RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 How Consumers Process Unexpected Online Advertisements
JF Journal of Advertising Research
JO J Advert Res
FD WARC
SP 219
OP 240
DO 10.2501/JAR-2022-015
VO 62
IS 3
A1 Emna Cherif
A1 Thierry Baccino
YR 2022
UL http://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/62/3/219.abstract
AB Online advertisements compete for consumer attention. This research investigates the effects of unexpected features in advertising such as motion and abrupt onset. The authors used a within-subject design to analyze the effects of three levels of advertising unexpectedness: high versus moderate versus low during both goal-oriented and free-browsing tasks. To that end, they recorded participant eye movements and measured the attitude toward the advertisement format and perceived intrusiveness. Results show that highly unexpected advertisements captured more attention in both tasks. Moreover, low and high levels of advertising unexpectedness attracted more attention in goal-oriented tasks and were associated with a more favorable attitude toward the advertisement and less perceived intrusiveness. The study further discussed theoretical and managerial implications of the findings.