The Moderating Effect of Manipulative Intent and Cognitive Resources on the Evaluation of Narrative Ads
Journal
Psychology & Marketing
ISSN
0742-6046
ISSN-Digital
1520-6793
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2010-05
Author(s)
Abstract
This research examines how salience of manipulative intent affects the evaluation of ads that are presented in a narrative or expository format. Study 1 shows that when manipulative intent is not salient, narrative ads are evaluated more positively than expository ads because they trigger a narrative processing style. When manipulative intent is salient, however, consumers regard the advertiser's tactics more suspiciously and adopt an analytical processing style to evaluate both narrative and expository ads. As a result, the relative advantage of narrative ads over expository ads disappears. A mediational analysis reveals that these effects are mediated by inferences of manipulative intent. Furthermore, Study 2 shows that cognitive load moderates these effects and that the negative impact of manipulative intent is significantly attenuated when cognitive load is high. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Wiley Interscience
Publisher place
New York NY
Volume
27
Number
5
Start page
510
End page
530
Pages
21
Subject(s)
Eprints ID
61214