A strengths-based approach to eliciting deep insights from social marketing customers experiencing vulnerability
Context is important in shaping how we perceive and judge something. The effect of context also applies in advertising, such that attitudes toward an ad might differ depending on different contexts. One of the most important components in advertising is creativity. This can be defined by originality, which makes an ad unique and surprising, and relevance, which differentiates advertising from art with its commercial meaning.
The literature has found a multitude of positive effects of creative ads on recall, favourable attitudes, online viral viewing, and sales. Moreover, a recent study found creative ads has additional effects on other ads. Specifically, recall for the same regular target ad is significantly suppressed when it is shown alongside creative ads as opposed to regular (less creative) ads. This kind of context effect is called the creativity-based impairment effect.
However, research on context effects of creative advertising and repetition is limited. Moreover, prior research has only focused on the facilitative effects of creative ads, but not the impairment effect upon other less creative ads. This study fills this gap by providing empirical evidence for the varying effects of repetition on regular target ads depending on ad list contexts (with the presence vs. absence of creative ads). Beside ad recall, the study also examines attitudes toward the same regular target ads in these different contexts.
Method and sample
Three studies were conducted, each reflects a different repetition context. Samples in the 3 studies were undergraduate business students from a major Midwestern university in the U.S (Study 1: N=79; Study 2: N=69; Study 3: N=92), who volunteered to participate in exchange for extra course credit.
In each study, participants were randomly assigned to two list conditions: control list (6 regular target ads + 6 other regular ads) and mixed list (6 regular target ads + 6 creative ads). The 6 regular target ads were identical across the two list conditions and all three studies, and recall and attitudes toward the regular target ads were measured. The creative ads were award-winning ads in terms of creativity, which were carefully selected to meet both dimensions of originality and relevance. All the 18 ads were 30 seconds long and authentic
television commercials that cover a range of product categories, including a breakfast cereal, pain reliever, hotel, airline, automobile, mobile service provider, and more.
In Study 1, no ads were repeated. In Study 2, regular target ads were repeated while other ads (either regular or creative) were not repeated. In Study 3, regular target ads were not repeated while other ads (either regular or creative) were repeated.
Key findings
1. When the ad list did not contain creative ads, no impairment effects were found on the regular target ads.
2. When each ad was shown only once, there were impairment effects on both recall and attitude toward the regular target ads. That is, brand recall and attitudes for these target ads were lower when an ad list included creative ads.
3. When the target ads were repeated, recall of these target ads were lower in a list where creative ads were included. This suggests repeated exposure to regular target ads did not override the creativity-based impairment effect. However, no differences in attitudes were found between the two list conditions.
4. Repeated exposure to creative ads generated a very strong impairment effect on recall and attitudes toward the non-repeated regular target ads, with recall close to zero. More than half of the participants in the mixed condition (where creative ads were included) did not recall a single target brand.
Recommendations
Prior research and analysis provided 3 mechanisms that explain why advertisers need to invest in creative ads, including affect transfer (creative ads are more likable), processing (creative ads capture greater attention), and perceived sender effort (creative ads signal product quality). This study provides further evidence for the processing mechanism, emphasising that by investing in creativity, advertisers can avoid unwanted impairment effects.
The worst-case scenario for a regular target ad is when creative ads are repeated while the target ad is not. Therefore, advertisers should monitor other brands’ ads for their creativity, repetition level, and media vehicles to know where not to schedule advertising, especially when the focal ad is not creative. For example, it would be ineffective and cost-wasting to run an ad with mediocre creativity in a Superbowl advertising spot, given the Super Bowl is considered an advertising creativity contest where some creative ads are repeated. On the other hand, when an ad is creative, the advertiser should emphasise reach over frequency in their media planning strategy to be more cost-effective.
As creative ads were found to capture greater attention, investing in creativity helps advertisers avoid unwanted impairment effects. This study also justifies the extra costs associated with producing and running creative ads. Moreover, it is recommended that advertising practitioners consider competition with any creative ads – for any product or service on any media platform, not just those of rival brands.
Lead Researcher
More information
The research article is also available on eprints.