Journal of Advertising Research Assesses 50 Years of Advertising Research With Special Anniversary Issue

NEW YORK, March 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A comprehensive assessment of 50 years of advertising research is the subject of a highly anticipated special issue of the Journal of Advertising Research, sponsored by Millward Brown, to be published March 20, 2011, with selected articles available to free download at www.warc.com/jar50sample. Tracing the maturation of advertising as an increasingly sophisticated discipline, this 50th Anniversary edition includes articles by leading scholars and practitioners who survey the seminal thinking that has contributed to the evolution of the marketing profession.

The Journal's 50th Anniversary coincides with the 75th Anniversary of its parent organization and publisher, the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF).  The ARF is celebrating the two milestones with a comprehensive array of events, speakers, publications, research and insights – all designed to help marketers make smarter decisions about how to deploy their resources and connect with consumers more effectively in the future.

For the special issue of the Journal, its editors invited 40 internationally renowned scholars and industry leaders to author articles identifying the major insights gleaned from thousands of advertising research studies across the entire marketing landscape. The resulting editorial content covers 14 key areas of focus. These range from research on specific media platforms, like print, television, the Internet and mobile; to research on broader marketing issues, like globalization, cross-media synergy and user-generated content; to articles that assess the primary research methodologies – qualitative and quantitative – as well as the more recent area of online research.

"Our fiftieth anniversary issue provides a one-stop assessment of what we know and need to know across key areas of the marketing and advertising business," said Geoffrey Precourt, Editor-in-Chief, the Journal of Advertising Research. "It reflects the best thinking and research, authored by experts who sourced studies from wherever they believed the most important insights and knowledge were to be found."

Anchoring each contributed article is an excerpt from a seminal paper, which the author felt definitively advanced knowledge about the advertising discipline. In addition, accompanying many papers are commentaries from seasoned marketing professionals, who provide practical observations about the impact of research on real-world marketing challenges.

"In celebrating the Journal's heritage of quality advertising research, we are also underscoring the never-ending need to create new knowledge that empowers today's marketers to design and execute programs that truly impact their organizations," said Todd Powers, Chief Research Officer, the Advertising Research Foundation. "We are committed to leading our industry forward through research of the highest caliber that addresses the most pressing issues facing marketing leaders today."

In reviewing 50 years of advertising research, articles in the Journal's special issue point out important trends, for example how print advertising has become more visually focused over time, with documented emotional effects beyond the rational / cognitive ones. A surprising insight about TV advertising recall, according to the Journal author who surveyed the field, is that it has little connection to sales effect.

Other articles cover the emergence of the global consumer; research findings across 15 years of interactive advertising; and early insights from mobile advertising research, most of which, to date, has been conducted in Asia and Europe.

"The spirit of celebrating our past achievements while also looking towards the future informs this very special edition of the Journal of Advertising Research, which we are pleased to be part of," said Mary Ann Packo, CEO, Millward Brown North America. "Not only does it feature some of the important research thinking from the past 50 years, it also gives us food for thought as we contemplate where the next 50 years might take us."

A distinguished group of market research experts will discuss the implications of the Journal's 50-year review of advertising research at a panel discussion at the ARF's Annual Convention, Re:think 2011. This session, 50 Years of Advertising Research: What Have We Learned?, will feature Eileen Campbell, Global CEO, Millward Brown; Gian M. Fulgoni, Executive Chairman & Co-Founder, comScore, Inc.; and Scott McDonald,  SVP, Market Research, Conde Nast Publications Inc. and will take place March 23, 2011.

About the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF)::

Founded in 1936 by the Association of National Advertisers and the American Association of Advertising Agencies, the ARF is dedicated to aggregating, creating and distributing research-based knowledge that will help members make better advertising decisions. ARF members include more than 400 advertisers, advertising agencies, associations, research firms, and media companies. The ARF is the only organization that brings all members of the industry to the same table for strategic collaboration. In 2011, the ARF will celebrate its 75th Anniversary as the industry's authoritative source of advertising knowledge. The ARF is located at 432 Park Ave. South, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10016 and on the Web at www.thearf.org.

SOURCE Advertising Research Foundation (ARF)