ARCHETYPES, ATHLETES, AND ADVERTISING: A JUNGIAN APPROACH TO PROMOTION

The increased attention being directed toward nonquantitative (so‐called relativistic) research designs within marketing has encouraged marketing's use of methods that were developed in the “softer” social sciences. Representative of such trends is Sidney Levy's use of mental‐structuralist mythological theory within the context of consumer behavior. This paper demonstrates how another school of mythology (Jungian analysis) can be used to deal with consumer behavior and the way consumers respond to certain advertisements. Although serious methodological problems exist in Jungian analysis, techniques that explore the impact of universal innate human thought upon consumer behavior can be useful. As a specific example, the “archetype” of the athlete and its relation to consumer behavior and product promotion will be discussed.