Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2009

Presenting Consumer Technology with Pop: A Rhetorical and Ethnographic Exploration of Point-of-Purchase Advertising

Geoffrey A. Cross

Abstract

Point-of-purchase advertising (POP) is responsible for half of the purchase decisions made in the store. Because of: 1) the influence of POP on the sale of technical consumer products and the economy; 2) our need to understand trends that shape technical and business communication; 3) the intermedial nature of POP (where spoken and written words work with place, visual image, physical structures, and multimedia integrated marketing campaigns); and 4) its theatrical and local nature, we need both a situated and theoretical exploration of POP. Drawing upon three months' participant observation in advertising, I describe a POP composing process in an integrated marketing campaign. Cognitive responses to layout and the interrelation of rhetorical canons are considered for preparing communication for a marketplace that is three-dimensional variegated, noisy, and peripatetic.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2009-04-01
DOI
10.2190/tw.39.2.c
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism professional writing qualitative research
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Yu (2011)
    Visualizing Banking and Financial Products: A Comparative Study of Chinese and …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

References (60) · 7 in this index

  1. Ander W. N. (2004)
    Winning at retail: Developing a sustained model for retail success
  2. Anderson P. V. (2007)
    Technical communication
  3. 10.1177/0092070399274003
     ↗
  4. Baird R. N. (1987)
    The graphics of communication: Typography, layout, design, production
  5. Bianco A. (2007, April 30). Wal-Mart's midlife crisis. Business Week, 46–56.
Show all 60 →
  1. 10.1037/10037-000
     ↗
  2. Brumberger (2007)
    Visual Communication in the Workplace: A Survey of Practice
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. 10.1525/9780520353237
     ↗
  4. Campbell G. (1968)
    The rhetoric of Blair, Campbell, and Whately
  5. 10.1080/10641734.2003.10505150
     ↗
  6. 10.1057/bm.1996.33
     ↗
  7. Connors (1983)
    Actio:A rhetoric of manuscripts
    Rhetoric Review
  8. Connors R. J. (1993)
    Rhetorical memory and delivery
  9. Corbett E. P. J. (1990)
    Classical rhetoric for the modern student
  10. CROSS (1994)
    Ethnographic Research in Business and Technical Writing: Between Extremes and Margins
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  11. 10.1017/S002184990505021X
     ↗
  12. Dayton et al. (2004)
    Results of a Survey , of ATTW Members, 2003
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  13. De Pelsmaker P. (2001)
    Marketing communications
  14. Dickinson G. (2004)
    Defining visual rhetorics
  15. Dillon G. (1981)
    Constructing texts
  16. Dragga S. (1993)
    Rhetorical memory and delivery
  17. Dragga S. (1989)
    Editing: The design of rhetoric
  18. Elmer J. (2005, November). Treaty trauma. Paper presented for the Sheehan Lecture at the University of Louisville.
  19. 10.1037/h0026873
     ↗
  20. Fahnestalk J. (2001)
    Encyclopedia of rhetoric
  21. Foss S. K. (2004)
    Defining visual rhetorics
  22. Gurak L. J. (2000)
    Oral presentations for technical communication
  23. Haas et al. (1986)
    What Did I Just Say? Reading Problems in Writing with the Machine
    Research in the Teaching of English
  24. Hall E. T. (1990)
    Understanding cultural differences
  25. Henson L. (1994)
    Technical Communication
  26. Horner W. B. (1993)
    Rhetorical memory and delivery
  27. Inman J. J. (1998)
    Where the rubber meets the road: A model of in-store consumer decision making
  28. 10.1080/00335637509383303
     ↗
  29. 10.1080/0959396032000051693A
     ↗
  30. 10.1080/1352726042000207162
     ↗
  31. Kenney K. (2004)
    Visual rhetoric in a digital world
  32. 10.1037/0003-066X.54.7.504
     ↗
  33. Kostelnick C. (1998)
    Designing visual language
  34. Lauer J. (1984)
    Essays on classical rhetoric and modern discourse
  35. Lauer D. A. (1985)
    Design basics
  36. Lauer J. M. (2004). Invention in rhetoric and composition. Parlor Press and WAC Clearinghouse. Accessed 11/2/…
  37. Lucas J. (1997)
    Measuring advertising effectiveness
  38. McDougall A. (1990)
    Picture editing and layout: A guide to better visual communication
  39. Merrill J. C. (1971)
    Media, messages, and men
  40. Miles M. (1994)
    Qualitative data analysis
  41. Pegler M. M. (2006)
    Visual merchandising and display
  42. 10.1007/978-94-010-1713-8_8
     ↗
  43. Polack J. (March 1, 1999). B & W Carlton relaunch first since new ad rules. Advertising Age, 12.
  44. Russell T. (1986)
    Otto Kleppner's advertising procedure
  45. Soto P. (2006)
    Point of purchase
  46. St. Exupery A. (1950)
    The wisdom of the sands
  47. 10.1525/9780520916715
     ↗
  48. 10.1177/0963947005054479
     ↗
  49. Walter E. V. (1988)
    Placeways: A theory of the human environment
  50. 10.2307/j.ctt46nws6.13
     ↗
  51. Cross G. A. (2001)
    Forming the collective mind: A contextual exploration of large-scale collaborative writin…
  52. Cross G. A. (1994)
    Collaboration and conflict: A contextual exploration of group writing and positive emphasis
  53. CROSS (1994)
    Recontextualizing Writing: Roles of Written Texts in Multiple Media Communications
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  54. CROSS (1994)
    Ethnographic Research in Business and Technical Writing: Between Extremes and Margins
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  55. Cross G. A. (1993)
    Writing in the workplace: New research perspectives
CrossRef global citation count: 2 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Communication Design Quarterly Dec 2025
    Conversation Design: The Evolving Paradigm in Technical and Professional Communication ↗
    Nadya Shalamova; Gustav Verhulsdonck
    rhetorical criticism professional writing qualitative research
  2. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Sep 2025
    Articulating Academic Consulting as a Pathway for Faculty Development and Career Satisfaction ↗
    Rose Helens-Hart; Jenna Haugen
    rhetorical criticism teacher development professional writing qualitative research
  3. Journal of Business and Technical Communication Jan 2025
    Inhuman Rhetoric: Generative AI and Crisis Communication ↗
    Erick Piller
    rhetorical criticism professional writing qualitative research artificial intelligence literacy studies editorial matter
  4. Technical Communication Quarterly Oct 2024
    ’F---- Shark Tank:’ Rethinking the Centrality of the Business Pitch in Microenterprise Entrepreneurship ↗
    Mason T. Pellegrini
    rhetorical criticism genre theory graduate education technical communication professional writing qualitative research race and writing affect and writing editorial matter
  5. Technical Communication Quarterly Jul 2024
    Black Professional Ethos: Exploring Black Mentorship Through Narrative Ethnography in Technical Communication ↗
    Christopher J. Morris; Laura L. Allen
    rhetorical criticism argument technical communication professional writing qualitative research