An analysis of media violence in commercials aired during the telecasts of sports events

Abstract

The violence contained in television commercials has received less attention than other areas of media violence research. This study analyzed violent content in the Super Bowl commercials that aired between 2001 and 2009. Twenty-two percent of the Super Bowl commercials appearing from 2001 to 2009 contained some type of violence. A number of quantifications related to types of violence, targets and perpetrators of violent acts, and reasons for violence, among others, are reported. Subsequently, the relationships between the contextual factors of the violence and commercial likeability were examined.

Keywords:

• sports events
• advertising violence
• media violence

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Research Fund of 2014.

Notes

^1. Current address: Communication Studies, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indiana University East Richmond, IN, USA.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yunjae Cheong

Yunjae Cheong (Ph.D., the University of Texas at Austin) is an Associate Professor in the School of Media Communication at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. She was previously an Assistant Professor in Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Alabama. Her research interests focus on advertising media planning with an emphasis on the media exposure model, and evaluating advertising media spending efficiency. Her work has appeared in journals such as the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, and the International Journal of Advertising, among others.

Justin Combs

Justin Combs (MS, the University of Louisville) is a doctoral candidate of Communication and Information Sciences at the University of Alabama. He holds an MS from the Department of Communication at the University of Louisville and a BS in Advertising from Ball State University. His research interests include social cognitive theory and brand placement.