Viewer perceptions of television commercials: a conceptual replication

Abstract

Purpose The authors conceptually aim to replicate and update an early stream of research to find the key dimensions used by today’s audiences. They also show that the dimensions are directly related with attitude toward the ad, product attitude change and product recommendation and test the moderating impact of FCB Grid product type. Design/methodology/approach Across two studies, the authors survey a nationally representative sample of 1,223 US adults. Findings Consumers evaluate commercials using the dimensions: Dislikable, Meaningful, Ingenious and Warm. The latter three are positively related with ad attitude, attitude change and recommendation, whereas Dislikable is negatively related. Furthermore, results show that High and Low Involvement Think products moderate the relation between all four dimensions and all three outcomes. Only Meaningful affects the outcomes for High Involvement Feel products, whereas only Ingenious affects Low Involvement Feel product outcomes. Research limitations/implications The research is limited to TV commercials, limiting generalizability to other media. Furthermore, the sample is limited to the USA. Practical implications The paper provides a parsimonious four-dimension model for advertiser use. These dimensions also predict ad attitudes, product recommendation, and attitude change. The results further show that for emotionally driven products with high involvement, commercials should focus on meaningfulness. For emotionally driven products with little involvement, ads should emphasize creative elements. Originality/value Addressing the paucity of replications in marketing, this paper replicates and extends a stream of research to reveal dimensions consumers use to evaluate commercials and demonstrates their practical applications.