EXPLORING LIFE THEMES AND MYTHS IN ALCOHOL ADVERTISEMENTS THROUGH A MEANING-BASED MODEL OF ADVERTISING EXPERIENCES

A meaning-based, reader-response model of advertising is applied to a study of college students exposed to alcohol advertisements to describ e (1) how life experiences influence consumers' experiences of adverti sements and (2) hour the powerful alcohol-related ''myths'' identified in previous content analyses are also identified by the targets of th e ads. Interpretive analysis of in-depth interviews reveals that infor mants' life themes are evident in their experiences of alcohol adverti sements, suggesting that ad interpretations are a function of highly i ndividual cognitions developed by young people about themselves, alcoh ol, and advertising during their lives. The findings support the notio n that advertising should be analyzed holistically and in context to u nderstand the powerful meanings consumers experience in advertising me ssages in general and in alcohol advertising in particular.