Memory And Evaluation Effects In Competitive Advertising Environments

A laboratory experiment examined the effects of quantitative (i.e., number) and qualitative (i.e., valence) dimensions of competitive advertising on consumer memory and evaluations. Print ads were developed to elicit predominately either a positive or negative reaction. The valence of target ads and the number and valence of competing ads were manipulated. The findings suggest that the number of competing ads can produce interference effects in memory, although these effects were more pronounced with recall of brand claims than cognitive responses. Evaluations also exhibited interference effects from the number of competing ads. closely following the pattern of cognitive responses. Competitive ads of the same valence led to lower recall of brand claims but did not affect recall of cognitive responses nor evaluations. The moderating effects of these different competitive ad conditions on an advertising retrieval cue was also explored.