The Impact of Rational, Emotional, And Physiological Advertising Images On Purchase Intention

Abstract

ABSTRACT Academic theory and practitioner-performance metrics both focus on consumer recall and recognition of advertising content. A collaborative effort between academics and advertising practitioners, the current research considers advertising aligned with rational, emotional, and physiological appeals. The study employed a dataset representing 59,000 consumer interviews collected nationally on 590 television commercials that aired for the top 16 quick-service restaurant brands in the United States between 2008 and 2009. A moment-by-moment visual-recognition memory test developed, validated, and implemented by industry professionals demonstrates that compared with rational visual appeals, emotional, and physiological appeals more likely are related to consumer purchase intention. Implications stress the importance of understanding how advertising content influences brand memory and offer further insights into both theory and practice.