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Hearing is our highly sensitive warning system. As a sense, hearing has uniquely evolved to perform this alerting function and is perceptive to subtle ambient cues that are associated with threat. We propose that one aspect of sound that may cue such associations is pitch, such that low-pitch (vs. moderate pitch) background sound nonconsciously primes a threat response resulting in heightened anxiety among consumers. Furthermore, this emotional response manifests itself in the form of increased risk avoidance. Seven studies in varied domains demonstrate that low- (vs. moderate-) pitch background sound results in higher anxiety, which leads to risk-avoidant consumer choices—for instance, being willing to pay more for car insurance or choosing a food option with lower taste uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of neurophysiological methods to study the effects of advertising on consumer purchase behavior has seen an enormous growth in recent years. However, little is known about the role social settings have on shaping the human brain during the processing of advertising stimuli. To address this issue, we first review previous key findings of neuroscience research on advertising effectiveness. Next, we discuss traditional advertising research into the effects social context has on the way consumers experience advertising messages and explain why marketers, who aim to predict advertising effectiveness, should place participants in social settings, in addition to the traditional ways of studying consumer brain responses to advertising in social isolation. This article contributes to the literature by offering advertising researchers a series of research agendas on the key indicators of advertising effectiveness (attention, emotion, memory, and preference). It aims to improve understanding of the impact social context has on consumers' neurophysiological responses to advertising messages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As defined by Friestad and Wright (1994), "persuasion knowledge" is personal knowledge about persuasion attempts that consumers develop and use whenever they believe they are targets of persuasion. A significant majority of research on persuasion knowledge has suggested that persuasion knowledge and skepticism invariably go hand in hand, and that accessing persuasion knowledge therefore leads consumers to evaluate the agent and its offering less favorably. Across four studies, the authors demonstrate the novel effect that persuasion knowledge access can lead to greater credibility (rather than greater skepticism), a finding that they argue is theoretically consistent with Friestad and Wright's (1994) Persuasion Knowledge Model. Further, the authors demonstrate that when a persuasive agent uses a credible tactic, persuasion knowledge access can lead consumers to evaluate the agent and its offering more (rather than less) favorably. They also develop and test a new approach for increasing persuasion knowledge access in lab experiments, which can facilitate the investigation of other occasions where persuasion knowledge access increases trust and belief in a persuasive message. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research demonstrates the importance of thin slices of information in ad and brand evaluation, with important implications for advertising research and management. Three controlled experiments, two in the behavioral lab and one in the field, with exposure durations ranging from very brief (100 msec) to very long (30 sec), demonstrate that advertising evaluation critically depends on the duration of ad exposure and on how ads convey which product and brand they promote, but in surprising ways. The experiments show that upfront ads, which instantly convey what they promote, are evaluated positively after brief but also after longer exposure durations. Mystery ads, which suspend conveying what they promote, are evaluated negatively after brief but positively after longer exposure durations. False front ads, which initially convey another identity than what they promote, are evaluated positively after brief exposures but negatively after longer exposure durations. Bayesian mediation analysis demonstrates that the feeling of knowing what the ad promotes accounts for these ad-type effects on evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we examine differences in the impact of message framing and scarcity appeal types in advertisements on consumers with varying levels of need for uniqueness (NFU). Results from two experimental studies support a two-way NFU × scarcity interaction, wherein participants with lower levels of NFU show a greater impact of demand (versus supply) scarcity appeal on their attitudes and purchase intentions; whereas participants with higher levels of NFU show a greater impact of supply (versus demand) appeal. In addition, we found support for a three-way interaction, which shows that, under both gain and loss frames, participants with lower levels of NFU prefer demand over supply appeal; whereas under the loss frame, participants with higher levels of NFU prefer supply over demand appeal. We discuss the conceptual contribution and managerial implications of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study uses meta-analytic techniques to examine the number of exposures that maximize consumer response to an ad. The results show that in an experimental setting maximum attitude is reached at approximately ten exposures, while recall increases linearly and does not level off before the eighth exposure. The findings are of interest for two opposing schools of thought in the advertising literature on effective frequency. They support the repetitionists’ beliefs over the minimalists’ beliefs on the number of ad exposures needed for maximum consumer response. The study further investigates whether the repetition effects depend on contingent factors. Low involvement and spaced exposures enhance repetition effects on attitude toward the brand. Embedded advertising and massed exposures enhance the repetition effects on recall. Repetition effects decay over time for both attitude toward the brand and recall. The study provides important implications for researchers by contributing to the discussion on effective frequency and providing support for the repetitionists’ view. This view has implications for practitioners who try to optimize advertising frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Advertising plays a critical role in the commercial success of services and products. However, despite a long history of attempts to evaluate the efficacy of advertisements, actual objective, consistent means of assessing and anticipating whether an advertisement might be effective and why it would be expected to translate to actual, desired purchasing decisions remain elusive—especially as this regards advertisements' ability to resonate or create emotional connections across audiences. In this study, focusing on female participants, we employed functional near‐infrared spectroscopy to monitor brain activations over empathy and emotional contagion regions as individuals viewed advertisements, matched with a multi‐brain network model for assessing synchronicity patterns across all participants' brains. Study 1 demonstrated that high‐scoring advertisements induced more densely coupled brain activations among participants in their right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), tied to emotional empathy via embodied experience, and thus potentially representing shared understandings and emotional resonance among consumers. Study 2 replicated this finding with popular music and confirmed that density of the right IFG multi‐brain network could predict real‐world population‐level performance, thus presenting an intriguing new tool that might be coupled with other assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results of two experiments reveal that the use of probability markers in advertisements affects brand attitude and purchase intentions, and that this is moderated by the type of service, customers’ involvement, and their level of tolerance for ambiguity. Services in the study were classified as more or less hedonic/utilitarian, and more or less involving. Probability markers affect consumers’ brand attitude and purchase intentions for less-involving services, while this effect is not significant for more-involving services. In addition, higher tolerance for ambiguity results in preference of hedges over pledges or no probability markers, while for consumers with lower tolerance for ambiguity the opposite holds. With regards to service type, for more-hedonic, less-involving services the use of hedges in advertising copy increases brand attitude and purchase intentions, while for more-utilitarian, less-involving services pledges result in highest levels of brand attitude and purchase intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Using fMRI and self-reports, we explore the relationship between ad-elicited emotional arousal and memory for the ad, as well as the mechanisms involved in this relationship. A broad conceptual framework proposes three routes for emotional memory: attention, elaboration, and social cognition. Our exploratory study examines the association between ad-elicited emotional arousal and predetermined ad memorability, as a proxy for memory for the ad. Results reveal greater amygdala activation in memorable (versus unmemorable) ads, reinforcing the association between ad-elicited emotional arousal and memory for the ad. Amygdala activation was accompanied by activation in the brain region termed the superior temporal sulcus (STS), which is involved in social cognition. These results are indicative of a sociocognitive emotional memory process, which has been neglected in past research. Future research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Participation in fantasy sports has become one of the most popular forms of interactive online entertainment, attracting more than 32 million players in North America. The purpose of this study was to examine the biasing effects of an advertisement promoting the popular online service. Using the illusion of control theory as a framework, a 2 x 2 between-subjects experiment {N = 156) was conducted to examine the effects of two marketer-controlled variables (i.e., customization level and expert information) on participants' illusory judgments and their decisions to participate in the advertised service. The results showed that both manipulated features evoked biases in control perceptions. Furthermore, illusory control increases winning expectancy and increased winning expectancy leads to favorable attitude and decision toward the advertised product. Findings suggest that promotional information emphasizing control heuristics and expert knowledge can increase consumers' beliefs that they can control their outcome, which subsequently influences their decision to participate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a study of the dark side of anthropomorphism, which explores the depiction of cows in contemporary advertising. The study begins by tracing the cow's representation in culture as an object that is simultaneously revered and profaned, tracing this to its long-standing association with nature and the feminine. It then offers a historical perspective on the representation of cows in advertising, outlining some of the controversies that have raged about how cows are depicted. This leads to a consideration of ecofeminism and related issues around this, such as environmentalism and gender. Its central argument is that an anthropocentric world view has led to cows being positioned in anthropomorphic advertisements as ‘the Other'. Applying an ecofeminist analysis, the authors identify an overarching narrative of ‘benevolent mastery’ in many cow advertisements that adopt anthropomorphic devices. As such, these advertisements serve to delude us about the true nature of cows' lives. The authors conclude by suggesting that an ecofeminist lens enables us to unmask the ‘dark side' of anthropomorphism in marketing, revealing fundamental prejudices in contemporary culture. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This research draws on theoretical perspectives related to regulatory focus and self-view in the context of "green" advertising appeals. A pattern of results similar to that typically reported in the literature is replicated (i.e., promotion-framed messages are more persuasive for individuals with an active independent self-view, whereas prevention- framed messages are more persuasive for individuals with an active interdependent self-view)-but only when persuasive messages focus on personal health appeals. A considerably different set of relationships is observed when messages focus on environmental appeals. Consistent with our theoretical expectations regarding goal compatibility effects, prevention- (as opposed to promotion-) focused environmental appeals generated more favorable attitudes for individuals who are situationally primed to have an independent self-view. In the interdependent self-view condition, the promotion-focused appeals performed as well as or better than the prevention-focused appeals. The theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed, and future research directions are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growth of green marketing, there is a shortage of studies on green communication. Thus, this research aims to understand whether consumers who are concerned about the environment conserve resources and have environmentally friendly buying habits and whether they are skeptical about the green communications conveyed by companies. Using a proposal of a model about skepticism toward green advertising, several hypotheses are tested. The results indicate that the more environmentally concerned an individual is, the more skepticism he or she will be toward green claims exhibited on packages or featured in ads. In addition, results indicated no significant differences between men and women regarding this skepticism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical information is an important feature in green advertising claims. In four experiments, the authors examine the extent to which numerical precision signals the competence of an advertised company. The results suggest that consumers who are low in advertising skepticism tend to perceive the advertised company as more competent when presented with precise numbers, which are considered more informative and scientific. Highly skeptical consumers are less likely to be affected by numerical precision. Furthermore, the moderation effect of advertising skepticism can be mitigated by consumer topic knowledge about the advertised environmental issue: Highly skeptical but less knowledgeable consumers are also susceptible to numerical precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased spending and demand for sustainable advertising necessitates research to understand better how to encourage sustainable thought and behavior effectively, especially in the understudied areas of social media and cross-cultural research. This study, which includes respondents from the United States, Germany, and South Korea (total n = 1,018) who completed an online survey about usage of Facebook and Twitter, examines motives for sustainable behaviors. Kelman's (1958) functional motives, which correspond to the three major philosophies of psychology, were used as the theoretical foundation for this study. For all countries, involvement motives lead to recycling behaviors and green transportation use, but only for the United States and Germany do involvement motives lead to antimaterialistic views and organic food purchase. Collectivist South Korea has the highest level of social media involvement and of sustainable behaviors except in recycling, where Germany leads. Motives are complex, demanding careful analysis from advertisers who plan to deliver green advertisements over social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effect of consumers' self-regulatory focus on their response to green versus nongreen advertising appeals in terms of perceived attractiveness and purchase intention. Study 1 finds that prevention- focused participants are more strongly persuaded when "product-related" appeals emphasize green rather than nongreen product attributes, whereas the converse holds true for those who are promotion-focused. Study 2 finds that with respect to "non-product-related" appeals and for both categories of self-regulatory focus, green is significantly more persuasive than nongreen. Purchasing decisions by promotion-focused individuals are found to reflect a concern for experiential advancement; prevention-focused counterparts are motivated to minimize loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines some of the key factors that determine how hedonic advertising appeals influence consumption impulses. Study 1 demonstrates that when advertising appeals vividly describe the pleasures of consumption rather than the utilitarian functions of the product, message recipients are able to visualize the emotions they are likely to experience during the consumption process. These anticipated emotions, once activated, may be so overwhelming that a tug-of-war between impulse and self-restraint occurs, prompting message recipients to generate excuses to justify yielding to their consumption impulses. Study 2 replicates this process and goes further by showing how hedonic appeals influence taste anticipation and consumption impulses. Ideas for future research and implications for advertising researchers and practitioners are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The popularity of stereoscopic 3-D technology is encouraging advertisers to adopt this format as a new advertising tool in diverse contexts. This research investigates the impact of nonglasses and glasses types of stereoscopic 3-D advertising, and proposes a theoretical model examining the role of presence in advertising effectiveness. Due to their power to increase presence, both stereoscopic 3-D advertising formats have a significantly stronger impact on diverse marketing variables than flat 3-D advertising. A structural equation model reveals the process through which presence affects advertising effectiveness by enhancing enjoyment and increasing perceived product knowledge. In addition, the moderating effects of novelty and cybersickness on presence are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the structural effects of cognitive and affective elaborations elicited by metaphoric advertising messages on the formation of A^ using the model developed by MacKenzie, Lutz, and Belch (1986). Results of an experiment with a 2 (low/high involvement) X 2 (hedonic/utilitarian) between-subjects design indicated that the level of metaphor-elicited cognitive elaboration had a significant effect on attitude toward advertiser, whereas the level of metaphor-elicited affective elaboration was significant on ad perceptions and ad credibility. In addition, affective elaborations had a greater overall impact, in terms of total effect, on Ajd compared to the cognitive elaborations. Details about the effects of cognitive and affective elaborations under different product conditions are presented, and theoretical and managerial implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the differential effects of adding an explanatory headline to ads with a pictorial metaphor on brand communication effects. An experimental study compared the effects of adding a moderate headline, which gives a clue to the ad's message, or a complete headline, which clearly spells out the ad's message, to an ad without a headline. Results show that a complete headline leads to more positive brand communication effects than a moderate headline or no headline at all. A complete headline results in stronger brand beliefs about the key benefit conveyed by the pictorial metaphor, which in turn leads to a more positive brand attitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers are often exposed to subtle and blatant product placements as they watch a variety of evening television shows. In addition, as they watch, consumers' self-regulatory resources are expected to be "depleted" following a typical day at work and/or home (Baumeister, Heatherton, and Tice 1994). Connecting these two ideas, the current study tests whether ego depletion moderates the impact of subtle versus blatant product placements on viewers' brand recognition and brand attitudes. Using experimenter-generated television pilots as stimuli, the findings of our empirical investigation indicate that viewers are less likely to recognize being exposed to subtly placed than to blatantly placed brands, and this difference is magnified by ego depletion. In addition, when viewers are not depleted, blatant placements lead to more favorable attitudes than subtle placements. When viewers are in a depleted state, however, subtle placements lead to more favorable attitudes than blatant placements. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ad-sponsored online video programs currently use a range of commercial loading that varies from exactly the same, compared with broadcast and cable networks, to very much lower. This paper provides empirical evidence about the effects of different levels of commercial loading in online video on perceptions of ad intrusiveness and ad effectiveness, and uses skin conductance to directly observe the potentially enhancing effects of commercial disruption on arousal during the program. The results show that one ad per break maximizes both this disruptive effect and ad recall. As predicted by Nelson, Meyvis, and Galak (2009), popular prime-time television shows do not evoke a decrease in arousal over time and are not enhanced by commercial disruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research explores the role of disgust in enhancing compliance with fear appeals. Despite its frequent use in advertising and prevalence in consumer settings, little is known about the specific role that disgust plays in persuasion. This article explores the unique characteristics of disgust and examines its distinctive effect on persuasion. The results across a series of four studies demonstrate that adding disgust to a fear appeal appreciably enhances message persuasion and compliance beyond that of appeals that elicit only fear. Importantly, the results trace the persuasive effects of disgust to its strong and immediate avoidance reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growth of e-mail advertising, advertisers must manage their e-mail frequency to preserve opt-in lists in an environment of saturation. This paper presents two empirical studies suggesting that to alleviate consumers' perception of being under heavy e-mail pressure, advertisers should help them discard nonrelevant e-mails with minimum effort. The research reveals that perceived pressure from any one advertiser is an individual phenomenon. Under conditions of low relevance, the effect of this pressure on unsubscriptions is moderated by the execution of e-mail advertising. Consumer perception of pressure from any one advertiser is crucial, as managers can control their own advertising but not overall e-mail advertising volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing concern over violence in the media has led to vast amounts of research examining the effects of violent media on viewers. An important subset of this research looks at how humor affects this relationship. While research has considered this subset in television programming, almost no research has explored this in the context of advertising. This paper builds on the little research that exists by examining the effects of combining humor and violence, as well as the theoretical approaches that underlie these effects. A content analysis is conducted to identify the prevalence of violence, humor, and the combination of these elements in a longitudinal sample of Super Bowl commercials (2005, 2007, and 2009). Further, we investigate the relationship between the joint occurrence of humor and violence in ads and ad popularity. We conclude that violent acts are rampant in these commercials and that many acts are camouflaged by the simultaneous presence of humor, especially in the most popular ads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the differential effects of ad novelty and message usefulness--frequently conceptualized as the two major dimensions of ad creativity--on the following variables: attitude toward the ad, attitude toward the brand, brand trust, ad recall, and brand recall. Novelty and usefulness influence attitude toward the brand, but only usefulness influences brand trust. Both relationships are mediated by attitude toward the ad. We also investigate how novelty and usefulness influence recall by both type (brand and ad) and duration (short term and long term). We find that novelty leads to better short-term ad recall, whereas usefulness leads to better short-term and long-term brand recall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online communities offer attractive opportunities and challenges to advertisers. Using a revised source credibility framework, this study proposes that interpersonal trust and platform credibility are core to consumer search and consumption behaviors that allow advertisers to harvest value from online communities. We postulate that (1) quality Web features, and user instrumental and relational need fulfillment are antecedents of interpersonal trust and platform credibility; (2) interpersonal trust is distinct from, and an important driver of, platform credibility; and (3) both constructs drive a user's online community usage and brand variety seeking behavior. An online survey of 899 consumers in China supports these propositions and offers both research and managerial implications for this new media platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates how ad content influences which language should be used in advertisements targeting bilingual individuals. The authors argue that the influence of ad content on language appropriateness is due to processing fluency: Some concepts are more accessible in one language than in the other, which leads to more positive ad evaluations when the ad is written in that language. The results of three studies provide the basis for a Word Accessibility/ Fluency framework to study the interaction of language and ad content with respect to ad evaluations. This framework operates at the nonconscious level. Once conscious attention is brought to language, other factors such as language schemas take over ad evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the general aggression model and presence (i.e., sense of "being there") theory as frameworks, this study investigates the effects of violence cues (blood and screams of pain) and players' individual differences in aggression (trait aggression) on brand logo memory and on attitude change in a violent first-person shooter game (Half-Life 2). Physiological arousal (skin conductance levels) was assessed during game play and participants reported their sense of presence in the game. Results indicate that violence cues influence brand logo memory through engagement and affect attitude change via arousal. Although physiological arousal led to positive change in brand attitude, it does not significantly influence logo memory. Conversely, although higher levels of spatial presence led to better logo memory, there was a corresponding reduction in attitude change for highly recognized brands. We consider the possibility that increased memory but negative attitude change with higher presence in violent video games could deter advertisers from placing their messages inside violent games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the model proposed herein, both editorial liking and editorial-induced affect serve as judgment heuristics whose influence on evaluations of subsequent ads and featured brands varies as a function of individual characteristics. Consumers who are more responsive to emotional stimuli (i.e., with high affect intensity) are more likely to develop their ad evaluations on the basis of how they feel when they read the editorial (affect as information effects), whereas consumers who respond to likable stimuli (i.e., with high absorption disposition) are more likely to formulate their ad evaluations in terms of how they like the editorial content (liking as information effects). Three experiments test this model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the role of emotional information management (comprised of emotion recognition, regulation, and empathy) in responses to public service appeals (PSAs) with emotional overtones. Whereas most theories of responses to emotional advertising, particularly fear appeals, focus on cognitive processing or coping strategies, we develop a model of emotional competencies and show how emotional information management (EIM) affects consumer responses to emotional appeals. Informed by affect as information theory, the EIM model suggests that managing negative emotions effectively should reduce empathetic responses to emotional ads while utilizing positive emotions should increase empathy. Empirical survey results demonstrate the efficacy of EIM for explaining how emotional appeals affect attitudes toward the ad (Aad) and behavioral intentions (Bi) to comply with both positively and negatively valenced anti- drunk driving commercials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the relative effect of two types of scarcity messages (limited-quantity and limited-time) on consumers' purchase intentions. The moderating influence of brand concept (functional or symbolic) on this relationship is also examined. Drawing on the results of two studies, the authors conclude that the limited-quantity messages are more effective than limited-time messages in influencing consumers' purchase intentions. This differential impact is further enhanced for symbolic brands. Consumer competition is found to mediate the effect of scarcity messages on purchase intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a theory-driven approach, this study investigates whether and/or to what extent consumers' informationprocessing tendencies and ad-based responses are differentially influenced by the introduction of nostalgic cues (either "personal" or "historical" in nature) embedded in an advertisement. The results support hypothesized expectations that personal nostalgia (a yearning for one's past) generally outperforms both historical and non-nostalgic advertising when measures of self-directed thoughts, positive affect, and attitude toward the ad are considered. However, when cognitive measures (i.e., brand/message-related cognitive responses and message recall) are considered, a personally nostalgic ad is shown to be comparable to a historical nostalgic ad, but inferior to a non-nostalgic ad. Regression results utilizing cognitive response data further indicate that individuals' brand attitudes are differentially influenced by the type of nostalgia evoked. Practical and theoretical implications for the study's findings are discussed, and future research directions are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, most work in advertising assumes neutral or positive effects of exposed ads that are physically present, but not actively attended to by consumers. The primary justification for this assumption is the mere exposure effect. Recent work suggests that when people avoid distracting stimuli while engaged in a search or focused activity, however, negative affect for the distractor can occur. This distractor devaluation hypothesis was applied to banner ads. Results show that participants developed more negative attitudes toward avoided brands that appeared as distractor ads on a Web page, particularly when the ads were visually similar and near the target content [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates how an individual’s self-construal and self-regulatory focus interplay in determining advertising message persuasiveness. In Experiment 1, we examine the moderating role of an individual’s chronically accessible self-construal with respect to regulatory focus. The results show that individuals with a dominant independent self-construal exhibit more positive attitudes toward a promotion-focused advertising message and the advocated brand, whereas individuals with a prevailing interdependent self-construal show more favorable attitudes toward a preventionfocused advertising message and the associated brand. While replicating Experiment 1, Experiment 2 lends further support for the observed relationship by temporarily priming self-construal through a series of contextual advertising images involving individual and team sports events. The findings reveal that individuals who are primed first by viewing individual sports events later evaluate the promotion-focused advertising message and the brand more positively; in contrast, those exposed to team sports events display more favorable evaluations of the prevention-focused advertising and attitude toward the brand. This suggests that situationally primed self-construal, in conjunction with regulatory focus, has a similar impact on advertising message effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research on attention shifts to advertisements has focused primarily on demonstrating how perceptual features can shift attention to advertisements. In this article, the authors demonstrate that certain semantic characteristics of nonfocal advertising elements may similarly attract attention when consumers are focused on a primary task elsewhere in the visual field. In three experiments, the authors investigate how orienting attention responses to highly emotional advertising elements influence ad and brand awareness in cluttered environments. Specifically, they demonstrate that preattentive processing of the semantic information in nonfocal ad headlines can elicit orienting attention responses that result in predictable increases in ad and brand awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In three studies, the authors introduce and probe the role of emotional receptivity in consumer-marketer interactions. Emotional receptivity refers to a person's disposition toward experiencing a preferred level of emotional intensity. The results from the first two studies conducted in the laboratory and the field collectively demonstrate that consumers feel greater enjoyment and enhanced liking for the marketer when there is a close match between their emotional receptivity and the level of emotional intensity displayed by the marketer. In the third study, the authors show that consumers' emotional receptivity can be temporarily increased or decreased using advertisements that depict more or less expressive social interactions, respectively. The findings are similar to those observed in the first two studies. In addition, a preliminary study establishes the discriminant validity of the proposed battery of emotional receptivity items from existing related constructs. The authors discuss the theoretical and managerial implications and offer suggestions for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ongoing tension between new ways of achieving novel, meaningful, and connected forms of expression is permeating the practice of advertising and igniting a lively academic debate. Novelty and social connection have long been preoccupations of art worlds. In this paper, we explore the creative tensions and synergies between countercultural and commercial communication forms of street art and advertising. Viewing each form as a species of rhetoric, we analyze a set of rhetorical practices employed by street artists that not only reflect, but might also be used to shape, commercial advertising in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the structure of consumer beliefs and attitudes toward advertising in a leading-edge, new market economy of Central and Eastern Europe-the Czech Republic. Based on a national sample, Czech consumers' beliefs about advertising's informational value and its role in the nation's economy explained their attitudes toward advertising significantly. Our data also revealed five consumer segments ranging from enthusiasts to severe critics. Segments with unfavorable attitudes saw advertising as being short on information and long on falsity. As such, the study's findings signal a need to steer the practice of advertising toward more product information, truth, and ethical standards. The first of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe, the study underscores the need to map consumer attitudes in other Central and Eastern European nations, and toward that agenda, it provides a framework for measurement of consumer belief profiles and identification of diverse attitude segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This project examined the persuasiveness of individualistic and collectivistic advertising appeals among Chinese Generation?X consumers, ages 18 to 35 with high income and high education. In two field experiments, they were found to be equally persuaded by individualistic and collectivistic ad appeals, whereas their older counterparts were found to be more persuaded by collectivistic than individualistic ad appeals. Moreover, these persuasion effects emerged for shared products and not personal-use products. For the latter, both Generation-X and older consumers were more persuaded by individualistic than collectivistic ad appeals. The findings were interpreted in the context of rising biculturalism in China due to globalization, where more and more young urban adults adapt to both new, individualistic and traditional, collectivistic values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While previous research has examined code-switched ads viewed in isolation (Luna and Peracchio 2005a, 2005b), this study makes a unique contribution by investigating the crucial role that medium context plays in responses to Spanish/English code-switched ads among bilingual consumers. A model is developed based on neuroscience and sociolinguistic theories of information processing. Among 122 bilingual Mexican Americans, path analysis showed that when a code-switched ad primarily written in Spanish (English) was placed within an all-Spanish (all-English) medium, increased ad recall and perceptions of advertiser cultural sensitivity occurred. In turn, increased perceptions of advertiser cultural sensitivity led to greater cognitive ad involvement and persuasion. Based on these findings, the main language of a code-switched ad should match that of its medium to increase favorable advertising responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research applies the theory of visceral influences to investigate the effects of visceral cues in a weight loss advertising context. Three visceral cues are addressed: proximity of reward, visual prime, and vividness of reward. Predictions are derived and three experiments are designed to examine the effects of visceral cues in weight loss advertisements. Results indicate that visceral cues are associated with greater buying impulse, attitudes toward the product, attitudes toward the advertisement, and purchase intentions. A high level of involvement with body weight is shown to increase respondent susceptibility to the visceral cues. Implications for theory and research in advertising are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores consumer responses toward attribute- and goal-framed messages and examines whether they vary by involvement, need for cognition (NFC), and gender. The combined results of four independent studies show that positive attribute frames are more persuasive than negative ones, whereas negative goal frames are more persuasive than positive ones. More importantly, these effects are moderated by involvement, NFC, and gender. Those who are low in involvement or NFC exhibit larger frame effects for attribute- as well as goal-framed appeals. Further, compared to men, women respond less favorably toward both types of negatively framed appeals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of research on an advertising technique known as puffery, which involves favorable product descriptions which are largely devoid of information. It focuses on the variable reaction of consumers to puffery, depending on the context of the advertisement and the knowledge base of the consumer. An overview of related previous studies is provided, along with details of the research protocol. It was found that consumers tended to view puffery as credible if it seemed to be addressed to persons knowledgeable about such products. However, puffery which seemed to be addressed to the general public was viewed as lacking in credibility.

The authors develop and validate a measure of advertising creativity that is intended for a collectivistic, holistic population. Scale-development procedures result in a four-factor correlated model comprising originality, considerateness, clarity, and product relevance. The second dimension, considerateness, appears to mirror the culturally unique propensity to value the collectivistic Confucian norms of the society and the contextual elements of the advertisement. Reliability and validity of the scale are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores consumer reactions to the use of a Christian religious symbol in advertising. Findings from a preliminary study suggested that consumers have varied reactions to Christian messages in the secular marketplace and that responses depend on their religiosity levels. Study 1 was a follow-up field experiment conducted with adult consumers, while Study 2 was a lab experiment conducted with young adults. Results of Study 1 indicated a significant Christian symbol by evangelical religiosity interaction on perceived quality and purchase intentions such that the Christian symbol enhanced consumer evaluations, and the effects were stronger as evangelical religiosity increased. Consumers' source perceptions of the marketer in terms of attitude similarity, trustworthiness, expertise, and skepticism mediated these interaction effects. Results of Study 2 revealed an unusual backlash effect of the Christian symbol on purchase intentions for some consumers and contrasting mediation results. The results of the two studies are discussed and future research is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reviews the conceptual foundations of advertising polysemy--the occurrence of different interpretations for the same advertising message. We provide a cross-disciplinary perspective on advertising polysemy, with examples from research and practice, to explain the conditions that lead to the emergence of multiple interpretations for the same message. We review what we call purposeful polysemy as strategic ambiguity and present a framework of advertising polysemy. Propositions for research are provided, and implications for studying and understanding polysemy's prevalence in advertising are discussed. The concept of purposeful polysemy--advertising polysemy emerging as a consequence of a firm's strategic efforts--is increasingly relevant to both academics and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits associated with cause-related marketing (CRM) campaigns to both the sponsoring firm and its partnering nonprofit are well documented. However, the combination of the manner in which CRM messages are framed in advertisements and consumers' temporal orientation potentially alters a campaign's success. In an initial experiment, we assess the moderating role of temporal orientation on effects of the temporal framing of CRM messages. We extend these findings with a second experiment in which we evaluate whether an individual's temporal orientation affects their response to a CRM campaign based on the immediacy of the need and the timeliness of the response to the need. Findings indicate that consumers' temporal orientation (present or future) moderates the influence of the temporal framing within the ad (either proximal or distal) for a CRM campaign on attitudes and purchase intentions. In addition, attitude toward the CRM campaign mediates the effect of the three-way interaction on brand attitude and purchase intentions. Implications for both corporations and the nonprofits benefiting from CRM campaigns are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advertising recognition tests use advertisements as visual retrieval cues; they require consumers to report which advertisements they remember having seen earlier and whether they noticed the advertised brand and read most of the text at the time. Using a heterogeneous randomly stopped sum model, the authors establish the relationship between consumers' actual attention to print advertisements, as measured through eye tracking, and subsequent ad recognition measures. They find that ad recognition measures are systematically biased because consumers infer prior attention from the ad layout and their familiarity with the brands in the advertisements. Such biases undermine the validity of recognition tests for advertising practice and theory development. The authors quantify the positive and negative diagnostic value of ad recognition for prior attention and demonstrate how these diagnostic values can be used to develop bias-adjusted recognition (BAR) scores that more accurately reflect prior attention. Finally, the authors show that differences in the scores from ad recognition tests based on in-home versus lab exposure attenuate when the bias-adjustment procedure is applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using several theories, including Information Integration Theory (IIT), Integrated Information Response Model (IIRM), confirmation effect, and contrast theory, this study investigates the combined effects of advertising and publicity under the varied conditions of exposure sequence, publicity valence, and product attribute consistency. Results obtained through a 2 (sequence: ad then publicity versus publicity then ad) × 2 (attribute variation: same attribute versus different attribute) × 2 (valence of publicity: positive versus negative) within-subjects factorial design show that advertising coupled with positive publicity induces confirmation effects regardless of sequence and attribute consistency, whereas negative publicity combined with advertising mostly produces contrast effects, with mixed results depending on the sequence and attribute consistency. Findings and implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]