A Class Matter: Exploring Signals of Socioeconomic Class within Egyptian and Lebanese Advertising from 2000-2022 Público

Abstract

Developed over the course of the 20th century in the Western world, targeted marketing is a consumer-based approach that firms commonly take to communicate their product or service to buyers who would be most likely to purchase or want to purchase it. Based fundamentally on observable local culture, evidence-based advertising techniques, and a study of a nation’s unique consumption history, targeted marketing methods inherently require an understanding of a country’s relationship with consumerism and consumer behavior. However, globalization at the turn of the 21st century led to the top-down application of this practice to much of the developing world, where there is a large gap within consumer behavior research. This thesis examines Egypt and Lebanon as case studies of middle-income countries of the Middle East and North Africa region to explore this underrepresented facet of marketing research and the ways in which it reflects and reinforces cultural sentiments around socioeconomic class as a demographic category targeted through television and social media advertising. Such cultural sentiments, this thesis argues, inform behaviors, attitudes, and opinions commonly held by certain targeted consumer segments and can be signaled through specific technical and thematic ad indicators curated from insights from existing literature. This investigation proposes a methodology to better understand how consumption history and consumer behavior elucidate targeted marketing strategies in underrepresented regions and suggests further research to continue refining this area of study through a case-by-case approach to country, ad type, and demographic category.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 

Preface…………………………………………………………………………………………….........................................................................................................................................................1

Overview…………………………………………………………………………………..............................................................................................................................................................5

Chapter I: Setting the Scene………………………………………………………………….........................................................................................................................................................6

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………............................................................................................................................................................6

Background Questions…………………………………………………………………...........................................................................................................................................................10

Theoretical Frameworks…………………………………………………………….……........................................................................................................................................................11

Research Questions……………………………………………………………………….........................................................................................................................................................16

Definitions……………………………………………………………………………….............................................................................................................................................................16

Background……………………………………………………………………………...............................................................................................................................................................17

Egypt’s Social Stratification and Class-Related Cultural Sentiments………….........................................................................................................................................................19

Lebanon’s Social Stratification and Class-Related Cultural Sentiments…………………............................................................................................................................................24

Selection of Reference Groups………………………………………………………….........................................................................................................................................................28

Chapter II: Advertising as a Reflector and Reinforcer of Cultural Sentiments…………………........................................................................................................................................33

Development of Cultural Sentiments around Identity Groups in Egypt…………………….........................................................................................................................................33

Setting the Marketing Scene in Egypt…………………………………………………….....................................................................................................................................................37

Development of Cultural Sentiments around Identity Groups in Lebanon…………….…..........................................................................................................................................40

Setting the Marketing Scene in Lebanon……………………………………………..…....................................................................................................................................................44

Elements Communicated through the Selected Advertising Channels……………….….............................................................................................................................................46

Chapter III: Analyzing Class Indicators via Television and Social Media…………………….…........................................................................................................................................51

Part I: Selection of Indicators in Ad Analysis……………………………………….……..................................................................................................................................................52

Part II: Methodology…………………………………………………………………..….........................................................................................................................................................65

Part III: Analysis…………………………………………………………………………..........................................................................................................................................................66

Part IV: Results…………………………………………………………………………............................................................................................................................................................66

Part V: Insights…………………………………………………………………………............................................................................................................................................................70

Discussion……………………………………………………………………………….............................................................................................................................................................77

Chapter IV: Insights and Future Research………………………………………………………................................................................................................................................................82

Summary of Findings……………………………………………………………………..........................................................................................................................................................82

Future Considerations and Research……………………………………………………......................................................................................................................................................91

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….............................................................................................................................................................96

Appendix………………………………………………………………………………………….......................................................................................................................................................98

References………………………………………………………………………………………......................................................................................................................................................119

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies
Degree	B.B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Mass Communications Business Administration, Marketing Middle Eastern Studies
Palabra Clave	consumption Egypt social media North Africa television advertisement MENA media consumer behavior advertising targeted marketing Lebanon Middle East marketing marketing research Arabic
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Stewart, Devin, Emory University
Committee Members	Cherribi, Sam, Emory University Ward, Morgan, Emory University

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