University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Theses and Dissertations 1-1-2013 The esW ternization of Advertisements Published In Kuwaiti Newspapers From 1992 to 2012; A Content Analysis Farah Taleb Alrefai University of South Carolina Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd Part of the Journalism Studies Commons Recommended Citation Alrefai, F. T.(2013). The Westernization of Advertisements Published In Kuwaiti Newspapers From 1992 to 2012; A Content Analysis. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/1493 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Westernization of Advertisements Published in Kuwaiti Newspapers From 1992 to 2012; A Content Analysis by FarahAlrefai Bachelor of Arts Kuwait University, 2004 Masters of Arts University of Colorado at Boulder, 2008 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Mass Communications School of Journalism and Mass Communication University of South Carolina 2013 Accepted by: Dr. Sei-Hill Kim, Major Professor Dr. Andrea Tanner, Committee Member Dr. Kendra Albright, Committee Member Dr. Maimuna Huq, Committee Member Dr. Lacy K. Ford, Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies © Copyright by Farah Alrefai, 2013 All Rights Reserved. ii DEDICATION For my daughter Seba who endured so much in the first three years of her life for me to achieve this degree. For my husband Qutaibah who made it possible with his commitment, support, and love. For my father who I owe everything to. For my mother who supported me always. For you all: for following me every step of the way and giving me your unconditional love and joining me in my journey. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Sei-Hill Kim who dedicated so much time and effort to guiding me, instructing me, and helping me produce this dissertation. I appreciate all that you have done for me to help me succeed. I would also like to thank all the committee members; Dr. Andrea Tanner, Dr. Kendra Albright, and Dr. Maimuna Huq, for being so understanding and cooperative since the start of this process. Thanks to your cooperation, support, and guidance I have been able to complete this dissertation. iv ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree of Westernization in advertisements published in major Kuwaiti daily newspapers over the past 21 years (1992-2012). Utilizing a quantitative content analysis, the diffusion of Westernization into the content and form of the advertisements was analyzed. Specifically, a sample of 584 advertisements published on the front pages of AlQabas and AlWatan Kuwaiti dailies from 1992 to 2012 were examined. The advertisements were analyzed to detect the increase and/or decrease of the presence of 12 Westernization attributes. These attributes are: product/ brand origin (Western or local), Western models and or local models, the English language, Western themes, Western artifacts and or settings, modernity (in contrast to tradition), globalization (in contrast to nationalism and or patriotism), individualism (in contrast to collectiveness), youth and/or beauty (in contrast to filial piety and or respect for the elderly), competition (in contrast to harmony with others), freedom (in contrast to conservativeness), and active contribution (in contrast to passive acceptance). Findings indicate that Western cultural values have diffused into advertisements published on the front pages of Kuwaiti dailies over the past 21 years. In addition, the findings suggest that there is a relationship between the presence of Western attributes and the origin of the advertisements; Western attributes were found more in Western advertisements. Results indicate that English use, and the cultural values of modernity, globalization, individualism, freedom, youth and beauty, and active v contribution, have diffused, increased, and become prevalent in advertisements published on the front pages of Kuwaiti dailies from 1992 to 2012. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................... iv ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................. x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................... 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1 1.2 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ............................................................................. 9 1.3 BACKGROUND: KUWAIT FROM PEARL DIVING TO WEB SURFING ...................... 13 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................... 21 2.1 A COUNTRY IN TRANSITION; POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGES IN KUWAIT 21 2.2 SOCIAL AND CULTURAL REFLECTIONS AND CHALLENGES ................................ 26 2.3 EDUCATION, LITERATURE, AND JOURNALISM IN KUWAIT ................................. 30 2.4 THE KUWAITI MEDIA AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ....................................... 36 2.5 THE KUWAITI NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY STATE REGULATIONS ............................ 41 2.6 THE KUWAITI NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY MARKET STRUCTURE ............................. 43 2.7 ADVERTISING IN THE KUWAITI PRESS .............................................................. 45 2.8 THE WEST AND DEFINING WESTERNIZATION ................................................... 60 2.9 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................. 68 2.10 DEFINING ADVERTISING AND CULTURAL VALUES .......................................... 73 vii 2.11 RESEARCH QUESTIONS .................................................................................. 86 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................ 87 CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS AND RESULTS .............................................................................. 106 4.1 INTER-CODER RELIABILITY ............................................................................ 107 4.2 DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS ............................................................................... 108 4.3 BRAND ORIGIN .............................................................................................. 110 4.4 ENGLISH LANGUAGE ..................................................................................... 111 4.5 WESTERN VS. LOCAL MODELS AND OR CELEBRITIES ...................................... 113 4.6 WESTERN VS. LOCAL THEMES ....................................................................... 114 4.7 WESTERN VS. LOCAL ARTIFACTS AND OR SETTINGS ....................................... 115 4.8 MODERNITY VS. TRADITION .......................................................................... 117 4.9 GLOBALIZATION VS. NATIONALISM................................................................ 118 4.10 INDIVIDUALISM VS. COLLECTIVENESS .......................................................... 119 4.11 YOUTH/ BEAUTY VS. FILIAL PIETY/ RESPECT FOR THE ELDERLY ................... 120 4.12 COMPETITION VS. HARMONY WITH OTHERS .................................................. 121 4.13 FREEDOM VS. CONSERVATIVENESS .............................................................. 122 4.14 ACTIVE CONTRIBUTION/ PASSIVE ACCEPTANCE ........................................... 123 CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ................................................................... 126 5.1 LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH ........................................................... 151 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ 153 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 The Eight Main Daily Newspapers of Kuwait ................................................ 36 Table 3.1 Operational Definitions of Westernization Attributes ................................... 102 Table 3.2 Coding Sheet ............................................................................................... 103 Table 4.1 Top 10 products Advertised for in AlQabas and AlWatan between 1992 and 2012 ............................................................................................................................ 109 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 Kity Kola Advertisement .............................................................................. 46 Figure 2.2 Al-Salih Tiles and Flooring Factory Advertisement ...................................... 46 Figure 2.3 Tide Advertisement ...................................................................................... 47 Figure 2.4 Mitsubishi Electronics Advertisement ........................................................... 47 Figure 2.5 Kuwait Airways Advertisement .................................................................... 48 Figure 2.6 Pepsi-Cola