A Tale of Two Cities: Distinctiveness Theory and Advertising Effectiveness - Article Example

Today, advertisements need to address the concerns of specific ethnic groups or minorities as society is rapidly becoming multiethnic (Deshpande and Stayman). The race and ethnicity of the characters used in advertisements play a decisive role in attracting multiethnic audiences. Distinctiveness theory guides how to best use the ethnic spokespersons in the ads. The hypothesis of the distinctiveness theory is that the lower the proportion of ethnic minorities in the society, the greater the effectiveness of ethnic stimuli in the ad becomes.

An empirical study was conducted to investigate McGuire’s distinctiveness theory proposed in the context of the advertisement. Following the hypothesis of the distinctiveness theory, the minority group’s participants were found to be more likely to have salient ethnicity than the majority group’s participants. Upon application of the distinctiveness theory to persuasion, the minority group’s participants were found to develop confidence in the brand if the spokesperson belonged to their ethnic group.

 This research generates useful information regarding how to influence the consumers of ethnic minorities in society. These consumers look for the representation of their ethnic minorities in organizations, the workforce, and at all kinds of levels. Likewise, the best way to make an ad appealing to the ethnic minorities is to keep the spokesperson of the ad who shares the same ethnicity as the ethnic minorities the ad is intended for. 

Deshpande, Rohit, and Stayman, Douglas M. “A Tale of Two Cities: Distinctiveness Theory and

Advertising Effectiveness.” Journal of Marketing Research. Vol. XXXI. (Feb. 1994): 57-64.