World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology

International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering Vol:8, No:12, 2014

Advertisement Effectiveness: A Review and Research

Agenda
Prateek Maheshwari, Nitin Seth, Anoop Kumar Gupta


Abstract—In today’s highly competitive, dynamic and
technology driven business circumstances, marketers are under
steady pressure to deliver the best. Organizations are continuously
improving and upgrading themselves to meet customer expectations
and demands. Technology has not only changed the way in which
International Science Index, Economics and Management Engineering Vol:8, No:12, 2014 waset.org/Publication/10000065

business is done in modern times but has also transformed the way to
reach out to target audience. Marketers have identified most recent
media options to communicate and convince potential customers.
Numerous scholars have studied the research domain of advertising
and have tried to recognize different measures of advertisement
effectiveness in context of various media. The objective of this paper
is to critically review accessible literature on advertisement
effectiveness in context of varied advertising media, recognize major
gaps in the literature and identify future research prospects on the
basis of critical analysis of literature.
Fig. 1 Classification of Advertisement Effectiveness Literature
Keywords—Advertising, Advertising Media, Competition,
Effectiveness Measurement. Hence, the purpose of present review paper is to understand
the concept of advertisement effectiveness and to identify
I. INTRODUCTION varied dimensions used to measure advertisement

T ODAY’S business scenario is characterized by high

competition, dynamism and operational complexities.
Competition has forced corporate to change and upgrade
effectiveness with reference to different media forms.
Numerous researchers have explored the area of measuring
advertisement effectiveness with different views which is
continuously due to rising customer expectations. Markets are widely categorized in two broad categories for present study
cluttered worldwide and delivering finest to the consumers is as shown in Fig. 1.
at the top priority for each of the business unit whether large
or small. II. NEED FOR REVIEW OF ADVERTISEMENT EFFECTIVENESS
In such an aggressive business situation, advertising plays In today’s competitive and dynamic business scenario
an important role in communicating with customers, both organizations are witnessing tremendous pressure on account
current and potential [1]. With the advent of new technology of increased competition, increased customer participation and
and development of various modern media, advertisers have increased consumer responsiveness. Organizations are
discovered several innovative promotional options to lure struggling to find ways to deliver better to customers than
target audience. The rapid proliferation of internet, cell their competitors. Traditionally, the organizations believe in
phones, movies and video games has convinced marketing increasing profitability either by decreasing product’s cost or
personnel to consider these as emerging media alternatives. by expanding existing market [2], [3].
Therefore understanding advertisement effectiveness in Researchers have highlighted that although cost reduction is
context of these emerging media choices is essential as it one of the advantageous ways but there are limits associated
would contribute significantly to the productivity of with it. Therefore, increasing market seems to be more
advertisers in terms of effective allocation of their marketing beneficial to organizations and researchers have proven
budgets [1]. evidences for positive association between increased
advertising and improved market share [2]. The rampant
growth of modern technology and latest communication
Prateek Maheshwari is a research scholar at GLA University, Mathura methods has changed the way in which organizations
(U.P.), India and an Assistant Professor at Institute of Business Management advertise.
and Research, IPS Academy, Indore (M.P.), India (Corresponding Author; Marketers have made use of innovative advertising media
Mobile: +91-9977802779; e-mail: prateekm@hotmail.com).
Dr. Nitin Seth is working with Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New viz. internet, cell phones, movies and video games to reach out
Delhi, India as Associate Professor in the area of Supply Chain Management to target audience and hence understanding advertisement
(e-mail: nitinseth@iift.ac.in). effectiveness is essential. In this context, the subject of
Dr. Anoop K. Gupta is Director (IASH) at GLA University, Mathura
(U.P.), India (e-mail: anoop@gla.ac.in).
advertisement effectiveness needs a fresh understanding in the

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 World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering Vol:8, No:12, 2014

modern business scenario and this study can help to identify placements measured it in terms of how well they were
major research gaps and future research prospects in the area remembered [15]-[17]. According to [15], effectiveness of
of advertisement effectiveness. placements depends on the extent of conscious processing of
the brand and its association in the memory.
III. ADVERTISEMENT EFFECTIVENESS: CONCEPTS AND ITS Russell [16] tested the effect of different levels of plot
MEASURES connection on brand placements while [17] in their study
The early scholars in the area of advertisement effectiveness revealed that execution style of placement had significant
focused on theoretical considerations and developed impact on the audience memory for the brand. Genre of the
conceptual frameworks to understand and measure movie where placements appear along with characteristics of
advertisement effectiveness [4], [5]. placements like the category of the brand placed, the mode,
Starch [4] suggested a conceptual framework to measure the the kind of actor, his/her role in the film and integration had
probable effectiveness of a series of proposed advertisements differential impact on effectiveness of placements [15]-[17].
before they are used while [5] examined three different aspects It is evident that explicit memory measures such as recall or
of effectiveness of advertising communication. Bendixen [1] recognition are used in majority of the studies [18]. Thus
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developed an advertising effectiveness model and some researchers the use of implicit memory in testing advertising
practical sets of propositions that relates to long-term and brand placement effectiveness is also proposed by various
consumer behavior and have profound practical implications researchers [18], [19].
for the management of the advertising function.
VII. PRINT ADVERTISEMENTS
IV. TELEVISION ADVERTISEMENTS Measuring the Effectiveness of print advertisements is
Numerous researchers have examined the effectiveness of another area that has been widely researched [20]–[27].
TV advertisements with diverse perspectives [6]-[10]. Alpert Hanssens and Weitz [22] identified the specific characteristics
et al. [6] in their study measured the impact of repetition on of industrial print advertisements that are related to the
advertisement miscomprehension and advertisement effectiveness of advertising functions while [24] examined
effectiveness while [7] in their research focused on cross- influence of variety of factors such as size of an
national standardization of advertisements and measured the advertisement, number of colors used, the product advertised
effectiveness of TV advertisements targeted at Chinese and characteristics of the audience on recall and recognition of
Canadians in Canada. advertisements.
In a study, [8] compared the effectiveness of four telescopic Patterson and Richards [25] developed a structural latent
advertisements with advertisements for same products using variable model to determine the affect of newspaper
the traditional 30-sec TV commercial format and the advertisement characteristics while [26] identified the factors
infomercial format while [9] explored relative effectiveness of predicting the effectiveness of celebrity endorsement print
15 and 30 second TV advertisements using intermediate advertisements.
variable viz. advertising recall, liking and correct brand Keshari et al. [27] in their research explored the factors viz.
identification. In another study, [10] incorporated AIDA attractive visuals, believability, informational content,
model for measuring effectiveness of the TV advertisement relevance, memorability and persuasiveness that make service
for electric conservation in Isfahan city. print advertisement more effective. Table I summarizes major
research studies examined for the present review paper in
V. INTERNET ADVERTISEMENTS context of varied advertising media.
Scholars have also investigated the area of measuring
effectiveness of internet advertisements [11]-[14]. Newman et
al. [12] studied banner advertisement and web site congruity
effects on consumer website perceptions while [13] tested the
effectiveness of a mouse pointer image in increasing the click
through for a web banner advertisement.
Alijani et al. [14] explored various online advertisement
factors that affect the recall of online advertisements and
revealed that embedded videos, product price, product or
services itself and credibility are key elements that makes
consumers to recall online advertisements.

VI. IN-FILM AND IN-GAME ADVERTISEMENTS

With the advent of modern media options, the focus of
researchers shifted from measurement of advertisement
effectiveness for conventional media to films and video
games. Most of the researches on effectiveness of product

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 World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering Vol:8, No:12, 2014

TABLE I
MAJOR REVIEWED RESEARCH STUDIES ON ADVERTISEMENT EFFECTIVENESS
Author [4] [20] [10] [5] [22] [23] [24] [1] [11]
(Year)
Media Print Print Print Print Print Internet
Study Type Conceptual Survey Experimental Conceptual Survey Experimental Experimental Conceptual Experimental
Type of Click Through
Attention Aided Recall Precipitation Recall Attractiveness Ad Size Recall
Endorser Rates
Purchase Copy Testing
Interest Action Score Persuasion Readership Persuasiveness Use of Color Perceived Image
Intent Measures
Inquiry
Conviction Believability Reinforcement Credibility Type of Product Credibility
Generation
Suggested Product
Dimensions Memorable Reminder No. of Colors Recognition Familiarity
Feature
Action Bleed Recall
Ad Position
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Presence of
Model
Ad Size
Author [18] [25] [29] [16] [30] [12] [31] [13] [32]
(Year)
Media Film Print Print Television Television Internet Film Internet Print
Study Type Conceptual Exploratory Experimental Experimental Survey Experimental Experimental Descriptive Experimental
Click Through
Recall Ad Size Recall Recall Ad Length Recall Impressions Recall
Rates
Attitude Click Through Behavioral
Recognition Color Recognition Recognition Ad Frequency Recognition
Measurement Rates Intention
Attitude Attitude Type of
Logo Internet Usage Purchase Intention
Measurement Measurement Product
Suggested Consumer Purchase
Modality Recall
Dimensions Preferences Intentions
Purchase Plot
Involvement Recognition
Intent Connection
Demand
Ad Border
Attitude
Measurement
Author [19] [33] [9] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [27]
(Year)
Media Film Television Television Film Film Television Print Print
Study Type Experimental Experimental Survey Experimental Survey Conceptual Experimental Experimental Survey
Type of Attractive
Recall Recall Recall Movie Genre Attractiveness Recall Source Likability
Placement Visuals
Mode of
Recognition Recognition Liking Repetition Credibility Recognition Source Credibility Believability
Placement
Suggested Choice Correct Brand Consumer Product-Celebrity Attitude Attitudinal Informational
Likability Recall
Dimensions Behavior Identification Attitude Match Measurement Responses Content
Consumer Brand Level of
Recognition Relevance
Attitude Execution Involvement
Memorability
Persuasiveness

VIII. OBSERVATIONS, GAPS AND RESEARCH ISSUES different advertising media with reference to advertisement
Based on the review of available advertisement effectiveness. No generic ad effectiveness measures are
effectiveness literature, it is clear that most of the available.
advertisement effectiveness research studies are either Furthermore, majority of the researchers have explored the
experimental or questionnaire survey based. Students are area of advertisement effectiveness with two different
taken as sample audience in nearly all the researches which is perspectives viz. a) Dimensions on which Advertisement
not appropriate and thus a debatable issue. Effectiveness depends and b) Dimensions which are used to
It is also evident that majority of the studies are done in measure Advertisement Effectiveness. The survey of literature
USA, UK and other foreign countries. Typically in Indian leads to some important research issues which require
scenario, the subject of advertisement effectiveness has not attention from academicians and practitioners. These issues
drawn much attention of researchers. Also, the subject of are summarized below:
advertisement effectiveness is vague and perceived by varied Research Issue 1: Despite of numerous researches on
researchers in different ways. Different dimensions are used in advertisement effectiveness, debate exists over the clear

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 World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering Vol:8, No:12, 2014

definition of advertisement effectiveness with reference to [9] K. Newstead and J. Romaniuk, “The Relative Effectiveness of 15 and 30
Second TV Advertisement”, Journal of Advertising Research, March
specific media. 2010, pp. 68-76.
Research Issue 2: Majority of the advertisement [10] B. Ranjbarian, A. Shaemi and S. Y. Jolodar, “Assessing the
effectiveness research is limited to the use of experimental or Effectiveness of Electric Conservation Advertisements in Isfahan
Channel Television”, International Business Research, Vol. 4, No. 3,
survey based research design. Can traditional research 2011, pp. 194-200.
methods viz. content analysis, case study method, NGT or [11] J. Hofacker and T. Murphy, “World Wide Web Banner Advertisement
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[12] Newman et al., “Banner Advertisement and Website Congruity Effects
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are product specific in context of different media in most of Systems, Vol. 104, No. 3, 2004, pp. 273-281.
the researches. Is it valid in Indian context? If yes, then for [13] K. Lees and J. Healey, “A Test of the Effectiveness of a Mouse Pointer
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Research Issue 4: Even for a particular media, different [14] Alijani et al., “Effectiveness of Online Advertisement Factors in
researchers have used diverse advertisement effectiveness Recalling a Product”, Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, Vol. 14,
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No. 1, 2010, pp. 1-11.

dimensions. Can some generic dimensions be used in case of a [15] L. Percy, “Are Product Placements Effective?” International Journal of
specific media for a definite product category? Advertising, Vol. 25 Issue 1, 2006, pp.112-114.
Research Issue 5: Though numerous studies have focused [16] C. Russel, “Investigating the Effectiveness of Product Placements in
Television Shows: The Role of Modality and Plot Connection
on refining and deriving some specific ad effectiveness Congruence on Brand Memory and Attitude”, Journal of Consumer
dimensions; none of the researches are seen in defining the Research, Vol. 29, Issue 3, 2002, pp. 306-318.
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of Effects”, Oxford Business and Economics Proceedings, 2008, pp. 1-
IX. CONCLUSION 25.
[18] S. Law and K. Braun, “I'll have What She's Having: Gauging the Impact
An attempt is made through this research paper to review
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Brand Choice Behavior”, Journal of Communication, Vol. 57, 2007, pp.
summarized in Table I. It may be noted that the development 469-489.
of the advertisement effectiveness literature from 1964 to [20] R. Manville, “How Much does an Industrial Logotype add to the
2013 highlights the change in the focus of researchers from Effectiveness of an Advertisement”, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 29,
1965, pp. 57-59.
traditional to modern media. It is further observed that [21] S. Schleifer and W. Dunn, “Relative Effectiveness of Advertisements of
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International Science Index, Economics and Management Engineering Vol:8, No:12, 2014 waset.org/Publication/10000065

Prateek Maheshwari is a research scholar at GLA University, Mathura

(U.P.), India. A first class graduate in mechanical engineering and post
graduate in management from DAVV University, Indore (M.P.); he is
currently working as Assistant Professor at Institute of Business Management
and Research, IPS Academy, Indore (M.P.), India. He has guided many
research projects at post graduation level and has more than six research
papers of national and international repute to his credit. He has more than 6
years of teaching experience and his areas of specializations are Marketing,
General Management and Operations.

Dr. Nitin Seth is an Associate Professor in Indian Institute of Foreign Trade,

New Delhi, India. He has doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in the area of supply chain
management from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) and Post-
Doctoral Experience (+6 Months), at GIZ/DIE Germany and Ecole Des
Moines, Saint Etienne France (Programme Sponsored by Federal Ministry of
Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany). He has many research
papers and articles to his credit. He is actively involved in the research on
supply chain, total quality management, service quality and other related
areas. He has about 17 years of experience in teaching and consultancy which
includes three years of industry experience at middle level. He has delivered
invited talks on several issues spanning SCM, operations management etc. at
national and international level.

Dr. Anoop Kumar Gupta is Director (IASH), GLA University, Mathura

(U.P.), India. A well renowned academician in North India, he possesses an
MBA, M.Phil. and Ph. D. degrees from institutions of repute. During his
academic stint he was conferred the Gold medal from Rohilkhand University
for his outstanding performance. With a rich and vivacious teaching
experience of more than 22 years; Dr. Gupta is an able administrator, multi-
tasking, learned expert and a true mentor.

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