Table Of ContentHong Kong Baptist University
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Open Access Teses and Dissertations Electronic Teses and Dissertations
2015
Efect of program intensity and product involvement on advertising memory and liking in
live broadcasting: Super Bowl broadcasting 1992-2012
Xiaojia Zhang
Hong Kong Baptist University
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Zhang, Xiaojia, "Efect of program intensity and product involvement on advertising memory and liking in live broadcasting: Super
Bowl broadcasting 1992-2012" (2015). Open Access Teses and Dissertations. 233.
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Effect of Program Intensity and Product Involvement on Advertising Memory
and Liking in Live Broadcasting -- Super Bowl Broadcasting 1992-2012
ZHANG Xiaojia
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Principal Supervisor: Prof. Zhao Xinshu
Hong Kong Baptist University
August 2015
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this thesis represents my own work which has been done after
registration for the degree of PhD at Hong Kong Baptist University, and has not been
previously included in a thesis or dissertation submitted to this or any other institution for
a degree, diploma or other qualifications.
Signature:__________________________
Date: August 2015
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ABSTRACT
The effect of involvement with program context has long been an imperative factor
in understanding advertising processing. However, contradictory theses and inconsistent
findings demand better clarifications. This thesis bridges a gap between the key constructs
of program intensity and product involvement in terms of TV advertising effects with the
consideration of antecedents of program involvement. Following the “Cognitive Efficacy”
principle, the Wyer-Srull model, Limited Capacity Model and ELM model has been
adopted to examine the theoretical frameworks of contextual and serial TV advertising
position effects. With the emphasis on the concept of involvement, both situational and
enduring involvement has been contemplated to explore the theoretical framework of TV
advertising message processing. With the unit of analysis set at the advertised brand level,
a naturalistic field study has been conducted to examine program intensity induced
involvement (situational), product involvement (enduring) and audiences’ intrinsic
involvement (enduring) effects on live TV advertising utilizing twelve years of Super Bowl
broadcasting content analysis and survey data.
The results have indicated that the advertisements subsequent to high intensity TV
program contents are more likely to be memorized, yet it is moderated by product
involvement. In other words the scoring segments would tend to have a positive effect on
low involvement products and negative effect on high involvement products in terms of
viewers’ memory. Additionally, the same effect patterns have been revealed on both high
involvement (Fans) and low involvement (Non-Fans) viewers. However, the pattern of
impact has not been witnessed on viewers’ attitude. The results have also validated serial
position effects. The findings have revealed the dynamics created by program intensity and
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its interaction with product involvement on advertisement effects. The outcome also
provided an in-depth understanding of TV ads positions for practical implications.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This thesis is not only a scientific research report, but also a summarization of the
past four years of my graduate study. For that, I am indebted to many people.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my advisor and mentor, Prof. Xinshu
Zhao. Without his guidance, this thesis would be impossible to complete. From
conceptualization to data collection and analysis, Prof. Zhao has always been available to
offer his insights, suggestions and guidance. His passion to knowledge and stoic
philosophy to life made a great example for me as a scholar.
I would like to sincerely thank my committee members of the examination board
for using their precious time to read and critique my work. They are Prof. Kineta Hung,
Prof. Kara Chan, Prof. Xiaosui Xiao, Dr. Fuyuan Shen, Dr. Annisa Lee and Prof. John
Powers. I have benefited greatly from interacting with these prominent academics.
I would like to thank the course instructors for helping me acquiring knowledge
both theoretically and methodologically. They are Prof. Zhongshi Guo, Prof. Colin Sparks,
Prof. Ling Chen, Prof. Ringo Ma, Prof. Kwok-fai Ting, Prof. Robert Wyer, Prof. Kenneth
Law, Prof. Sri Kalyanaraman, and Prof. Daniel Riffe. I have benefited enormously from
my visiting program at UNC. Thus, my deep gratitude goes to Dean Richard Cole, Dean
Susan King, Louise Spieler, Michael Penny and Dr. Chris Wiesen. Special thanks also go
to our graduate program administrator Eve Cheung.
I would like to thank my colleagues and friends. They are Charles Fung, Benjamin
Cheng, Sophie Sun, Ellie Yang, Nancy Lu, Yingjie Huang, Janet Lo, Klavier Wong, Shuo
Zhou, Amrat Haq, Renata Wojtczak, and Jicheng Xing.
My family members supported me tremendously during my study. I would like to
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thank my father for giving me strength and my mother for praying for me all the time. I
love you, M’ma and Baba. I also would like to thank my uncle Shaoyi and grandaunt
Guangyun for greatly inspiring me. Finally, my heartfelt thanks go to my beloved Jinger,
thank you very much for accompanying me in this cherishable journey and the adventure
ahead of us.
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Table of Contents
DECLARATION ........................................................................................................ i
ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................... iv
Table of Contents ...................................................................................................... vi
List of Tables ............................................................................................................ ix
List of Figures............................................................................................................ x
1 Chapter 1 Introduction ...................................................................................... 1
1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 1
1.2 Research objectives ................................................................................... 2
1.3 Context of the Study .................................................................................. 5
1.4 Significance of Study ................................................................................ 6
1.5 Outline of Study ........................................................................................ 7
2 Chapter 2 Literature Review and Theoretical Framework ............................... 8
2.1 Overview ................................................................................................... 8
2.2 Theoretical Frameworks ............................................................................ 8
2.3 Wyer-Srull Model ...................................................................................... 9
2.3.1 Effects and Postulations .................................................................. 12
2.3.2 Work Space Effects ......................................................................... 13
2.3.3 Positive Impact of Time .................................................................. 14
2.3.4 Interference Effects ......................................................................... 14
2.4 Limited Capacity Model.......................................................................... 16
2.4.1 Encoding Sub-process ..................................................................... 18
2.4.2 Storage Sub-Process ........................................................................ 19
2.4.3 Retrieval Sub-Process ..................................................................... 21
2.5 TV Advertisement Position Research ..................................................... 24
2.5.1 Serial Position ................................................................................. 25
2.5.2 Contextual Position and Program Intensity .................................... 27
2.6 The Concept of Involvement ................................................................... 33
2.6.1 Classification of Involvement ......................................................... 34
2.6.2 Involvement in TV watching .......................................................... 36
2.6.3 Product Involvement ....................................................................... 40
2.6.4 Elaboration Likelihood Model ........................................................ 41
2.6.5 The Involvement Concept in Super Bowl TV Broadcasting .......... 42
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2.6.6 Involvement and Attitude towards the Ad....................................... 42
2.7 The theoretical Framework of TV Advertising Message Processing ...... 43
3 Chapter 3 Models, Hypotheses and Research Questions ............................... 45
3.1 Overview ................................................................................................. 45
3.2 Serial Position ......................................................................................... 45
3.2.1 Frequency ........................................................................................ 46
3.3 Contextual Position ................................................................................. 46
3.4 Hypotheses & Research Questions ......................................................... 47
3.5 Audience Involvement ............................................................................ 48
4 Chapter 4 Research Methods .......................................................................... 50
4.1 Quasi-Experimental Design .................................................................... 50
4.2 Internal Validity and External Validity .................................................... 51
4.3 Unit of Analysis ...................................................................................... 54
4.4 Data Collection Telephone Interviews: ................................................... 55
4.4.1 Dependent Variable 1: Brand Recall ............................................... 56
4.4.2 Dependent Variable 2: Brand Recognition ...................................... 57
4.4.3 Dependent Variable 3: Brand Liking............................................... 58
4.5 Content Analysis: Measuring Independent Variables .............................. 58
4.5.1 Serial Position Variables ................................................................. 59
4.5.2 Enduring Involvement: Fandom ..................................................... 60
4.5.3 Enduring Involvement: Product Involvement ................................. 60
4.5.4 Situational Involvement: Program Intensity ................................... 62
4.5.5 Super Bowl Year ............................................................................. 62
4.6 Statistical Method .................................................................................... 62
4.6.1 Hypotheses testing and Answering Research Questions ................. 63
5 Chapter 5 Analyses and Results...................................................................... 66
5.1 Overview ................................................................................................. 66
5.2 Descriptions of Data Sets for the Study .................................................. 66
5.3 Descriptive Statistics for Content Analysis ............................................. 69
5.4 Descriptive Statistics for Survey data ..................................................... 71
5.5 T-test between Fans and Non-Fans on Advertising Effectiveness .......... 73
5.6 Regression Analyses ................................................................................ 75
5.6.1 Cleaning and Screening the Data .................................................... 80
5.6.2 Assumptions for Regression Analysis............................................. 80
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5.6.3 Results for Regression Analysis ...................................................... 84
5.6.4 Recall Regression Analysis Results ................................................ 84
5.6.5 Recognition Regression Analysis Results ....................................... 96
5.6.6 Liking Regression Analysis Results .............................................. 108
6 Chapter 6 Discussion and Conclusion ...........................................................118
6.1 Overview ................................................................................................118
6.2 Analyses Results Assessment.................................................................118
6.2.1 Cognitive Perspective ....................................................................118
6.2.2 Affective Perspective .................................................................... 120
6.3 Theoretical Implications ........................................................................ 121
6.4 Practical Implications ............................................................................ 124
6.5 Summarization ...................................................................................... 126
6.6 Limitations ............................................................................................ 126
6.7 Future Research Directions ................................................................... 128
References ............................................................................................................. 129
Appendix ............................................................................................................... 136
Appendix 1 Partial Regression Plots ............................................................... 136
Appendix 2 Survey Questionnaire .................................................................. 145
Appendix 3 Content Analysis Sample ............................................................ 158
CURRICULUM VITAE ........................................................................................ 163
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