Tag: Media Policy

ADVERTISING FOR THE HUMAN GOOD: Call for abstracts, papers (WPCC)

ADVERTISING FOR THE HUMAN GOOD: Call for abstracts, papers (WPCC)

Issue Editor: Carl W. Jones Senior Lecturer in PR and Advertising at the School of Media and Communication, University of Westminster

Advertising, and public relations have a potential for motivating progressive behaviours in the public via the mass media. From Edward Bernays 1929 effort to promote women’s aspirations via a campaign to smoke, by branding cigarettes as feminist ‘Torches of Freedom’, (Bernays, 2004) to the global brand P&G creating a TV commercial to publicise the discussion of ‘toxic masculinity’ (Gillette, 2019), branded commodities have been inspiring changes in human behaviours to resonate with consumers. This method is not limited to brands that rely on the neoliberal capitalist system. In 2011 the Colombian Ministry of Defence used ‘ambient marketing’ to convince the so-called terrorist organisation FARC to lay down their weapons and come home for Christmas (Ministry of Defense, 2011). But who decides what changes will benefit which segment of society? 

Brands have been appropriating the practice of advertising to create change, with the objective to generate more sales, and deliver profits to their shareholders. Recently having a social conscience is becoming increasingly important – especially with a millennial audience who care more than ever whether a brand’s values align with their own. In nation states run by other ideologies such as communism, advertising is used by governments to educate publics, such as China’s one baby per family policy. This policy has recently changed, and the government has to re-educate over 1 billion people, to increase the falling birth rate. Can a government sponsored integrated campaign inspire a switch in thinking? Instances might include health campaigns, AIDs, drink driving and wearing seatbelts.

This special issue invites the most recent theoretical interventions and empirical research that explores how advertising has the potential for motivating progressive behaviours in the public via the mass media. 

We define advertising as a designed communication that reinterprets signs and symbols in order to persuade while ‘the mass media’ includes a broad range of communication platforms, from paid and earned; analogue to digital networks; and guerrilla activations, to name a few.

We welcome papers on the subject of (but not limited to):

– Corporate social responsibility

– Consumer behaviour 

– Integrated campaigns and the convergence of Advertising and PR

– Advertising reflects society or influences society?

– Models of brand communication 

– Post truth and advertising

– Political Economy of advertising

– Ethics in Advertising

– Ideology and advertising 

– Role of artificial neural networks, machine learning and AI 

– Corporate social responsibility

– Advertising, activism and NGO’s in behaviour change

– Can Graphic Design save lives?

– The Role of Neuroscience

– PR vs. advertising. Which is more effective in promoting behavioural change?

– Environment-related advertising

– Can political advertising be applied for the human good?

Deadline for abstracts:
Please submit a 150-250 word abstract with keywords to WPCC’s submission system with 6 keywords by Monday 3 February 2020 by registering at https://www.westminsterpapers.org/register/ then submitting from https://www.westminsterpapers.org/author/login/

You will receive feedback regarding encouragement to submit a paper or feedback from editors/WPCC around the 12th February 2020

Deadline for full papers:
Full papers are expected by 31 March 2020 submitted to the WPCC system. All papers will go through double peer-review. 

Publication date: June-July 2020

WPCC is an open access journal and there are no fees for contributors. Published by the University of Westminster Press in conjunction with CAMRI. All content in this issue and in its archive is available free to read. 

References
Bernays, Edward L. (2004) Propaganda/Edward Bernays; with an introduction by Mark  Crispin Miller. Brooklyn, NY: Ig Publishing. 

Gillette (2019) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYaY2Kb_PKI&feature=emb_logo(last accessed 10 Jan 2020) 

Ministry of Defense. (2011) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhNaZ0w7eEA (last accessed 10 Jan 2020)

Q & A event on media policy issues at Westminster University 27 September

An event will launch two new policy briefs published by the University of Westminster Press, as part of the new CAMRI Policy Brief series, in which researchers from the Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI) at the University of Westminster will provide insights into their recent research and its findings.

The event will feature two presentations:

Jacob Johanssen will present recent research on attitudes towards disfigurement in the media. In the policy brief ‘Appearance, Discrimination and the Media’, he claims together with co-authors Diana Garrisi and Laima Janciute that the portrayal of disfigurement in the UK media must change. Policy recommendations in terms of editorial practices, media literacy education and regulation will be introduced.

Sally-Anne Gross and George Musgrave will highlight the findings of their project ‘Can Music Make You Sick?’, which investigated working conditions in the UK music industry. Based on the policy brief ‘Well-Being and Mental Health in the Gig Economy’, they will review policy measures that may help or harm gig economy workers. A much-needed debate needs to happen about the psychological implications of precarious work and this presentation aims to contribute to this.

The presentations will be followed by a Q&A session with the authors.

Printed copies of the policy briefs will be available for free at the event.

The event is free for anyone interested, registration via EventbriteGross jpg is required.

About the CAMRI Policy Brief Series:

The CAMRI Policy Brief series provides rigorous and evidence-based policy advice and policy analysis on a variety of media and communication-related topics. In an age where the accelerated development of media and communications creates profound opportunities and challenges for society, politics and the economy, this series cuts through the noise and offers up-to-date knowledge and evidence grounded in original research in order to respond to these changes in all their complexity. By using Open Access and a concise, easy-to-read format, this peer-reviewed series aims to make new research from the University of Westminster available to the public, to policymakers, practitioners, journalists, activists and scholars both nationally and internationally.

The CAMRI Policy Briefs are available free to download at: https://www.uwestminsterpress.co.uk/site/books/series/camri-policy-briefs/

Is the Gig Economy healthy?

Is the Gig Economy healthy?

That is the question posed in the fourth title in the Media Policy Brief series from the CAMRI Policy Observatory. In summary form it presents the results of a wide survey into mental health of musicians and patterns of work. It suggests that they and other creative industries workers’ may signal the growth of psychological issues for those operating under flexible working regimes and as automation continues to rise. Well-Being and Mental Health in the Gig Economy: Policy Perspectives on Precarity makes the case for considering the mental health outcomes for gig economy workers of policies affecting labour markets in the UK’s media and creative sectors. Authors Sally-Anne Gross, George Musgrave and Laima Janciute ask whether a more serious look at a universal basic income as suggested by the likes of Guy Standing is also called for. 

Using Open Access and a concise, easy-to-read format, this peer-reviewed series aims to make new research from the University of Westminster CAMRI media researchers available to the public, to policymakers, practitioners, journalists, activists and scholars both nationally and internationally.