Executive summary of “Boundary conditions to the effect of fluency and comprehension on AAD when targeting hispanics vs whites with single meaning vs polysemous slogans”

Citation

(2015), "Executive summary of “Boundary conditions to the effect of fluency and comprehension on AAD when targeting hispanics vs whites with single meaning vs polysemous slogans”", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 32 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-05-2015-998

Executive summary of “Boundary conditions to the effect of fluency and comprehension on AAD when targeting hispanics vs whites with single meaning vs polysemous slogans”

Article Type: Executive summary and implications for managers and executives From: Journal of Consumer Marketing, Volume 32, Issue 3

This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives a rapid appreciation of the content of the article. Those with a particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in toto to take advantage of the more comprehensive description of the research undertaken and its results to get the full benefit of the material present.

Marketers are increasingly exploiting the ethnically diverse nature of the US population. As a result, more communications are being aimed at specific ethnic consumer groups. Hispanics are a minority cohort, rapidly expanding in size, spending power and thus importance. It is equally significant that Hispanics differs from other immigrant groups in preferring to maintain a strong ethnic identity rather than merging into the mainstream culture of the USA.

A plethora of studies have examined different ethnic groups in the context of advertising. Most indicate that non-white consumers respond more favorably when ethnic cues are perceived. For instance, some research found that black adolescents were more enthusiastic toward print ads containing black characters they felt able to identify with. Similar evidence prevails for consumers regarding themselves as strongly Hispanic. Such consumers demonstrated positive attitudes to Spanish-language advertisements which incorporate ethnic cues like images and values, as well as characters. In these circumstances, it is common for individuals to feel that the advertiser is exhibiting sensitivity toward Hispanic culture. In addition, feeling able to more closely engage with advertisements has a positive impact on how the consumer perceives the ad and the featured product or brand. It is usual for purchase intention to increase as a result.

People’s understanding and interpretation of messages is determined by message characteristics, processing opportunity, and the ability and motivation of the message recipient. Message comprehension subsequently determines such as attitudes, intentions and behavior and involves a “central route” form of processing that is deeper and based more on cognition.

Advertising literature divides message comprehension into objective and subjective forms. In the objective scenario, a message would typically contain a pre-determined message that is intended by the advertiser. Delivering a message containing a single clear meaning that is difficult to misinterpret constitutes an ideal situation for marketers and is referred to as “consensual meaning”. On the other hand, subjective comprehension is much less desirable. Meanings become personal to each message recipient and can emerge regardless of whether or not the advertiser intended them. Subjective comprehension is generated through different mental concepts and is also influenced by context and individual characteristics which include socio-cultural background.

It is estimated that developing a brand slogan can cost around $1 million. It is therefore in the best interests of advertisers that the intended messages are extracted. Consensual meaning within a specific culture is deemed “highly codeable” and thus easier to “perceive, interpret and retain” relative to stimuli considered low in codability. The latter are becoming more prevalent, as the marketing environment becomes increasingly complex. Scholars partly attribute this greater complexity to the growing use of polysemous brand slogans. Ambiguity is the norm for such slogans, which are acknowledged as potentially carrying multiple meanings.

How the figurative language used in advertising is processed is down to various dimensions of “individual proficiency”. These might include such as interpretative capacity, involvement, expertise and literacy with regard to the language and stylistic features used. Such features can aid interpretation and generate more positive attitudes toward the ad.

Research also indicates that culture significantly determines what meanings the consumer extracts from marketing communications such as brand slogans. More specifically, it has frequently been argued that experiencing acculturation to the US culture while retaining strong elements of original cultural identity is especially significant. Such ethnic individuals will often develop multiple interpretations for the various forms of marketing aimed at them. Having such a blend of different cultural associations results in what analysts term “semiotic malleability”. In the context of polysemous slogans, its presence raises the likelihood of that several meanings can be constructed. The risk is that most might differ from what the advertiser intended. It is mooted that the level of ethnicity and extent of shared meanings will determine the attitude individuals have toward single-meaning and polysemous slogans.

Another key factor identified in the literature is processing fluency. This is deemed to involve “peripheral route” processing that is based more on affective components. It essentially refers to consumer understanding of information and subsequent perceptions of risk. In this context, risk would relate to deciding whether or not to purchase the products or services being marketed in the advertisement. Unfamiliarity is associated with low processing fluency and subsequent increase in perceived risk. Observers point out that many people thus prefer to consume items which they are familiar with.

Correlation evidently exists between advertising understanding and familiarity and can be further increased when such as names or visual representations are easy to pronounce or understand. Belief also exists that processing fluency improves in line with repeated exposure to stimuli.

Zúñiga et al. explore the relevant issues further in a study involving 310 undergraduates at a large university in Southwestern USA. Subjects were randomly exposed to either a single or polysemous slogan meaning in an advertisement for the familiar Cingular brand. The single-meaning slogan used was “redefining the best” while “raising the bar” was chosen to reflect the multiple meaning condition. Following this, they answered questions indicating their attitude toward the ad, advertisement comprehension, processing fluency and ethnic identification. Other demographic details were also requested.

Among the key findings indicated by the analysis are:

• Interpretation of polysemous slogans was comparable regardless of the degree of ethnic identification.

• Comprehension has a significant impact on how high and low ethnic identification individuals interpret single-meaning slogans. Specifically, high ethnic consumers become less likely to feel attracted to the ad the more they comprehend the message. Perceived simplicity is suggested as a reason for this.

• Comprehension positively influences ad attitude for white respondents and reveals a minor negative impact for Hispanics.

• Ad attitude among Hispanics is formed solely through processing fluency and comprehension plays no part.

• White consumers tend to use processing fluency for single-meaning slogans and comprehension for polysemous slogans.

On this evidence, the authors believe that segmenting consumers based on high and low ethnic identification is a feasible option for marketers. This is regardless of specific ethnicity involved. They then suggest developing single-meaning slogans which are more challenging when aiming advertisements at consumers rating highly in ethnic identification.

Another suggestion is to segment first by ethnicity and then by level of ethnic identification when targeting Hispanics and white consumers. Highly ethnic Hispanics would be best served with ads which prompt peripheral-route processing. On the contrary, it is felt that ads which require greater comprehension would be more influential for whites rating high in ethnic identification. Incorporating features which encourage these respective forms of processing is advisable when targeting Hispanics and whites, whatever their ethnicity levels. Overall, the desired result can be obtained by using polysemous slogans to induce central processing and single-meaning slogans when peripheral-route processing is the aim.

Future studies might explore brand attitudes and purchase intentions. Consideration of other ethnic groups is also a possibility, along with identifying factors that can help develop strategies which best influence choice of processing route.

To read the full article enter 10.1108/JCM-10-2014-1182 into your search engine.

(A précis of the article “Boundary conditions to the effect of fluency and comprehension on AAD when targeting hispanics vs whites with single meaning vs polysemous slogans”. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for Emerald.)