서강대학교

초록/요약

Consumers are becoming more diversified and varied in tandem with developments of the era. As a result, the marketing market is also becoming varied and manifold. In advanced capitalist countries, such as the U.S., continuous research has been carried out on the potentials of the market of the disabled as well as disabled individuals. Companies are showing greater interest in the disabled and making greater marketing efforts that target the disabled. In contrast with such a high level of interest and efforts in advanced capitalist markets, there has been almost no research carried out in Korea on the physically challenged consumer market. What is more is that the relevant marketing approaches implemented by companies are merely in their initial stage. An increasing number of people have recently been developing positive views towards the disabled. The general public is steadily gaining an unbiased and appropriate understanding of the disabled, thanks to the various efforts made by a wide array of physically challenged and non-disabled groups and mass media. This trend has recently been incorporated in advertisements. There are many ads that have the physically challenged as models. The intent of this research was to promote research activities on physically challenged models and the physically challenged consumer market by assessing physically challenged models and consumers based on advertising types, from a marketing perspective a subject that lacks research in Korea; and to carry out a comparative study on the attitudes of physically challenged consumers and non-disabled consumers concerning advertising models and types. In particular, this research aimed at identifying the relationship between physically challenged models and non-disabled models, physically challenged consumers and non-disabled consumers, as well as advertising types (product ads, public service ads). Rather than restricting the research to physically challenged models and consumers, this research involved a comparative analysis between physically challenged models and consumers and non-disabled models and consumers, thereby taking a look at differences in advertising models and consumers according to disability characteristics. This research first looked at the attitudes of physically challenged consumers and non-disabled consumers concerning ads and brands when physically challenged models and non-disabled models appear in product ads. Research outcomes indicate that physically challenged consumers prefer product ads that have non-disabled models, rather than physically challenged models. This preference was also evident in brands. In contrast, non-disabled consumers prefer product ads with physically challenged models rather than non-disabled models. The same attitude is demonstrated for brands. In terms of public service ads, physically challenged consumers prefer ads with physically challenged models over ads with non-disabled models. Their attitude towards public interests shows the same results as their attitude towards ads. Non-disabled consumers showed no difference in their preference level between ads with physically challenged models and those with non-disabled models. There is no difference in preference levels with regards to their attitude towards public interests. This research aimed to fully establish the disabled as a critical element of advertising and marketing by conducting a comparative study on physically challenged models and non-disabled models as well as physically challenged consumers and non-disabled consumers. Another goal was to help marketing communication activities carried out by the government, companies, and welfare groups that target physically challenged consumers.