Citation
(2015), "Executive summary of “When face engulfs the field: differential effects of visual quality levels in print ads”", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 32 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-06-2015-022
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Executive summary of “When face engulfs the field: differential effects of visual quality levels in print ads”
Article Type: Executive summary and implications for managers and executives From: Journal of Consumer Marketing, Volume 32, Issue 4
This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives a rapid appreciation of the content of this 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 benefits of the material present.
The impact and effectiveness of print advertising has been subjected to considerable research attention. A common finding within this work is that consumer appreciation and trust is greater toward stimuli which they find visually easier to process.
On the other hand, difficulty in visually processing advertisements in magazines or on billboards typically results in greater skepticism toward the content. Damage, dirtiness and general wear and tear are among the factors which can inhibit the fluency of visual processing as measured by “rapidity, exactitude, and effort”. The viewer’s cognitive and affective reactions to the brand can be negatively influenced as a result. According to certain scholars, visual fluency is impacted by different variables like stimulus clarity, duration of presentation, contrast between figure and background and degree of previous exposure.
In addition to the “experiential information” involved during the ad processing, evaluation is also aided by such as thoughts and existing knowledge and beliefs. This “declarative information” is retrieved as part of the judgment process.
Pictures of human beings or different body parts are frequently used by advertisers. Widespread use of attractive females in advertisements is an example of this. Researchers point out that a human face acts as a “social stimulus” which then triggers certain “psychological processes”. These involve such as self-concept, social comparison and impressions of the personality and trustworthiness of the featured person. It is thought that difficulty in visually processing an ad will prompt negative feelings in the viewer when a human face is used. But this negativity is expected to be lower when the ad features a picture of the product or another “non-social stimulus”.
Similar perceptions are deemed likely when the textual content of an advertisement is difficult to process. Empirical support exists for these assumptions. In one instance, the author of a text was judged as less intelligent when it was presented to study participants using a font which was difficult to read. Analysts have also found that consumers were more prone to deferring their purchase choices when a difficult-to-read font was used to transmit product information.
Ease or difficulty in visual processing can influence perceptions of truth. When processing fluency is high, greater familiarity is perceived. Belief in message truthfulness rises accordingly. An opposite effect occurs in low processing fluency conditions. Other evidence suggests that affective response is influenced by visual fluency. Work has revealed favorable attitudes toward products and brands when advertisements were manipulated to ensure high processing fluency. A comparison between ads conveying single or multiple meanings revealed the former to be most popular initially. However, continued exposure indicated growing preference for the latter ads, where picture and text are unrelated to each other.
Use of human faces in advertising is an effective means of securing a viewer’s attention. These social objects are visually stimulating and act as a valuable information source. People make various judgments about someone’s “intentions, emotions, or truthfulness” from their face and assess whether or not they are likely to be friendly or not. Such processing is swift and automatic.
Social stimuli incorporated into ads alongside credible messages can trigger favorable attitudes and intentions toward the featured product or brand. When a social stimulus is used as opposed to a non-social object such as a picture of the product, impediments to processing fluency are likelier to result in negative outcomes.
It is also thought that textual content in the absence of a human face will be more difficult to visually process when benefits claimed in the ad focus on the self rather than the product. This is attributed to the probability that drawing attention to the self is likely to prompt recall of negative personal experiences. An additional assumption is that negative attitude and purchase intention will become greater as the difficulty in visually processing ad stimuli increases.
Undergraduate students at a French university took part in a study exploring these issues. Participants were exposed to one version of an advertisement incorporating the presence or absence of a model’s face, self-centered or product-centered textual claim and one of three different levels of visual fluency. These differences were created by placing tracing paper of varying thickness over the ads to create high, medium and low processing fluency. All ads contained a picture of Keranova shampoo and were developed in conjunction with Eugene Perma, a cosmetics firm specializing in hair-care products. Subjects who indicated experience of using the advertised shampoo were excluded from the analysis.
Data indicated a negative impact on attitudes toward the ad and the brand when the model’s face was used in the advertisement and processing fluency was other than high. But these attitudes became more positive when the human face was removed. In addition, purchase intention was:
lower for ads containing the model’s face, product-centered message claim and low in fluency;
higher for ads containing the model’s face and high processing fluency in the product-centered rather than self-centered condition;
higher when the model’s face was absent, high fluency and self-centered claim;
higher with the model’s face removed, processing difficulty and a product-centered claim; and
lower in the self-centered condition when the model’s face was removed and processing fluency less than high.
Negativity in terms of attitude and purchase intention increased as visual processing of the ad became more difficult.
Kergoat et al. contend that the manner of processing could be significant. They suggest that a more rational approach is likely for product-centered claims using factual information. On the other hand, a self-centered claim could trigger processing of a more intuitive and emotional nature.
It is similarly suggested that low processing fluency makes the “rational nature” of product-centered claims more influential. This is due to subjects becoming more methodical with their processing in such fluency conditions. That persuasiveness was lower is attributed to the probability of self-centered claims being regarded as being more heuristic.
The authors conclude that visual information impacts on processing fluency under certain conditions. When ads contained the model’s face, the middle level of fluency seemed most effective. Subject responses were influenced most strongly in the low fluency condition once the face had been removed. As lower fluency does not automatically lead to negative evaluations, they advise paying greater attention to the message content within advertisements. It is, however, acknowledged that minor changes are likely to have greater impact on pictorial rather than textual stimuli.
How print ads are communicated requires close attention, according to Kergoat et al. feel. They urge awareness that potential damage to billboard or magazine ads could affect processing fluency when a human face is used. Use of resistant materials is recommended. Marketers are also advised to focus on the claims being made and whether product-centered or self-centered claims are most appropriate.
Future research could use fictitious brands to eliminate potential bias. Another suggestion is to remove the product picture when the human face is used as the simultaneous presence of both results in information overload. Varying the face in terms of such as age, gender and attractiveness could impact on processing fluency. For example, “intimidating” facial features could be especially significant. Investigating length of exposure to ads and emotions felt at the time of processing are additional possibilities.
To read the full article, enter 10.1108/JCM-01-2015-1284 into your search engine.
(A précis of the article “When face engulfs the field: differential effects of visual quality levels in print ads”. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for Emerald.)