.
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