Korea out of the closet: effects of gay-themed ads on young Korean consumers

ABSTRACT

This study examines the effects of gay-themed ads on young Korean consumers. In its evaluation of such ads, the study investigates how attitude toward ads, attitude toward brands, and purchase intention are influenced by gender (male vs. female), tolerance of homosexuality (low vs. high tolerance), and self-construal (independent vs. interdependent self-construal). Findings suggest that a gay-themed ad does not impact how young Korean heterosexual consumers evaluate the ad, the brand, or their purchase intention. Regarding brand evaluation and purchase intention, no statistically significant differences were found between males and females. Concerning a person's tolerance, those with high tolerance tend to evaluate the ads and brands more favorably and have higher purchase intentions than do those with low tolerance. Concerning a person's self-construal – independent versus interdependent – the study found no main effects but did discover interaction effects between gender and self-construal and between tolerance and self-construal. Theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Gay-themed ad
• homosexuality
• tolerance of homosexuality
• gender
• self-construal

Notes on Contributors

Nam-Hyun Um (Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin) is an assistant professor in the school of Advertising & Public Relations at Hongik University, Korea. His research interests include political advertising, celebrity endorsement, social commerce, gay and lesbian consumers, and current issues in advertising industry. His work has been published in conference proceedings, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Advertising, International Journal of Advertising, Journal of Marketing Communications, Journal of Promotion Management, and Journal of Global Marketing, among others. He worked at Cheil Communication (now Cheil Worldwide) as an account executive for six years. His major accounts were Samsung Electronics, Samsung Reformation Headquarters, KTF, etc.

Jong Min Kim (D.D., Seoul National University) is an assistant professor at Hongik University and a designer living in Seoul, Korea. He studied various fields of art area such as industrial design, advertising, motion graphic, interactive art in Seoul, Tokyo, and New York. His works nominated in various design awards include Typography Annual of Communication Arts, US, New York Festivals, Golden Award Montreux, Cannes Lions, etc. His research and work has been published in Journal of Korean Society of Design Science, Journal of Korean Society of Basic Design & Art, etc. He worked at Cheil Worldwide as an art director for 10 years. His major clients were Samsung Electronics, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Sunkist, C.J., Target US, Coca-Cola US, Nike Women US, Nike Golf US, NAVER Korea, etc.

Sojung Kim (Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin) is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include crisis communication, corporate credibility, corporate social responsibility, consumer behavior in new media, and global marketing. Her work has appeared in such journals as Journal of Marketing Communications, Journal of Internet Commerce, Journal of International Internet Marketing and Advertising, and Journal of Promotion Management, among others.