The Effects of Contextual Priming in Print Advertisements.

This study investigated one particular way that contextual materials can affect the processing of ambiguous product information in print ads. It was proposed that prior exposure to contextual factors can prime certain product attributes and subsequently increase the likelihood that consumers interpret product information in terms of these activated attributes, thereby affecting the evaluation of the adverised brand. Two experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis, and the results demonstrated that specific attributes relevant to evaluating the advertised brand varied in their acessibility as a function of the context and that these variations influenced brand attitudes. Copyright 1990 by the University of Chicago.