Truth, Half-Truth or Little White Lie? Exploring Public Sentiment toward Advertising through Cartoon Analysis

Abstract

Over the year’s scholars have conducted several studies to examine consumer attitudes toward advertising. While countless studies concern consumer reactions to the advertisements of specific products and brands, only a small number focus on the public’s attitudes toward advertising as institution. There seems to be little research designed with the purpose of exploring and understanding rather than attempting to measure and predict these attitudes. This Paper examines public sentiment toward advertising through cartoon analysis. Specifically, we attempt to answer the following research questions: Which advertising aspects are highlighted in cartoons? What is the sentiment? Are cartoons sensitive enough to measure public sentiment toward advertising? Finally, do the findings provide insights for management? Caricature theory contends that editorial cartoons serve as time-specific reflections of public sentiment toward issues. One approach to guide the process of cartoon analysis is the framework developed by Greenberg (Can Rev Sociol Anthropol 39(2):181–198, 2002). We collected data from a number of online cartoon repositories and our final sample consists of 236 cartoons, from the pens of 68 cartoonists. The findings confirm the public’s general distrust of advertising and the need for a balance in truth and exaggeration, and the need for a closer working relationship between advertising agency and client.