Abstract:

Perceptions of advertising as a strong marketing force seem to be widespread, both within business communities and among the general public as well. These perceptions tend not to be founded on empirical evidence, but rather, on myths about advertising effectiveness. In order to explore what constitutes the belief in advertising as a 'strong force', a Norwegian study was undertaken in 1994, based on interviews with large Norwegian advertisers. These results are related to the present insight into advertising effectiveness, as provided by recent research.