Most of the extant studies on communication effects have been devoted to the typical
issue, "what types of communication activities are more effective for brand awareness or
brand attitudes?" However, little research has addressed another question on
communication decisions, "what makes communication activities less effective?"
Our study focuses on factors negatively influenced on the efficiency of communication
activities, especially of Advertising. Some studies have introduced concepts closely related
to our topic such as consumer confusion, brand confusion, or belief confusion. Studies on
product belief confusion have found some factors misleading consumers to misunderstand
the physical features of products. Studies on brand confusion have uncovered factors
making consumers confused on brand names. Studies on advertising confusion have
tested the effects of ad models' employed by many other firms for different products on
communication efficiency.
We address a new concept, Ad noises, which are any factors interfering with
consumers exposed to a particular advertisement in understanding messages provided by
advertisements. The objective of this study is to understand the effects of ad noises
caused by ad models on brand awareness and brand attitude.
There are many different types of AD noises. Particularly, we study the effects of AD
noises generated from ad model selection decision. Many companies want to employ
celebrities as AD models while the number of celebrities who command a high degree of
public and media attention are limited. Inevitably, several firms have been adopting the same celebrities as their AD models for different products. If the same AD model is
adopted for TV commercials for different products, consumers exposed to those TV
commercials are likely to fail to be aware of the target brand due to interference of TV
commercials, for other products, employing the same AD model. This is an ad noise
caused by employing ad models who have been exposed to consumers in other
advertisements, which is the first type of ad noises studied in this research.
Another type of AD noises is related to the decision of AD model replacement for the
same product advertising. Firms sometimes launch another TV commercial for the same
products. Some firms employ the same AD model for the new TV commercial for the
same product and other firms employ new AD models for the new TV commercials for
the same product. The typical problem with the replacement of AD models is the
possibility of interfering with consumers in understanding messages of the TV
commercial due to the dissimilarity of the old and new AD models.
We studied the effects of these two types of ad noises, which are the typical factors
influencing on the effect of communication:(1) ad noises caused by employing ad models
who have been exposed to consumers in other advertisements and (2) ad noises caused
by changing ad models with different images for same products. First, we measure the
negative influence of AD noises on brand awareness and attitudes, in order to provide
the importance of studying AD noises.
Furthermore, our study unveiled the mediating conditions(variables) which can increase
or decrease the effects of ad noises on brand awareness and attitudes.
We study the effects of three mediating variables for ad noises caused by employing
ad models who have been exposed to consumers in other advertisements: (1) the fit
between product image and AD model image, (2) similarity between AD model images in
multiple TV commercials employing the same AD model, and (3) similarity between
products of which TV commercial employed the same AD model. We analyze the effects
of another three mediating variables for ad noises caused by changing ad models with
different images for same products: (1) the fit of old and new AD models for the same
product, (2) similarity between AD model images in old and new TV commercials for the
same product, and (3) concept similarity between old and new TV commercials for the
same product.
We summarized the empirical results from a field survey as follows. The employment of ad models who have been used in advertisements for other products has negative
effects on both brand awareness and attitudes. our empirical study shows that it is
possible to reduce the negative effects of ad models used for other products by choosing
ad models whose images are relevant to the images of target products for the
advertisement, by requiring ad models of images which are different from those of ad
models in other advertisements, or by choosing ad models who have been shown in
advertisements for other products which are not similar to the target product. The
change of ad models for the same product advertisement can positively influence on
brand awareness but positively on brand attitudes. Furthermore, the effects of ad model
change can be weakened or strengthened depending on the relevancy of new ad models,
the similarity of previous and current ad models, and the consistency of the previous and
current ad messages.
Most of the extant studies on communication effects have been devoted to the typical
issue, "what types of communication activities are more effective for brand awareness or
brand attitudes?" However, little research has addressed another question on
communication decisions, "what makes communication activities less effective?"
Our study focuses on factors negatively influenced on the efficiency of communication
activities, especially of Advertising. Some studies have introduced concepts closely related
to our topic such as consumer confusion, brand confusion, or belief confusion. Studies on
product belief confusion have found some factors misleading consumers to misunderstand
the physical features of products. Studies on brand confusion have uncovered factors
making consumers confused on brand names. Studies on advertising confusion have
tested the effects of ad models' employed by many other firms for different products on
communication efficiency.
We address a new concept, Ad noises, which are any factors interfering with
consumers exposed to a particular advertisement in understanding messages provided by
advertisements. The objective of this study is to understand the effects of ad noises
caused by ad models on brand awareness and brand attitude.
There are many different types of AD noises. Particularly, we study the effects of AD
noises generated from ad model selection decision. Many companies want to employ
celebrities as AD models while the number of celebrities who command a high degree of
public and media attention are limited. Inevitably, several firms have been adopting the same celebrities as their AD models for different products. If the same AD model is
adopted for TV commercials for different products, consumers exposed to those TV
commercials are likely to fail to be aware of the target brand due to interference of TV
commercials, for other products, employing the same AD model. This is an ad noise
caused by employing ad models who have been exposed to consumers in other
advertisements, which is the first type of ad noises studied in this research.
Another type of AD noises is related to the decision of AD model replacement for the
same product advertising. Firms sometimes launch another TV commercial for the same
products. Some firms employ the same AD model for the new TV commercial for the
same product and other firms employ new AD models for the new TV commercials for
the same product. The typical problem with the replacement of AD models is the
possibility of interfering with consumers in understanding messages of the TV
commercial due to the dissimilarity of the old and new AD models.
We studied the effects of these two types of ad noises, which are the typical factors
influencing on the effect of communication:(1) ad noises caused by employing ad models
who have been exposed to consumers in other advertisements and (2) ad noises caused
by changing ad models with different images for same products. First, we measure the
negative influence of AD noises on brand awareness and attitudes, in order to provide
the importance of studying AD noises.
Furthermore, our study unveiled the mediating conditions(variables) which can increase
or decrease the effects of ad noises on brand awareness and attitudes.
We study the effects of three mediating variables for ad noises caused by employing
ad models who have been exposed to consumers in other advertisements: (1) the fit
between product image and AD model image, (2) similarity between AD model images in
multiple TV commercials employing the same AD model, and (3) similarity between
products of which TV commercial employed the same AD model. We analyze the effects
of another three mediating variables for ad noises caused by changing ad models with
different images for same products: (1) the fit of old and new AD models for the same
product, (2) similarity between AD model images in old and new TV commercials for the
same product, and (3) concept similarity between old and new TV commercials for the
same product.
We summarized the empirical results from a field survey as follows. The employment of ad models who have been used in advertisements for other products has negative
effects on both brand awareness and attitudes. our empirical study shows that it is
possible to reduce the negative effects of ad models used for other products by choosing
ad models whose images are relevant to the images of target products for the
advertisement, by requiring ad models of images which are different from those of ad
models in other advertisements, or by choosing ad models who have been shown in
advertisements for other products which are not similar to the target product. The
change of ad models for the same product advertisement can positively influence on
brand awareness but positively on brand attitudes. Furthermore, the effects of ad model
change can be weakened or strengthened depending on the relevancy of new ad models,
the similarity of previous and current ad models, and the consistency of the previous and
current ad messages.