Persuasive Advertising - J. Scott Armstrong [24]
In a related study on snack foods, when advertising expenditures were increased, sales increased in response to seven of the eight TV commercials that described a new brand (or brand extension), but only in response to six of the 15 commercials without news (Riskey 1997).
Our analysis of quasi-experimental data on print ads showed that real news had better recall. These data refer mostly to minor news items, and there were no new products in the sample:
Print ads with real news resulted in better recall. Our WAPB analysis found 20 pairs of print ads in which one ad provided real news while the other ad did not mention news. For example, a Dodge ad that said “Something new has been added to the 1985 Colt,” and described the new design, introduction of an electronic dashboard, turbo, and so on, was recalled four times more than another Dodge ad that did not announce news. Recall for ads with real news was 1.64 times better than for the other ads.
The effect also showed up in non-experimental data. TV commercials that “told {customers} something new” were 9 percent better for recall and 23 percent higher for persuasion (Walker 2008). A “new product or feature” was the one of the most important of roughly 160 factors related to the effectiveness of TV commercials (Stewart and Furse 1986; Stewart and Koslow 1989; Stanton and Burke 1998).
1.2.2. If real news is complex, use still media
If the news is real and complex, use print or the Internet to advertise it. This allows people to set their own pace. They can pause to reflect or go back at any time to check details.
Still media lead to better comprehension than motion media (TV, radio, or streaming media on the Internet) for messages containing new or complex information.
Ads using multimedia must be carefully constructed because it can be difficult for people to comprehend sound and visuals at the same time. Multimedia is risky for complex messages.
Evidence on the effects of using still media for real news
I found only indirect evidence that goes beyond news, but which applies to any message with new information. Identical information was transmitted via different media in 14 lab experiments. In each experiment, print messages were better recalled than audio-visual or audio-only messages. Some of these experiments involved advertising messages (Furnham, Gunter, and Green 1990).
1.3. Product
The product. Always stay with the product.
Bill Bernbach, 1960s
When Bill Bernbach was seeking the American Airlines account, he displayed ads from competing airlines on the wall of the meeting room—with the brand names and logos covered. The ads provided no distinguishing information about any single airline. In contrast, Bernbach developed campaigns that were identified closely with the product. For example, it would be difficult to confuse his VW ads with those by other car companies.
The product information principles described below are relevant for nearly all products and services. However, they are especially relevant for high-involvement products. The product-information principles are also important when the objective of a campaign is to alter behavior, as opposed to simply maintaining it.
1.3.1. Provide product information that customers need
The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be.
David Ogilvy, 1960s
One of the primary functions of advertising is to provide the information that people need in order to make a decision. In deciding what information to include in a campaign, advertisers and their agencies should obtain extensive information about the product. This should include previously published