Memory Interference in Advertising: A Replication and Extension.

Memory for information in an ad can be detrimentally affected by exposure to another ad if the pictures in the two ads are similar. This has been termed contextual interference and has been shown to affect unfamiliar brands featured in an ad. Two studies were conducted to replicate the interference effect on unfamiliar brands and to examine whether familiar brands will be affected. The results replicate the interference effect on unfamiliar brands, demonstrating the robustness of the phenomenon. The results also show that claims about familiar brands are affected, qualifying previous research that shows that familiar brands are relatively impervious to competitive interference. Copyright 2004 by the University of Chicago.