The Interplay of Mood and Regulatory Focus in Influencing Altruistic Behavior

Using the context of print advertising, this research examines how the effects of mood on altruistic behavior vary as a function of whether a promotion or prevention focus is involved in messaging for child sponsorship. The findings reveal that when an ad message is framed in promotion focus, a happy mood fosters more favorable attitude toward child sponsorship and willingness to sponsor than a sad mood. In contrast, the effects of mood on attitude toward child sponsorship and willingness to sponsor are attenuated when an ad message is framed in prevention focus. Further, the results shed light on the process underlying the interactive impact of mood and regulatory focus by demonstrating the mediating role of perceived elaboration and goal commitment in advertising persuasion.     

Millennials’ ethical ideology effects on responses to alcohol advertisements: The role of strength of ethnic identification and ethical appraisal of the ad

Abstract

In an extension of generational theory, the present research argues that ethical ideology (i.e. idealism vs. relativism) impacts attitude toward the ad (A_ad), attitude toward the brand (A_brand), and purchase intention (PI). Additionally, this research examines how this relationship is mediated by the ethical appraisal of the ad and moderated by the level of ethnic identification (i.e. high vs. low). The results of this experiment provide additional evidence in support of generational theory which states that each generational cohort holds distinct ethical ideologies. Furthermore, this study identifies differences in the participants’ responses to alcohol ads resulting from their personal values (i.e. in this study we focus on strength of ethnic identification).     

The joint impact of humor and argument strength in a print advertising context: A case for weaker arguments

Humor is used extensively in advertising, but with mixed results. Drawing on the heuristic systematic model of persuasion, the authors explore a contingency underlying the impact of humorous executions on ad and brand attitudes for a convenience good. Results of a laboratory experiment with print ads show that the presence (vs. absence) of incidental humor can interact with message characteristics such that humorous ads engender more positive attitudes when they employ weaker arguments, and less positive attitudes when they use stronger arguments. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A Content Analysis of Compatible Fit among Message Elements in Philanthropy Ads

This research examined philanthropy ad messages in terms of four key elements: philanthropy goal, beneficiary, expected fundraising impact, and how the suggested donation is appraised. A content analysis was carried out to systematically study ad messages from nonprofit organizations on the Philanthropy 400 list. Specifically, the frequency of appearance of each type of message elements was analyzed in terms of four theoretical concepts: regulatory focus (promotion vs. prevention goal), egoism/altruism (self vs. others as beneficiary), temporal orientation (present vs. future fundraising impact), and efficacy appraisal (self- vs. response-efficacy in how a donation is appraised). Since past research further suggests that persuasion may be enhanced when message elements are well matched in terms of “compatible fits,” this study further analyzed how the four message elements were combined in usage. The findings of this research show that while most nonprofit organizations actively utilized all four types of elements in their messages, the current practice did not follow the guidelines as would be suggested by compatible fits literature. In this respect, more research is needed to understand the discrepancy and provide better guidelines for future communication strategies in the nonprofit sector.     

Insidious Effects of Syntactic Complexity: Are Ads Targeting Older Adults Too Complex to Remember?

This research examines the role of syntactic complexity—complexity induced by the sentence structure of the text—on memory for print ads. The authors find that ads aimed at older adults contain significant complexity, which commonly used readability indexes fail to detect. Further, syntactic complexity adversely affects message recall in older (age 65 and up), but not younger, adults. This adverse effect of syntactic complexity on memory continues even when motivation to process the message is high. The authors discuss the implications of these findings.     

In Advertising,a Double Negative Does Not Equal a Positive

This research investigates the effectiveness of double negative ads relative to positive, self-promoting ads as it relates to impression formation. The study was conducted using a 3 (ad valence/intensity: extreme double negative, moderate double negative, positive) x 2 (impression type: incidental, intentional) repeated measures design study using print ads designed for fictitious brands. Overall, brands in double negative ads received less positive impression ratings and the double negative ad format was less memorable. These effects were even more pronounced as the valence of the double negative ads became more extreme.     

SMS advertising: How message relevance is linked to the attitude toward the brand?

Due to recent technological developments and widespread adoption of mobile handsets, the mobile medium has been transformed into an effective channel for brand communication. Short message service (SMS) advertising is the most primitive and widely used version of mobile marketing, yet the relevant literature still lacks consensus on how SMS ads influence consumer attitudes, and how this influence is generated. The present research aims to investigate how message relevance, the most important success factor of SMS advertising, is transformed into attitudinal reactions toward the advertised brand by introducing perceived intrusiveness and attitude toward the message as mediating variables into the relationship. Implications and future research avenues are discussed.     

Impact of narrative versus factual print ad copy on product evaluation: The mediating role of ad message involvement

The relative impact of narrative versus factual message strategies on product evaluation was explored. The role of ad message involvement (AMI) as a mediator was also investigated. Narrative versus factual print ad copy resulted in more favorable product evaluations for two fictitious brands, one each from the cell phone and sunglasses product categories. Narrative print ad copy also elicited higher ad message involvement which, in turn, mediate the differential effect of narrative versus factual copy on product evaluations. The study demonstrated one of the major pathways through which the relatively more persuasive effects of narrative versus factual print ad copy appears to operate. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Using food pictorial metaphor in the advertising of non-food brands: An exploratory investigation of consumer interpretation and affective response

Using visual metaphors in ads is one of the communication techniques that brands have adopted to grab consumers' attention. The phenomenon of using food pictorial metaphors in non-food brand ads has spread in recent years, and given food's sensory nature, using this cue for a non-food brand can affect the way in which consumers interpret such ads. This research seeks to understand whether and how consumers perceive and process such a rhetorical figure. An exploratory qualitative approach is taken in two studies by using semi-structured interviews to explore consumers' reactions to different types of ads with food visual metaphors. The results reveal the predominance of congruency as a key processing mechanism of the ad at three levels: (a) between the food pictorial metaphor and the brand product category, (b) between the food visual metaphor and the brand itself, and (c) between the visual metaphor and the headline. Moreover, the food appetizing dimension, ad creativity, aesthetic appreciation of the ad, and consumers' aesthetic sensitivity are all revealed to play major roles in attitudes toward the ad.     

Effects of comparative advertising format on consumer responses: The moderating effects of brand image and attribute relevance

In this research we distinguish between ads that compare two different brands (Across-Brand Comparison or ABC ads) and those that compare different versions of the same brand (Within-Brand Comparison or WBC ads). Results from an experiment indicate that when comparative ads use attributes that are relevant to product performance, ad type and brand image interact such that an ABC ad leads to less favorable consumer perceptions than a WBC ad when image of the sponsor brand is low but not when it is high. However, when the ads use attributes that are irrelevant to product performance an ABC ad leads to less favorable consumer outcomes than a WBC ad, regardless of the image of the sponsor brand. We further propose and show that ad believability mediates these effects. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed and directions for future research are provided.     

Articulating a New Framework for Visual Metaphors in Advertising

This study develops and tests a conceptual framework for categorizing visual metaphors in advertising according to whether the pictorial elements in the ad are synthesized or juxtaposed. In this attempt, it subscribes to the view that creative ideas frequently share similar design structures and patterns in devising visual metaphors. This study demonstrates that compared with ad visuals that simply juxtapose metaphorical objects, ad visuals that synthesize conceptually similar metaphorical objects provoke greater elaboration and elicit more favorable consumer attitudes toward both the ad and the brand. These positive effects are not free of comprehension costs, however. Ads that synthesize very dissimilar objects (as compared with ads that juxtapose objects) fail to produce the same benefits and might, in some cases, even risk reducing the persuasiveness of the argument about key product attributes in the advertising message.     

Interaction Effect of Ad Puffery and Ad Skepticism on Consumer Persuasion

ABSTRACT

A 2 × 2 experiment was conducted to test the interaction effects of ad puffery and consumer ad skepticism on consumer persuasion using print ads for jeans. High ad skeptics (i.e., those more skeptical of ads) held a more positive attitude toward the ad than low ad skeptics (i.e., those less skeptical of ads) when a puffed (i.e., exaggerated) ad was viewed. Conversely, low ad skeptics had greater purchase intentions than high ad skeptics when a nonpuffed (i.e., nonexaggerated) ad was viewed.     

A laboratory study of the effect of verbal rhetoric versus repetition when consumers are not directed to process advertising

Rhetorical figures appear frequently in the headlines of magazine ads. This paper examines the effect of repetition on ads containing two types of rhetorical figures: easyto-understand rhymes and challenging puns. The findings indicate that high levels of repetition may not be necessary when ad headlines contain such rhetorical figures, even under conditions where subjects are not directed to process the ads. Moreover, in contrast to some prior work, rhymes appear to be at least as effective as puns when consumers are free to ignore ads. Overall, the research supports the idea that getting the ad message right is probably more important than simply repeating the message a greater number of times.     

The carryover effect of national identity activation on consumers' evaluations of ads with patriotic appeals

This study examined how the activation of national identity (NI) in diverse contexts influenced how consumers subsequently evaluated ads featuring patriotic appeals. Specifically, this study proposed that the activation of NI through different priming contexts would influence the comparative persuasiveness of patriotic ad messages framed by two different regulatory foci. Findings from this study suggest that (a) when a negative NI prime (Study 1) aroused fear (vs. sadness), consumers responded more favorably to patriotic ads with a prevention-focused (vs. promotion-focused) patriotic appeal and that (b) when a positive NI prime (Study 2) aroused happiness or relief, consumers showed more favorable attitude toward the promotion-focused (vs. prevention-focused) patriotic appeal. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

The Power of Creative Advertising and Consumers’ Perceived Risk

Despite the growing importance of creative advertising as an effective marketing tool, little is known about the process through which it influences preexisting attitudes for familiar brands and factors that moderate its effectiveness. To fill this gap, A 2 advertising type (creative vs. normal) by 2 product category (high risk vs. low risk) experiment was conducted. Four creative ads and four normal ads were developed for some familiar brands and were exhibited for participants. Results indicate that creative ads significantly lead to more favorable ad credibility, ad attitude, brand attitude, and purchase intention than normal ads. Perceived product risk was found to moderate the effectiveness of creative ads.     

Consumer Attitudes toward Sponsors’ Counterambush Marketing Ads

Since the existing measures to prevent ambush marketing are widely ineffective, sponsors can use countercommunications, a public response to an ambushing attempt that aims to strengthen their own brand, relative to the ambusher. This research examines consumer responses to three types of counterambush marketing ads: humorous complaining, naming and shaming, and consumer education. Three experimental studies using both real and fictitious brands as well as different event settings indicate that a humorous counterad (vs. naming and shaming and consumer education counterads) results in more favorable consumer evaluations of the countermessage. The studies also show that perceptions of the advertising tactic's appropriateness mediate these effects and that a humorous counterad is only advantageous when consumers hold positive (vs. negative) attitudes toward the practice of ambush marketing. In addition, comparing the three types of counterads with a common sponsorship leveraging ad suggests that a humorous counterad and simply ignoring the ambusher produce equal perceptions of tactical appropriateness and similar positive indirect effects on consumer attitudes toward the ad. The studies thus provide implications for how sponsors can respond to ambushers.     

The Degree of Ad–Brand Incongruity and the Distinction Between Schema-Driven and Stimulus-Driven Attitudes

Drawing on schema theory and advertising rhetoric, this article contributes to research on incongruent communication with three studies exploring consumer responses across different degrees of ad–brand incongruity. Study 1 reveals an inverted U-shaped pattern, indicating the superiority of moderate incongruity on ad processing time, recall, and attitude toward the ad (A_ad) and the brand (A_b). Studies 2A and 2B replicate this pattern and further demonstrate that the affect already stored in the brand schema drives brand attitude formation for congruent and extremely incongruent ads, whereas both schema- and stimulus-based affect determine brand attitude for moderately incongruent ads. Study 2B also shows that participants are able to resolve ad–brand incongruity and comprehend the ad unless discrepancies are extreme. Finally, it is revealed that comprehension of more cognitively challenging ads mediates the effect of incongruity on both A_ad and A_b.     

Why Narrative Ads Work: An Integrated Process Explanation

We propose and test an integrated process explanation for why narrative ads in general are more persuasive than non-narrative ads. A study involving a random sample of 25 narrative and 25 non-narrative TV commercials and 484 nonstudent research participants confirmed that a set of four process variables—emotive response, ad hedonic value, ad credibility, and perceived goal facilitation—collectively mediate the positive effects of narrative (versus non-narrative) ads on attitude toward the ad (A_ad) and brand attitudes. The results also supported moderated mediation processes, with type of featured product and product involvement as important moderators. Implications for theory as well as practice are discussed.     

Consumers' Responses to Implicit and Explicit Gay-Themed Advertising in Gay vs. Mainstream Media

ABSTRACT

Further study is needed to validate concerns over gay-themed ads appearing in mainstream media. This study investigates the effects of such ads by comparing them to the effects of gay-themed ads placed in gay media. The study delves into the differential effects of implicit and explicit visual messages. It also examines how consumers' attitudes toward homosexuality affect their purchase intention as well as advertising and brand evaluation. The study's findings suggest that implicit, rather than explicit, gay-themed ads lead to higher purchase intention and more favorable advertising and brand evaluation. The study results show that the type of advertising message (i.e., implicit or explicit gay-themed ads) moderates the relationship between gay-media and mainstream media. Finally, this study finds that a low level of tolerance toward homosexuality results in lower purchase intention as well as less favorable evaluations of both the advertising and brand. Managerial implications are also discussed.     

Consumers’ responses to price presentation formats in rebate advertisements

Although rebates offer an important and popular promotion tool in retailing, little research has investigated whether their presentation format can influence consumers’ evaluations of and purchase intentions toward products featured in rebate ads. Retailers generally use two different rebate ad formats: one that transparently shows both before- and after-rebate prices and the other that displays the after-rebate price in relatively large print and the before-rebate price in small print. Three experimental studies attempt to determine which format is more effective for eliciting favorable consumers’ responses, and the results show that the format emphasizing only after-rebate prices generally leads to lower purchase intentions because of the negative affect it elicits. Furthermore, the effect of a rebate presentation format is moderated by the rebate amount, consumers’ price knowledge, and rebate processing time. The results show that consumers’ responses to different rebate presentation formats entail both emotional responses and rational evaluations.