Sara Rosengren

Could Placing ADS Wrong be Right?: Advertising Effects of Thematic Incongruence

This paper adds to the research on media-context effects with two experimental studies of thematic (in)congruence (i.e., advertising placed in media with themes that are either congruent or incongruent with the advertised brands). We hypothesize that by challenging expectations, placing ads in thematically incongruent media could enhance ad processing. Furthermore, employing theory on information incongruence, we hypothesize that thematic incongruence could enhance advertising evaluations and produce stronger perceptions of existing brand associations. The results support the hypotheses and suggest that effects are moderated by brand familiarity.

Revisiting the smiling service worker and customer satisfaction

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine if the service workers display of smiles in the service encounter has an effect on customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approach – An experimental design was used in which participants (N=220) were randomly allocated to one of four service encounters. Two variables were manipulated; the service worker with whom the participant interacted had either a neutral facial expression or a smiling facial expression, and the service worker was either male or female.Findings – The smiling service worker produced a higher level of customer satisfaction than the neutral service worker, regardless of the sex of the service worker (and the sex of the participant). In addition, the results indicate that this outcome involved both emotional contagion and affect infusion.Originality/value – This paper extends the service literatures discourse on the impact of the service workers smile behavior on customer satisfaction by including intermediate variables such as appra...

Love at First Site? A Study of Website Advertising Effectiveness

ABSTRACT The body of web advertising research has grown continuously during the last few years. Our understanding of the new medium has trailed the increasing web experience among advertisers and consumers. However, there is still one important knowledge gap, namely the communication effects of website advertising. How should websites be designed to attain brand-related communication effects?

Advertising creativity matters

ABSTRACT Could “wasteful” advertising creativity that does not add to the functionality of the advertisement (i.e., it neither enhances recall and liking of the advertising, nor increases comprehension and persuasiveness of the communicated message) be useful? An experimental study shows that it can. By signaling greater effort on behalf of the advertiser and a greater ability of the brand, advertising creativity enhances both brand interest and perceived brand quality. The effects are mediated by consumer-perceived creativity, suggesting that consumers are important judges of creativity. Bringing advertising creativity into new light, the results provide implications for the development, measurement, and positioning of creative advertising.

Brand–Slogan Matching in a Cluttered Environment

Slogans are generally considered to be useful in building brand equity. In todays cluttered environment, however, consumers often match slogans with brands other than the actual sponsoring brand. Still, research on slogans has mainly focused on slogan effects when the brand is given (for example, in controlled experiments). By using real slogans and brands, this study increases our understanding of how slogans work in the presence of several competing slogans and brands. It is found that mismatching of slogans and brands can be explained by the different memory processes used by consumers. The cued retrieval process generally leads to the correct brand being identified, whereas the constructive memory process is sensitive to memory distortions. However, constructive memory allows for a larger influence of the slogan on the brand than does cued retrieval. The study adds to research on slogans and on source identification. Suggestions on how to use slogans in a cluttered environment, such as creating annoying and irritating slogans or using variations of slogans, are given.

If Advertising Won't Die, What Will It Be? Toward a Working Definition of Advertising

Answering recent calls for a new definition of advertising, we identify three dynamics—(new) media and formats, (new) “consumer” behaviors, and extended effects of advertising—that drive the evolution of advertising. Based on these, and a survey of advertising academics and professionals, we formulate an updated working definition of advertising as “brand-initiated communication intent on impacting people.” We also test and validate this definition and the three dynamics in a content analysis of recently published advertising research (2010 to 2015). In doing so, we hope to contribute to a more diverse and contemporary development of advertising research.

Think outside the ad: : can advertising creativity benefit more than the advertiser?

This article adds to the literature on advertising creativity as well as the growing body of research on the unintended effects of advertising. In three experimental studies we “think outside the ad” and test whether there could be unintended, positive effects of advertising creativity. The results show advertising creativity to have a positive influence on consumers’ own creativity as well as their perceptions of media vehicle value. The effects are mediated by processing and perceived creativity. In discussing the results we encourage advertisers not only to take responsibility for avoiding unintended negative effects on consumers but also to explore and factor in potential positive effects that benefit consumers.

Publicity vs. Advertising in a Cluttered Environment: Effects on Attention and Brand Identification

Abstract The cluttered environment of most marketing communications poses a major challenge. PR is often suggested to break through clutter in a way that advertising does not; by being part of the editorial content, publicity should get more attention than comparable ads. Based on advertising clutter research, we argue that advertising will have an advantage over publicity in gaining attention and ensuring brand identification. An empirical study of publicity and advertising embedded in actual newspapers is presented in support of this argument. Additional studies and better PR evaluation practices are called for, and implications for familiar and unfamiliar brands are discussed.

Consumer advertising as a signal of employer attractiveness

This paper deals with the extended audience of advertising. More specifically, it examines how consumer advertising influences the attractiveness of a corporate brand as a potential employer. The results from two experimental studies show that creative advertising signals brand ability, and enhances perceptions of development (Study 1 and 2) and reputation value (Study 2) offered by the brand to employees. Mediation analysis shows that this, in turn, has a positive impact on the overall attractiveness of the brand as an employer. The findings contribute to the growing literature on different stakeholder reactions to consumer advertising and offer a broader picture of how advertising contributes to firm performance, beyond influencing consumers.

Exploring Advertising Equity: How a Brand's Past Advertising May Affect Consumer Willingness to Approach Its Future Ads

This article introduces “advertising equity” to denote consumers’ cumulative perceptions of the global value of a brands past advertising. In five empirical studies we show that advertising equity is a distinct facet of brand equity, not fully captured by established measures of brand equity in terms of brand communication effects and brand loyalty. What is more, advertising equity is found to affect consumer willingness to voluntarily approach advertising for a brand. The findings indicate that advertising equity captures an aspect of brand equity which has not yet been studied and that further research to better capture the concept and its effects is warranted. We conclude by discussing potential implications of advertising equity in terms of advertising budgeting and forecasting, pretesting and evaluations of advertising, as well as negotiating media and co-branding partnerships.