Survey of ad agencies shows effects of Gulf war
One-third of independent advertising agencies worldwide say advertisers have pulled ads off the air and out of print because of the Persian Gulf war, according to a recent survey of independent advertising agencies conducted by 3AI (Affiliated Advertising Agencies International), the world's largest network of independent advertising shops.
The survey also showed that advertisers in Europe, Asia, South America, Canada and Australia are more likely to cancel ads than those in the United States.
Conducted in late January, the survey polled independent agencies around the world on the Persian Gulf war's effect on advertising. More than 50 of 3AI's 90 member agencies participated in the survey.
"About 30 percent of our U.S. members said advertisers had pulled ads because of the war," said Patricia Parker, president, 3AI. "In Europe, Asia, South America, Canada and Australia, the figure was significantly higher - 40 percent."
3AI member agencies cited various reasons for ad cancellations, including advertisers' concerns over depressed consumer spending during war time and weak sales in the tourism, automobile and export businesses.
Others, such as Christer Delding, media and print production manager, Thor & Co., Stockholm, Sweden, said, "Some companies with TV advertising are pulling spots because they do not want to be connected with the war."
Parker noted that many agencies which hadn' t seen an impact on advertising were witnessing an increasing uneasiness among advertisers, particularly with respect to the war's long-term economic impact.
To a lesser extent, advertisers are developing new ads and changing existing ones because of the war. Again, this trend is more pronounced in Europe, Asia, South America, Canada and Australia, where 27 percent of the agencies said advertisers were creating new ads, compared to 19 percent in the U. S. Another 20 percent of independent agencies worldwide said they had received war-related copy changes from advertisers.
"Some clients are questioning the appropriateness of humor in advertising," noted Phil Karsh, co-chairman, Karsh & Hagen, Denver. Other agencies have noticed heightened advertiser sensitivity to the use of war themes.
Interestingly, only six percent of the agencies worldwide said advertisers were creating ads that commented on the war.
As for returning to regular ad schedules, agencies in the U.S. are much more confident than others. "In the United States, 79 percent of the agencies said advertisers either already have returned - or will return in one month - to normal ad schedules. Only 11 percent expect advertisers to refrain from resuming normal ad schedules until the war's end," said Parker. "That compares to Europe, Asia, South America, Canada and Australia, where 47 percent of the agencies don't envision a return to normalcy until the war ends."
Parker added that agencies outside the U.S. are also less likely than their U.S. counterparts to continue traveling. More than half of the agencies said they or their clients had changed travel plans, compared to 31 percent of the agencies in the United States.
Women perceive "glass ceiling" in workplace
International Survey Research Corp (ISR) has released results from a survey of 50,000 employees in 18 major U.S.companies which examined attitudes toward a variety of issues related to the "Glass Ceiling" effect. The Glass Ceiling effect maintains that women promoted into managerial ranks are generally blocked from top management positions. ISR's conclusion: While there is evidence of a Glass Ceiling effect, women still maintain a more positive outlook toward their job when compared to men.
An active hypothesis in American business holds that women unable to move into upper management will be less positive towards such things as promotion opportunities and performance evaluation. Indeed, ISR found that:
- women in upper management are less likely to hold positive attitudes toward their job as compared to women in supervisory or lower management positions. The results also indicate that as women are promoted to higher levels of management, they become more cynical about the fairness of company management and less optimistic about their opportunities for advancement.
These beliefs are also evident in women's broader views of management practices: women in upper management are more likely to report that their supervisor "shows favoritism" and less likely to believe that management supports equal employment opportunities. They are less likely to believe that their "promotion prospects are good" or that training opportunities are available to increase their eligibility for a better job.
A similar pattern of results is found when women at differing levels of education are compared: women with more education are less likely to hold positive attitudes toward their job as compared to women with less education. This finding may be due to the fact that women with higher education are more likely to be promoted to higher levels of management - positions where the Glass Ceiling effect is likely to be operative.
Despite evidence of the Glass Ceiling effect, ISR reports that women are much more positive about their jobs as compared to men. While the difference between men and women is seen at all levels of management, it is particularly pronounced at lower levels of management where women are much more likely to feel positively about their job. At upper levels of management, the differences between the job attitudes of men and women is less apparent. On the issues of management's support for equal employment opportunities and fair decisions, the differences between male and female attitudes at the highest levels of management blur into insignificant variation.
ISR concludes that as women are pro-moted upward, they adopt a more negative outlook toward their employer, one which more closely resembles their male colleagues. However, despite perceptions of a Glass Ceiling on promotion opportunities, women in general are still more likely than men to hold positive attitudes toward their job.