Just who do they think we are? Imagery in Advertising in Science and Nature

Jinnie Garrett
Biology Department, Hamilton College

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     Last modified: April 13, 2005
     Presentation date: 07/14/2005 11:00 AM in MACK 238
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Abstract
In order to successfully sell their products, companies must design their advertisements to appeal to their customers. While sometimes sensationalist or extreme to initially catch the reader’s attention, the content and style of an advertisement must relate to the audience sufficiently to maintain each customer’s interest so they read on. Thus, the content and style of advertising used to a particular audience can give insight into the sociology and psychology of that group.
Scientists generally pride themselves on their objectivity, intellectual curiosity and non discriminatory, meritocritous culture and one might expect advertising to scientists to reflect these values. I have surveyed the commercial advertising in the two premier scientific journals Science and Nature to determine the content and approach of the advertisers from the inception of advertising in these journals (after 1950 in Science, after 1970 in Nature). The advertisements were scored for their theme from realistic (words or actual picture of product) to completely abstract and for their content of particular imagery (e.g. exploration, nature, sex appeal). The results show a dramatic increase in the quantity of advertising in these journals in the last twenty-five years and a profound shift in the type of imagery used as well. Currently, ‘pop’ culture as well as futuristic and exploration/ conquest imagery are popular with science advertisers. However, advertisements using sex appeal, which is found extensively in general advertising to adults, are rarely seen in science journals. The full results of the survey and an analysis of significance of the findings will be presented.
Session Title: Imagery in Science and Science Imagery.

Multiple Paper Session:
Other papers in this session:
A Question of the Organism: The colonial hydroids and 19th century Biology
Picturing a Forest: Using Images to Illuminate Concepts
Imaging the Brain, Imagining the Brain: The Popularity and Power of Neuroimages