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Addressing the Advertising of Controversial Products in China: An Empirical Approach

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Abstract

China is a country that has undertaken a great transformation since the late 1970’s, and among these changes, has seen a massive growth in the advertising industry with the influx of foreign advertisers, and the development of regional and global media, such as satellite television and the Internet. This has resulted in the Chinese people of all ages having a greater opportunity of exposure to different types of advertising, including the advertising of potentially controversial products, which could clash with traditional Chinese values. Using a stakeholder theory approach, this study analyzes the responses of 630 Chinese respondents to discover who is offended by controversial advertisements and determine ways potentially offensive advertising messages can be reduced, thereby assisting marketers in being more socially responsible in their advertising messages.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Marketing & International Business, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand

    Kim-Shyan Fam

  2. School of Marketing, University of Technology, Sydney, P.O. Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia

    David S. Waller

  3. Department of Marketing, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

    Zhilin Yang

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  1. Kim-Shyan Fam
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  2. David S. Waller
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  3. Zhilin Yang
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Correspondence to David S. Waller.

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Fam, KS., Waller, D.S. & Yang, Z. Addressing the Advertising of Controversial Products in China: An Empirical Approach. J Bus Ethics 88 (Suppl 1), 43–58 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9832-y

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