1 Chapter 17 Advertising Effects

2 Advertising in Today’s Media Environment Medium “Any transmission vehicle or device through which communication may occur” Advertising media includes: Television Radio Print sources

3 Advertising in Today’s Media Environment (Cont’d) Many choices for advertisers Increased availability of demographic information allows advertisers to know more particular audience characteristics. New media choices continue to appear.

4 Research Tradition Emphasis on the importance of interpersonal communications among audience members Transactional model- any number of factors could reduce the strength of media effects Elaboration Likelihood Model- offers a modern take on the transactional model

5 Research Tradition (Cont’d) Communication researchers have identified many different individual characteristics of consumers that influence media effects.

6 Theoretical Basis for Individualized Effects Selective exposure People tend to watch, listen to, and remember media messages that are consistent with their attitudes, interests, or predispositions. An audience member’s involvement or personal connection with the media content is an important component of selective exposure.

7 Five Important Consumer Characteristics 1.Attitude regarding the medium 2.Uses of the medium 3.Involvement while using the medium 4.Mood states that affect media usage

8 Krugman (1960s) Various media are either: High involvement Print media Low involvement Broadcast media Television advertising is most advantageous for developing brand recognition and brand perception.

9 The Importance of Mood Moods produced by watching particular kinds of television shows cause viewers to react differently to the commercial messages shown during the shows. Specific episodes within genres also affect a viewer’s response to ads. There is an interaction effect between the mood invoked by the program and that of the embedded commercial.

10 Consistency Theory Viewers wish to maintain a particular mood for the duration of a program. Commercials with a different tone or mood from the media context are less effective.

11 Media Context Studies Focus upon media content or stimuli rather than on particular consumer characteristics Measure more immediate responses Cognitive, physiological, and behavioral

12 Cognitive Response Studies Advertising responses are affected by a person’s level of knowledge about the product or service or claim.

13 Observational Studies Direct observation Watch consumers as they view the ads Studies revealed that children, as they viewed more and more commercials, became impatient for the return of the regular program. Many readers engage in an information- filtering process to decide whether printed items are worth the effort of their full attention.

14 Studies Involving Psychological Measures Equipment is used to determine whether physiological changes occur in response to ads. It was thought that people tend to process print ads on the the right side of the brain and television ads on the left side. This hypothesis was proven false.

15 Priming Studies Examine the content of a program to determine whether the viewer’s attention might be drawn to certain aspects of an ad Readers or viewers can be primed cognitively or affectively.

16 The Importance of Advertising Frequency and Repetition Two different models of advertising response: Threshold Effects Repeated exposure to an ad leads to effectiveness; after a certain number of exposures the ad achieves greatest impact and then slowly begins to decline in effectiveness. Diminishing Returns Response to the ad begins with the first viewing; the ad rapidly becomes more effective, then becomes less effective with subsequent exposures.

17 Advertising Wearout Prolonged exposure to the same ad causes consumers to feel resentful and sometimes irritated. Effectiveness of the ad declines.

18 Pechmann and Stewart (1988) Three “quality” exposures to a particular ad are needed for the ad to have an effect. Quality exposure The audience member pays attention to the ad and it evokes certain thoughts or feelings. Too many exposures may result in diminished returns.

19 Frequent Exposure to Ads Results in a process of learning for the consumer. Influenced by prior experiences and prior knowledge Overrepetition allows for long-term memory of ads or products.

20 Comprehension and Miscomprehension Consumers must fully understand an ad in order for it to be persuasive. Miscomprehension is a problem with both print and broadcast ads. Comprehension has been found to be related to a reader’s age, educational level, and income.

21 Recent Research Introduction of interactive media and its effects on marketing communication: Changes in the entire sales experience and consumer processing and perceptions Allows for word of mouth communication Creation of consumer profiling Ability to track online behavior Trust on the part of the consumer towards the advertising source