MEDIA CONTEXT 279unexpectedness of the information given its context increases the attention to the ad because
consumers see the ad as innovative and interesting. How can the contradictory results be
explained and what should an advertiser go for: a context-congruent or a context-incongruent
ad? The solution can be found in moderator variables. Apparently, people react differently
depending on how involved they are with the product category.^71 When product involvement
is low, consumers go for the peripheral route of processing and it helps them if context and
ad style are congruent. On the other hand, when product involvement is high, they are more
likely to follow the central route. In this case, they are willing to expend more cognitive
resources and seem to appreciate a context-incongruent ad more.
Concerning the intensity of context responses, two opposing views are held. Some claim
that the more intense context responses are, the less capacity will be left for consumers to
process the ad. As a consequence, less attention will be paid to the ad and the ad will be less
effective. An exciting context inducing high arousal in respondents has been shown to lead
to less positive ad responses than a romantic or cosy context which induced a significantly
lower arousal level.^72 However, other researchers claim that the more intense consumer
responses to the context are, the more attentive and aroused they are and, as a result, the better
the ads will be processed. Research results are mixed, but the majority of the findings point
in the direction of a positive impact of intensity of context responses on attitudes and purchase
intention.^73 Besides the intensity, the valence of context-induced responses (whether they are
positive or negative) may also matter.^74 Some researchers suggest that a context that evokes a
positive mood induces less elaborate processing of embedded ads and a less positive attitude
towards the ad. Two theories try to explain this.^75 According to the cognitive capacity theory,
a positive mood activates a whole bunch of information in memory that limits the consumer’s
processing of incoming information. A second theory proposes that when people are in a
positive mood, they try to keep this mood and, as a consequence, avoid all stimuli (such as
ads) that could alter this situation. The opposite can be expected when they are in a neutral
or a bad mood. On the other hand, there is also evidence that people who are in a good mood
evaluate ads more positively and are more capable of, and willing to, process ad-related infor-
mation. This can be explained by affect transfer (see Chapter 3) by means of which the positive
evaluation of the context is transferred (or misattributed) to the ad. However, the majority of
the studies investigating the impact of context-induced mood on embedded ads find that
emotional responses to the context indeed carry over to the ad, but not to the brand.^76Instead of facilitating or inhibiting consumers’ processing of advertising messages, the medium itself can also be the
message. A recent study investigated the impact of creative media choice. In this study, creative media choice refers
to the fact that the brand logo and slogan are shown, but that brand associations are primed by the medium and, as
a consequence, implicitly instead of explicitly communicated. Advantages of creative medium choice could be that:- The ad context is intentionally rather than incidentally processed.
- The distinctiveness of the medium increases the transfer from associations from the medium to the brand.
- The indirect approach creates less negative cognitive responses and enhances ad credibility and attitudes.
In the study, two products were investigated: an insurance company and an energy drink. The insurance company
was promoted either on an egg or in a traditional newspaper. An egg was chosen because of its protective shell and
the fact that it is a fragile and easily breakable product. The energy drink was promoted either on an elevator or in
researCh insight
‘The medium is the message’M08_PELS3221_05_SE_C08.indd 279 6/6/13 9:23 AM