The Information Processing of Pictures in Print Advertisements
Julie A. Edell, Richard Staelin · Journal of Consumer Research · 1983
This study postulates that the presence of a dominant picture in a print ad can alter a consumer's cognitive activity while viewing the ad. Using the findings of previous research, we develop a model of the process by which a viewer evaluates, encodes, and stores information found in the ad. This model is tested in a laboratory setting. The results clearly indicate that the way a message is conveyed (pictorially or verbally), whether the viewer is given some reference point for encoding the picture (framed or not framed), and the type of claim made (objective, subjective, or characterization) have a significant effect on the processing of the information presented in the advertisements. These differences in processing are also shown to affect the viewer's brand attitudes and purchase intentions.