THE EFFECTS OF VISUAL AND VERBAL STIMULI ON PRINT ADVERTISING RESPONSES TO A DYNAMICALLY CONTINUOUS INNOVATION

Abstract

This study investigates the mediating effects of verbal and visual stimuli in a print advertisement upon the attitudes, beliefs and intentions of subjects. It attempts to determine if the findings of past studies using traditional product classes are replicable in the case of a more radical new product, that is, a dynamically continuous innovation. It breaks new ground in advertising imagery literature and innovation research because it simultaneously employ~ pictorial size, color, and information along with a new product. The study used a 2 x 2 x 2 experimental design, in which the explanatory variables are manipulated. Eight stimulus advertisements were created, and subjects were exposed to these advertisements monadically. They then responded to a questionnaire designed to measure their attitudinal responses towards the advertisement and the product, as well as information seeking behavior. Analysis of variance (ANOV A) and I-tests were employed in the subsequent analysis. The study found no significant effects of pictorial size on attitudinal measures towards the product and information seeking behavior. The use of a large pictorial size was found to have a significant advantage in influencing the attitude of the subjects towards the advertisement. The use of color in the stimulus advertisement was found to produce more favorable attitude towards the advertisement, while concrete information had a significant influence in creating more positive attitudes towards the product, as well as towards information seeking behavior. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that information, either from pictorials or copy, or even from personal experiences, may be the most important single determinant in the communication effectiveness of a promotion program. This was especially so in the early stages of the adoption process, where awareness and knowledge of the innovation may be crucial in building favorable cognitive and affective responses towards the new product.