Date of Award

12-1-2004

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Communication

First Advisor

Dr. Michael Hilt

Abstract

The senior generation is a rapidly growing segment of our population. The need for corporate America to target these individuals for goods and service will continue to increase. One powerful image often used to capture a target audience is the photograph. A photograph used in advertising that portrays an older adult in a positive manner may increase the likelihood of seniors purchasing a good or service from the company that is the owner of the portrayal. Although there have been several studies regarding the portrayal of people in advertising, there have not been any studies found that analyze the portrayal of senior adults in health and insurance web sites. This study seeks to add to the current literature about the advertising portrayal of senior adults through a content analysis of health and insurance web sites. A content analysis of 37 web sites were reviewed which yielded 28 photographs. The analysis shows that the health and insurance industry favorably portrays the senior population as a whole.

Comments

A Thesis Presented to the School of Communication and the Faculty of the Graduate College University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts University of Nebraska at Omaha. Copyright Gina Magee December, 2004

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