How subjective processing fluency predicts attitudes toward visual advertisements and purchase intention

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the role of attention, processing motivation and processing depth in the relationship between self-reported subjective processing fluency and relevant advertisement variables such as ad attitude, brand attitude and purchase intentions. Design/methodology/approach – Two empirical studies were conducted using self-report questionnaires. Findings – In Study 1 ( N = 176), the measure of self-reported subjective processing fluency was pretested. As expected, it was found to be sensitive to visual and semantic features of advertisements and to predict attitudes toward an advertisement. In Study 2 ( N = 204), mediation analyses showed that self-reported subjective processing fluency was a predictor of attitude toward the advertisement (through attention and processing depth), attitude toward the brand (through processing depth) and purchase intentions (through processing depth). Research limitations/implications – The results emphasize the role of cognitive processing in explaining the effect of processing fluency on attitudes in marketing research. Practical implications – Practitioners could use this theoretical framework and take into account the fluency with which consumers process information to improve the way they advertise their products. Originality/value – The results suggest that self-reported subjective processing fluency can be relevant to predicting consumers’ attitudes because it increases attention and processing depth of the advertisement.