In view of these factors, advertising is recognized today as a keystone of modern culture, and a core element in the shaping of consumer lifestyles and consumer society. Now that the logic of advertising has permeated practically every aspect of our social lives, it has become the dominant language and a leading actor in the public arena ( Mattelart, 1989 Zunzunegui, 1985, quoted in Caro, 2007). On the one hand, these are rooted in the transformational processes that have occurred in the systems of production, distribution and the marketing of goods and services, as well as improved communication technologies but they are also a product of the sociocultural development stimulated by these changes, in which advertising itself has played a significant part ( Henry, 1963 Douglas & Isherwood, 1978 Jhally, 1987 Lipovetsky, 2007).ДЄs well as becoming a social institution, with its resultant influence on socialization processes and system cohesion ( Williams, 1999 IbГЎГ±ez, 1989), advertising has become an agent of demand creation and stimulation, a tool for brand building and positioning, and an inherent component of new organizational and institutional imagery. Since its conception towards the end of the 19th century as a mediating instrument in the relations between producers and consumers, advertising has evolved to assume a range of new roles. We selected retail as the focus of our study given its economic importance (representing nearly 20% of Chile's GDP, Gross Domestic Product), the high investment in advertising (almost 16% in 2011), and the broad socioeconomic scope of its products and target audiences (retail is understood here to comprise department stores, drugstores, DIY stores and supermarkets).ДЄdvertising as a core component of contemporary cultureДЄs a field of research, advertising poses many challenges given the inherent complexities that derive from its essentially economic purpose, and the fact that it has, in consequence, assumed increasing social, cultural and institutional importance ( EguizГЎbal, 2007 Caro, 2007). Our research is thus intended to determine, in an exploratory fashion, the relationship between the changes identified in the characters featured in the ads and the sociocultural developments occurring in Chile over the same period. To support our research, we conducted a quantitative content analysis using predetermined categories to classify characters in terms of their socio-demographic profile, as well as formal or informal aspects relating to their appearance, the activities they are engaged in, and the ad setting.

Our analysis therefore focuses on two separate periods during the last 20 years: 19. This will shed light on the ways in which individuals have been represented in printed retail ads in Chile. Seen from this dual aspect of both вЂњcultural productвЂќ and вЂњcultural producerвЂќ, while recognizing the lack of academic research and systematic inquiry into advertising, particularly in terms of its cultural associations, this article aims to explore and identify patterns of change and continuity. This provides individuals and communities with a set of values and behavioral norms that stimulate a societyвЂ™s development. As both a reflection of culture and a factor that helps to shape it, advertising promotes an ideology of consumption. Advertising is regarded as playing a pivotal role in modern culture to the extent that it constitutes a key element in shaping consumer society and consumer lifestyles.

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