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Recent research suggests that music comprises a sign system that could add meanings to advertising. However, research in this area is scant and there is practically no research that has examined the process by which consumers use music to create meanings. This study extends previous research on print advertising to delineate effects of music in congruent/incongruent TV advertising. A mixed design integrating features of qualitative and quantitative methods was used. Results indicated that the viewers' knowledge of cultural texts form a reference point for reading the commercials. Specifically, music in congruent ads reduces 'noise' by reinforcing the connecting cultural context to communicate meanings. However, music in incongruent ads helps enact an alternative context that is meaningful to the viewer to communicate the ad message. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the frequent discussion and usage of comparative advertising, very few studies have empirically examined the phenomenon. This article reports the findings of a content analysis of 896 nationally televised advertisements. Results on the types of products compared, the competitive advantages stressed, the extent to which competition is noted, and the frequency of comparative advertising are reported. The study showed that strictly defined comparative advertisements are a relatively small percentage of total national television advertisements. Results also suggest that certain product types are more likely to utilize comparisons. Furthermore, quality is clearly the most common attribute stressed in comparative advertisements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been suggested that increasing levels of clutter on television lead to diminished memory retrieval for advertised brands. Although earlier studies have shown that clutter decreases an individual's ability to recall a brand, it is not clear that clutter will have the same effect on other measures of memory. Two experiments with important methodologic differences from prior clutter studies investigated the impact of clutter on recognition, aided recall, and unaided recall. The results suggest that clutter may not significantly affect an individuals true ability to remember what was seen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of the feeling of warmth created by a commercial, as measured by the "warmth monitor," is explored in a series of three studies. The first study examines the relationship between warmth and arousal as measured by skin response. The other studies explore the relationship between warmth and advertising responses such as liking of the ad and purchase likelihood through testing ads with warm and other execution strategies. They also test the effects of sequences of commercials on warmth responses and on the impact of the ad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe food advertised on networks serving children and youth, and to compare ads on English-language networks with ads on Spanish networks. Design: Analysis of television food advertisements appearing on Saturday morning and weekday afternoons in 2005-2006. A random sample of 1,130 advertisements appearing on 12 networks catering to Spanish-language, children, youth, Black youth, and general audiences were analyzed. Main Outcome Measures: Each advertisement was coded for the nature of the item promoted, the selling propositions used, and any nutritional claims made. Analysis: Cross-tabulations using Fisher's exact test (P < .05 criterion). Results: One-fifth of commercials were for food. Food ads were especially prevalent on Saturday programs and children's networks. Seventy percent of food ads were for items high in sugar or fat. More than one fourth of food advertisements were for fast-food restaurants, which were especially common on MTV and Spanish-language networks. Ads for fruits and vegetables were rare (1.7%). One nutrition-related public service announcement was found for every 63 food ads. Conclusions and Implications: Food advertisements continue to promote less-healthful items. Until marketing of high calorie, low-nutrient food to children is restricted, education and media literacy remain the best strategies for mitigating advertising effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]