Does Ad-Context Congruity Help Surfers and Information Seekers Remember Ads in Cluttered E-magazines?

• Published in: Journal of advertising Vol. 40; no. 4; pp. 67 - 84
• Main Authors: Zanjani, Shabnam H. A., Diamond, William D., Chan, Kwong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 22.12.2011; M. E. Sharpe, Inc; Taylor & Francis Group LLC; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Advertisements; Advertising; Advertising campaigns; Advertising research; Analysis; Brands; Cognitive psychology; Congruity models; Consumer behavior; Consumer research; Consumers; Context effects (Psychology); Electronic commerce; Electronic publishing; Hypotheses; Impact analysis; Information search; Internet; Internet/Web advertising; Management; Marketing; Memory; Memory interference; Modeling; Online advertising; Print advertising; Product recalls; Psychological aspects; Publishing; Recollection (Psychology); Studies; Telecommunications industry; Television advertising; Television programs; United States
• ISSN: 0091-3367; 1557-7805
• DOI: 10.2753/JOA0091-3367400405

Does congruity between an ad and its context improve ad memory? This research examines task orientation and perceived ad clutter as moderating and mediating influences on the relationship between ad-context congruity and ad memory in an e-magazine context. The results show ad-context congruity increases ad recognition for information seekers, whereas it does not have any effect for surfers of an e-magazine. Perceived clutter plays a crucial role in this relationship, partially mediating the impact of ad-context congruity on recall and completely mediating the effect of ad-context congruity on recognition. The managerial implications for the burgeoning e-magazine format include indications that when recall is paramount, adjacent incongruent ads and content can be used, but when recognition is important, congruent ads and content should be used and targeted toward people who consume the medium to gather specific information.