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Marketing Faculty Explore How Advertising Sells Guilty Pleasures

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From desserts to vacations, today’s marketers are experts at engaging the public with products, places and pastimes that they enjoy – and feel guilty about afterwards.

Cal State Fullerton marketing professors Matthew Lancellotti and Sunil Thomas recently explored how men and women respond to advertising messages in their co-authored study, “Men Hate It, Women Love It: Guilty Pleasure Advertising Messages,” published in the April issue of the Journal of Business Research.

Hundred of participants took part in the duo’s study by reviewing relevant advertisements and reporting the impact it had on them. Their finding found a definite gender different in how people responded, particularly when the product was described as a guilty pleasure.

To learn more about the study, continue reading.