Age‐Related Differences in Emotion Regulation within the Context of Sad and Happy TV Programs

The marketing literature on program context includes several studies on the influence of program‐induced positive and negative emotions on the evaluation of embedded television advertisements. While the majority of these studies have been conducted with younger adults, new discoveries on the differentiated processes of emotion regulation among younger and older adults are reviving interest in this topic. The present study examined the impact of television program context on program‐induced affective reactions and on the processing of embedded television advertisements among younger and older adults. Program‐induced mood valence was manipulated by using excerpts from sad and happy films. This research shows that affective reactions elicited by sad and happy television programs, as well as attitude toward the advertisement, differ between younger and older adults. The level of sadness reported by older adults was lower than that of younger adults within a sad program context. The results also show a negative influence of a sad (versus a happy) program on attitude toward the advertisement among younger adults but not among older adults. These results confirm that in advancing age, it is possible to shape emotional responses to suit regulation goals.     

The Effect of Program Context on Commercial Performance

In order to assess the effects of program context upon television commercial “performance,” two proposed attributes of both television programs and commercials—content and style—were operationalized to establish four viewing packages. Each typology represented a different content-style relationship between the commercial and the program carrier. It was hypothesized that consistent contextual relationships would result in individuals reacting more favorably toward, though providing lesser recall of, the commercial/ product advertised. Post-viewing questionnaire responses obtained from 279 experimental subjects indicated that the content-style relationship between a program and commercial yielded no major commercial impact effects, although the stylistic dimension may have certain communication effectiveness consequences.     

The impact of emotional appeal and the media context on the effectiveness of commercials for not-for-profit and for-profit brands

This study investigates the impact of emotions, both ad- and context-evoked, on the effectiveness of commercials for not-for-profit vs. for-profit brands. Two types of emotional impact are taken into account: firstly, the emotional appeal of the commercial itself and secondly, the emotion evoked by the context in which the commercial is embedded. Effectiveness is made operational by both rational (recall, recognition) and emotional measures (likeability, understanding of the ad and reduced intention to switch the ad). The main research uses a 2 × 2 between subjects design where the context (warm vs. sad film fragment) and the type of commercial (warm vs. sad) were manipulated for not-for-profit and for-profit brands. The appropriate stimuli were identified in a preliminary study. The results indicate that, overall, sadness as an execution approach works better for commercials. This is in particular the case for the rational impact measures of the for-profit brands. For the not-for-profit brands, the emotional measures have significantly higher scores. Moreover, a context-evoking sadness proves to be the most responsive for the for-profit brands.     

Ocko,Judy Young,and Rosenblum,M. L. The Specialty Store and its Advertising. New York: National Retail Merchants Association, 1976

Abstract

The authors report the findings of an experiment that investigated the influence of television programs on viewers' perceptions of television commercials. Specifically, program arousal and program pleasantness were examined as potentially important determinants of viewers' emotional responses to advertising. The experiment used a two (levels of program arousal) by two (levels of program pleasantness) design to assess the effects of the independent variables on viewers'perceptions of commercial pleasantness for a pod of four commercials. As hypothesized, an assimilation effect occurred in the high arousal condition and a contrast effect occurred in the low arousal condition. Implications of these results for researchers and practitioners are discussed.     

Effects of sex and attitudes toward women on the processing of television commercials

This study examined the effects of sex and attitudes toward women on different cognitive measures that were obtained after ‘liberal’ and ‘nonliberal’ male and female subjects viewed 12 television commercials: 6 commercials depicted ‘traditional’ female roles and 6 were ‘neutral.’ The dependent variables included (1) ratings of the commercials, (2) objections to the commercials, (3) perceived content or interpretation of the commercials, and (4) willingness to buy. The results suggested that liberals had more objections to the stereotypic commercials and that they rated and interpreted some of them more negatively when compared with nonliberals. Liberals were also less willing to buy some of the products after viewing traditional commercials. The findings were discussed with reference to Bem's (1981) gender schema theory.     

Television advertising and childrens' attitudes toward proprietary medicine

The effect of exposure to television drug advertising on children's attitudes toward proprietary medicines and medicine use was investigated in two experiments. The first experiment presented the commercials in a realistic program context fashion. The second experiment presented the commercials in a more direct and controlled manner. Using drug questionnaires, the subjects were assessed for their attitudes regarding the use of proprietary drugs. The results of both studies indicated that exposure to drug advertising had little influence on children's attitudes. Furthermore, children preferred not to watch drug commercials in comparison to a TV program or other types of commercials.     

The Impact of Commercial Break Position on Advertising Effectiveness in Different Mood Conditions

This study investigated the composite impact of commercial break position and program-generated mood on television advertising effectiveness. A two-way mixed-repeated experiment was conducted with three commercials breaks and two mood conditions (positive and negative). The results indicated that commercial break position effects are more salient in affecting ad performance than mood effects generated by program context. The overall findings suggested that ads placed in the first breaks are more effective than those placed in the later breaks. Interaction effects between break position and context-induced moods were also examined.     

Chinese Viewers' Perception of Informative and Emotional Advertising

A systematic analysis of Chinese viewers' perception of television advertising was conducted using a sample of sixty commercials which were viewed by 160 respondents per commercial, who selected from a list of twenty adjectives adopted from the Aaker and Bruzzone (1981) study. Results indicated great differences in viewers' perceptions: informative commercials were most frequently considered to be ‘dull’, ‘uninteresting’ and ‘informative’, while emotional commercials were described as ‘appealing’, ‘interesting’ and ‘original’. Emotional advertising scored higher on ‘liking’ and perceived brand image than informative advertising. Factor analysis was carried out across commercials and individuals.     

The intensifying effects of exciting television programs on the reception of subsequent commercials

This paper examines the effects of viewer excitement as elicited by television programs on the effectiveness of commercials embedded in such programs. A review of the literature suggests that the physiological arousal which results from suspenseful or emotional programs can be usefully characterized as an intensifier of important viewer responses. A brief overview of the literature on program context effects to date is given and a model is developed which positions arousal in relation to other mediating variables affecting commercial impact. The paper concludes with a summary of the more pressing issues arising from the study of excitement as an aspect of media environment.     

An investigation of brand placement effects on brand attitudes and purchase intentions: Brand placements versus TV commercials

Brand placements are gradually becoming an important part of promotional toolkit of many major companies. However, despite the increasing volume of research on brand placements during the last decade, several important questions still remain unanswered. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effectiveness of brand placements in television sitcoms and contrast it with the effectiveness of 30-second commercials. The authors administer a quasi-natural experiment to a sample of research panel participants to investigate how brand placements in television sitcoms affect their attitudes and purchase intentions. Results of the study suggest that people have a more positive attitude toward brand placements than toward traditional television commercials. Moreover, placements can be more effective than 30-seconds commercials when targeting audiences with low attitude toward advertising. Finally, a combination of a brand placement and a commercial within one program doesn't significantly increase brand attitudes and purchase intentions compared with sole exposure conditions.     

Recall of Information from Political Advertising

Abstract

Televised political commercials have frequently been criticized for stressing idealized image characteristics of the candidates rather than issues. Content analyses of political advertising, however, have shown that these commercials generally contain both image and issue material. Given both types of content are present in political ads, this study was designed to determine what people recall from these ads in a natural environment. A telephone study during the last week of a gubernatorial election revealed that the amount of free recall exhibited was greater for information from a preferred candidate's commercials than from his opponent's. However, one-third of the respondents were unable to recall anything from either candidates' political commercials. Recall was more highly related to attitude variables than most demographic variables or total television exposure.     

How Chinese Children's Commercials Differ from Those of the United States: A Content Analysis

Abstract

A content analysis was conducted of children's television commercials from China and the United States that were recorded over a period of eighteen months. We describe how the content of the two sets of commercials differs and the underlying reasons for the differences, including cultural, economic, and social conditions. The results suggest that, for the most part, Chinese children's commercials reflect China's traditional cultural values and its social and economic development level. However, the analysis was able to detect a shifting in power in Chinese society from the elderly to the young, resulting mainly from its one-child policy implemented during the past two decades. We also found some evidence of Western values creeping into Chinese children's commercials. Limitations are noted, and suggestions are offered for additional research that will corroborate these findings.     

Switching before the pitch: Exploring television channel changing before the ads even start

Although much research examines ‘ad zapping’ or channel changing during the commercials, the present work explores preemptive ad avoidance before the commercials begin. Television programs give different ad signals, which could alter rates of preemptive ad avoidance. Ad pods from two hit shows were explored using second-by-second channel-changing data; rates of preemptive ad avoidance were practically important and varied between shows. Inspection of program episodes suggested that the show with more preemptive ad zapping gave clearer ad signals and had more ‘ad safe’ time per episode, that is, there was more time when an ad break would not occur clearly. The data suggest that advertisers should seek unit-specific measures of opportunities to see commercials as such measures become possible with digital distribution of television.     

DeLozier,M. Wayne. The Marketing Communications Process. New York: Met-Raw-Hill Book Company, 1976

Abstract

This study examines such variables as program type, (drama vs. games). program time, viewing frequency, number of persons in the room, and the viewers sex as they affect the daytime television viewer's ability to recognize products which were (or were not) advertised on television programs viewed immediately prior to interviews conducted with a random sample of viewers from the Dayton, Ohio, metropolitan area. Results of this study indicate a number of statistically significant differences triggered by these variables-differences which have potentially large practical implications for television advertisers.     

A developmental study of preference for advertised toys

The hypothesis was tested that five-year-olds would be more easily persuaded than eight-year-olds to prefer certain toys after viewing ads for these toys. Forty kindergarteners and forty third graders viewed either a control commerical or an ad for a toy they had ranked fourth out of a group of seven toys shown to them in a preference task. After viewing, they repeated the preference task. The dependent variable was the post viewing rank of the toy that had been ranked fourth prior to viewing. Analysis of variance revealed only a significant grade by viewing condition interaction in which the older children liked the toy significantly better if they had viewed a commercial for it. Younger children showed no significant viewing effects. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for cognitive variables which may be responsible for the age differences in the effects of exposure to television commercials.     

The Impact of Program Environment on Recall of Humorous Television Commercials

This study investigated the possible effect of television program types on the recall performance of humorous television commercials. An experimental design was developed to test the relative performance of the same humorous and non-humorous ads in three different contextual environments—situation comedy, action/adventure, and documentary. The findings indicate that the recall performance of commercials and of the product or service promoted are both affected by the program environment within which the ads appear.     

Contextual Priming Effects of Television Programs on Commercials: The Moderating Effects of Age

This study investigated whether age and its associated implicit memory deficits influences responses to contextual television advertising. Prior exposure to the advertised product or brand during a program should improve recall and brand attitude for contextual commercials. The results of a lab experiment, with participants ranging in age from 19 to 78, revealed that unbranded product appearances significantly improved recall, compared to normal unprimed commercials, but only for younger consumers. Branded product appearances did not significantly improve recall, compared to unbranded appearances. Contextual commercials had no positive effects on brand attitude. However, a competitor-brand appearance had a negative effect on brand attitude, for both older and younger consumers. Implications of these results, and their limitations, are discussed.     

The Effects Of Program Involvement On Commercial Exposure And Recall In A Naturalistic Setting

Although program involvement is often found to be an important determinant of commercial recall, studies have produced mixed results. The authors contend that inconsistent findings are, in large part, a result of the degree to which respondents are free to determine their exposure to commercials. It is hypothesized that in studies where exposure is not forced, program involvement has a positive effect on commercial recall. This proposition was examined during the broadcast of four matches of the 2000 European Soccer Championship (N = 344). Results show that viewers who saw a highly involving match recalled commercials significantly better than those who saw matches that scored lower on program involvement. This effect was, in large part, mediated by respondents' exposure to the commercials.     

诉说与倾听——以《鲁豫有约》为例浅析电视访谈类节目的时代化

电视访谈类节目是这几年比较活跃节目样态。凤凰卫视在2002年推出了由陈鲁豫主持的《鲁豫有约》这档节目,以2005年为界,这档节目开始融入了更多新鲜的元素。品味着怀旧,感受着猎奇,我们一起走进鲁豫和她带给我们的或美丽或忧伤的天下故事。在品读这些故事的同时,我们可以更为深刻的感受到在全新的语境下,语言的魅力。