Our ads 'R US: an exploratory content analysis of American advertisements

Purpose To describe contemporary US society based on the dominant themes featured in magazine advertisements. Design/methodology/approach From eight general circulation magazines, 2,158 full‐page advertisements are examined using content analysis. The analysis includes the examination of ad characteristics, creative strategies and a critical literary analysis. Findings The results show evidence that US cultural values are embedded in popular magazine advertisements. In particular, individualism, low context communication patterns and action/achievement values are most common. Research limitations/implications This study represents a snapshot in time. Neither culture nor media options are static. As a result, future work in this area should examine these changes. Practical implications Since only a few cultural dimensions are dominant in the sample, the results suggest that advertisers need not embed all social values in ads. Originality/value This paper provides evidence that an adaptive advertising strategy may be more effective than a global approach.