Does Attitude toward the Ad Endure? The Moderating Effects of Attention and Delay.

Do the effects of attitude toward the ad on consumer decisions endure beyond the scenarios that characterize previous research? In examining this question, the authors focus on the persistence of ad-attitude effects as a function of the level of attention at encoding and the delay between ad exposure and response. The results of an experiment designed to test their hypotheses suggest that ad-attitude effects do not persist in a number of instances. Over time, as memory for an ad fades, its effects on ad attitude dissipate. As a result, the ad-attitude effects on brand attitude that are reported in past research disappear after a delay. In fact, in certain situations likable ads are shown to have a detrimental impact on brand attitude. For instance, when it receives little attention, a highly affective ad (compared with a more neutral ad) may focus attention away from the brand claims and lead to a lower brand attitude after a delay. Copyright 1992 by the University of Chicago.