GENDER DIFFERENCES IN EVALUATIONS OF TOBACCO AND ALCOHOL ADVERTISEMENTS

The relation between gender and reactions to different styles of adver tising tobacco and alcohol products was examined in a sample of adoles cents (average age of fourteen years) and their parents. Self-monitori ng was also examined as a possible correlate of preferences for types of advertisements. Respondents were asked to rate magazine advertiseme nts which were oriented toward the product's image or the product's qu alities. As predicted, gender differences occurred among the adolescen ts in their evaluations of styles of advertising. Adolescent girls lik ed image-oriented advertisements more and perceived this type of adver tisement to be more persuasive for most people than quality-oriented a dvertising. This gender difference was not observed in the sample of a dults. All respondents liked the image-oriented advertisements more th an the quality-oriented advertising. Moreover, image-oriented advertis ements were seen as more persuasive than quality oriented-advertisemen ts by girls' parents who were high in self-monitoring. The findings fo r adolescents suggested that girls in early adolescence may be particu larly attentive to and potentially susceptible to the message conveyed in image-oriented commercials for tobacco and alcohol that portray sm oking and drinking as desirable behaviours.