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What drives the liking of video advertisements? The authors analyzed neural signals during ad exposure from three functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data sets (113 participants from two countries watching 85 video ads) with automated meta-analytic decoding (Neurosynth). These brain-based measures of psychological processes—including perception and language (information processing), executive function and memory (cognitive functions), and social cognition and emotion (social-affective response)—predicted subsequent self-report ad liking, with emotion and memory being the earliest predictors after the first three seconds. Over the span of ad exposure, while the predictiveness of emotion peaked early and fell, that of social cognition had a peak-and-stable pattern, followed by a late peak of predictiveness in perception and executive function. At the aggregate level, neural signals—especially those associated with social-affective response—improved the prediction of out-of-sample ad liking compared with traditional anatomically based neuroimaging analysis and self-report liking. Finally, early-onset social-affective response predicted population ad liking in a behavioral replication. Overall, this study helps delineate the psychological mechanisms underlying ad processing and ad liking and proposes a novel neuroscience-based approach for generating psychological insights and improving out-of-sample predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As consumers are exposed to thousands of advertisements daily, researchers have sought to understand what makes people remember certain brands better than they remember others. Metaphors like Carvana's vending machines and taglines like "Red Bull gives you wings" have increasingly become a powerful way for marketers to communicate brand attributes. In this study, we sought to characterize the memorability of ads across three distinct categories (functional, emotional, and metaphorical) using behavioral and neuroimaging methods. Participants were exposed to 20 ads from each of these categories and underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan while trying to recall details from these ads one week later. We found a significant effect of category on brand recall immediately after exposure and memory recognition for snippets from the ad a week later, with metaphorical and emotional ads outperforming functional ads. Insights from activation in key memory regions like the bilateral hippocampus during retrieval revealed that while people were likely to remember the salient aspects of emotional ads and rate them as highly vivid, they were weaker in recalling additional central details about the brands featured in them relative to metaphorical ads. These findings demonstrate the superiority of metaphorical ads for integrating contents of the ads and the creation of "sticky" brand impressions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescence represents a unique period of the lifespan, characterized by heightened susceptibility to social feedback and increased autonomy in a wide range of choice behaviors, including those relating to consumer decisions and buying preferences. These adolescent behaviors arise in part as the result of substantial change in the structure and function of the brain that occurs during this crucial developmental period. Over the last two decades, the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience has examined the role of brain development in adolescent behavior. This article considers the key processes that undergird adolescent decision making and how they are differentially emphasized in alternative neurodevelopmental theories. We explore common themes and important distinctions across theories—and the implications for utilizing these frameworks—to inform the field of adolescent consumer behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exponential growth in digital media has recently challenged the value of print media in the overall marketing mix. Across three studies, the authors evaluate the relative effectiveness of print ads versus digital ads. In Study 1, using eye tracking and biometric measures during exposure, the authors find stronger encoding and engagement for print ads over digital ads. A week later, participants showed no significant difference in recognizing ads across format, though they better remembered the encoding context of print ads. Notably, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the authors find greater activation in hippocampus and parahippocampal regions for print ads relative to digital ads. Extending these insights, Study 2 demonstrates that participants better remember print ads across contents, context, and brand associations when using snippets as retrieval cues. In addition to establishing the robustness of previous findings, Study 3 provides further evidence that the observed memory advantage for print ads is primarily due to superior encoding during initial exposure. From a practical perspective, these findings suggest that marketers should not discount the value of print media in advertising, despite the rapid growth of digital media and communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]