Advertising appeals used by services marketers: a comparison between Hong Kong and the United States

Both Hong Kong and the USA are capitalistic open markets with a highly developed service industry. This study examines the advertising appeals used by services marketers in these two markets and compares the advertising appeals used by experience services and credence services. In addition to a modified set of Resnik and Stern’s (1977) information cues, the association attributes and terminal values conveyed in services advertisements were examined. Although services advertising seems to show quite a number of market differences in the choice of information cues, association attributes, and terminal values, most of these differences diminish when the service type is controlled.