Images of Union Renewal: A Content Analysis of Union Print Advertising

• Published date: 01 December 2018
• Author: Barbara J. Phillips,Dionne Pohler
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/cjas.1472
• Date: 01 December 2018

Images of Union Renewal: A Content Analysis of

Union Print Advertising

Barbara J. Phillips*

University of Saskatchewan

Dionne Pohler

University of Toronto

Abstract

Message factors in union marketing communications are

important for improving public attitudes toward unions and

facilitating union renewal. However, little is known about

the prevalence of different message factors in union advertis-

ing. We conduct a content analysis of the message factors in

177 union print advertisements from three Canadian unions

to determine which message factors are most commonly be-

ing employed. Wethen compare our f‌indings to the technique s

marketing research has found to be more or less effective

when engaging in organizational marketing. We conduct the

largest systematic examination of union advertising to date,

and suggest that there are areas of both strength and weak-

ness in current union print advertising. Implications of our

f‌indings for union renewal are discussed. Copyright © 2018

ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Keywords: union marketing, advertising, union renewal,

persuasion, content analysis

Résumé

Dans les communications de marketing syndical, les facteurs

de message contribuent non seulement à améliorer l’attitude

que le public a envers les syndicats, mais aussi à faciliter le

renouvellement syndical. Cependant, la prévalence des dif-

férents facteurs de message dans la publicité syndicale reste

mal connue. Dans cet article, nous procédons à une analyse

du contenu des facteurs de message contenus dans 177

annonces syndicales imprimées provenant de trois syndicats

canadiens af‌in de déterminer les facteurs de message les plus

fréquemment utilisés. Nous comparons ensuite nos résultats

aux techniques que la recherche en marketing a identif‌iées

comme étant plus ou moins abondamment utilisées dans le

marketing organisationnel. Notre travail, qui est le plus

grand examen systématique de la publicité syndicale jamais

réalisé, permet de montrer les points forts et les points faibles

de la publicité syndicale imprimée actuelle. Il s’achève par

une analyse des effets de nos résultats sur le renouvellement

syndical. Copyright © 2018 ASAC. Published by John Wiley

& Sons, Ltd.

Mots-clés: marketing syndical, publicité, renouvellement

syndical, persuasion, analyse du contenu

The choice facing those who manage nonbusiness organiza-

tions is not whether to market or not to market, for no or-

ganization can avoid marketing. The choice is whether to

do it well or poorly, and on this necessity the case for or-

ganizational marketing is basically founded. (Kotler &

Levy, 1969, p. 15).

Many organizations, such as corporations, governments,

and the media use marketing communications to promote

their point of view regarding labour and employment issues

and to shift public attitudes to favour their perspectives

(Bailey, Townsend, & Luck, 2006). Unions are important or-

ganizations that also impact public perceptions about these

issues, and inf‌luence public attitudes toward unions them-

selves, through marketing campaigns and communications

visible to the public. While the literature on external union

marketing communications is underdeveloped, there is evi-

dence to suggest that unions should be increasingly concerned

about how they are being portrayed (or not) to the public.

Schmidt (1993) showed a decline in media coverage on labour

unions from 1946 to 1985, which decreases public awareness

of labour issues. In addition, strike-related stories have be-

come a greater proportion of the media articles about unions.

The media has increasingly presented messages that unions

are outdated and no longer necessary, or worse, that they are

too powerful, inf‌lexible, and always demanding more, leading

to ineff‌iciency and waste (Kumar & Schenk, 2009).

These media trends and portrayals may negatively inf‌lu-

ence public opinion about unions. Indeed, survey data re-

ported by Lipset and Meltz (2004, p. 87) suggests that

*Please address correspondence to: Barbara J. Phillips, Rawlco Scholar in

Advertising and Professor of Marketing, Edwards School of Business, Uni-

versity of Saskatchewan, 25 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N

5A7. Email: bphillips@edwards.usask.ca

Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences

Revue canadienne des sciences de l’administration

35: 592–604 (2018)

Published online 11 January 2018 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/CJAS.1472

Can J Adm Sci

35(4), 592–604 (2018)Copyright © 2018 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 592