On the Use and Abuse of Nietzsche for Marketing Communication: Examining Consumer Suspicion toward Advertising

This study examines increasing consumer suspicion in light of contemporary marketing praxis. Immanuel Kant's concept of "self-inflicted intellectual immaturity" is traced throughout 20th century marketing literature. A review of the public relations practices of Edward Bernays reveals a close similarity to recent concepts of integrated marketing communication (Schultz). This project contrasts marketing communication approaches grounded in mass psychology with the rational choice model of consumer behavior.</p><p> These dualistic viewpoints are often regarded as mutually exclusive; however, this author proposes an "integrated dualism" of marketing communication to provide consumers with ways to redeem rhetorical "tokens" (Mayhew) that constitute the managerial rhetoric (Sproule) of advertising. "Integrated dualism" constitutes an economic as well as ethical response to the multiplicity of the postmodern marketplace.

Name thesis:degree_name

PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Worldwide Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communication and Rhetorical Studies

Year dc:date.available

2008

Author dc:creator

• Assmus, Daniel Ulf

Contributors dc:contributor

• Pat Arneson
• Calvin L. Troup
• Ronald C. Arnett

• Advertising Effectiveness
• Integrated Dualism
• Integrated Marketing Communication
• Intellectual Immaturity

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/15

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dsc.duq.edu:etd-1014