Documentary advertising and consumer perception of a brand : a case study of Dove Beauty's 'Selfie' advertisement

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Advertising is an ever-evolving field. Brands are always looking for new and exciting ways to connect with their target audiences. One way in which brands have begun to do this is through a style of advertising that tells the real stories of real people. This is what the study refers to as "documentary-style advertising." It is not a term used in academia or in the advertising industry, but rather a term created for this research. The purpose of this study is to understand how documentary-style advertising influences a consumer's perception of a brand. Through the use of video elicitation and semi-structured interviews, this study will examine how documentary-style advertising employed by the brand Dove Beauty influences customer perception of the brand by looking at participants perceived authenticity of the brand, connection to the brand, and future interaction with the brand after the viewing of a documentary-style advertisement.