Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of advertising format and cognitive load in shaping the effect of covert advertisements on participants advertising recognition and outcomes. In a 2 (advertisement format: advergame vs. video commercial) x 2 (brand prominence: low (Asus) vs. high (KFC)) between-subjects factorial experiment (N = 82), participants were asked to view and interact with a covert advertisement, and subsequently complete dependent measures. The findings indicate that high brand prominence appears to counteract the effects of the covert features associated with advergames in general, thus leading to higher advertising recognition scores. Conversely, low brand prominence in the context of advergames exacerbates consumers’ lack of recognition by reducing the number of brand or advertising related elements available for schematic retrieval and processing. These findings suggest that both advertising format and brand prominence can serve as cues that a message is advertising. We believe that the psychological mechanisms behind the effects of these two message characteristics are distinct and have implications for development of theory.
Tag: covert advertising recognition
Changing the game: The effects of cognitive load and brand prominence on covert advertising recognition.
ABSTRACT: The present study (N=82) employed a 2 (advertisement format: advergame vs. video commercial) x 2 (brand prominence: low (Asus) vs. high (KFC)) between-subjects factorial experiment to investigate the effect of advertising format on advertising recognition and cognitive load. Findings show that advergames, in comparison to online video commercials, are more difficult for consumers to recognize as advertising and this effect is enhanced under conditions where brand prominence is low (vs high). This study suggests that both advertising format and brand prominence can serve as cues that a message is advertising. We believe that the psychological mechanisms behind the effects of these two message characteristics are distinct and have implications for development of theory. The findings provided in the current study suggest, to both regulators and practitioners that use covert tactics, that brand prominence is one avenue worth considering when consumer recognition of covert advertising is at stake.
“Changing the Game: The Effects of Cognitive Load and Brand Prominence on Covert Advertising Recognition.”
Abstract: This study first investigated the effect of advertising format (advergames vs online video commercials) on consumers’ ability to recognize advertising. Second, we tested how advertising format differentially impacted consumers’ self-reported cognitive load. Third, we examined how cognitive load impacted consumers’ ability to recognize advertising. Finally, we investigated the moderating effect of brand prominence on the relationship between a) advertising format and advertising recognition and b) cognitive load and advertising recognition. Findings (N= 82 undergraduate students) suggest that advergames, in comparison to online video commercials, are more difficult for consumers to recognize as advertising and the effect is enhanced when brand prominence is low. While results indicated a marginally significant effect of advertising format on cognitive load, no significant indirect effect of ad format through cognitive load on advertising recognition was found. These findings offer theoretical and policy related implications.