The effect of visual metaphor on advertising response an integrative framework

306 Pages·2016·4.57 MB·English

The Effect of Visual Metaphor on Advertising Response
An Integrative Framework

Adel Sakr

Doctor of Philosophy

Aston University
March 2016

© Adel Sakr, 2016

Adel Sakr asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this thesis.

This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is
understood to recognise that its copyright rests with its author and that no quotation
from the thesis and no information derived from it may be published without
appropriate permission or acknowledgement.

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Aston University
The Effect of Visual Metaphor on Advertising Response
An Integrative Framework
Adel Sakr
Doctor of Philosophy
2016
Thesis Summary
This thesis contributes toward the better understanding of the use and effect of visual
metaphor in print advertising through an integrative framework. Two overall research
questions are answered in this context. Firstly, why is visual metaphor in advertising such
an important phenomenon that is worth further research? Secondly, how does visual
metaphor engage the consumer and elicits favorable responses to different print
advertisements? Two studies were conducted to answer these questions. Study one, a
content analysis on 320 print advertisements answered the first overall research question.
This study provided a comprehensive assessment of the use of visual metaphor in print
advertising. Results showed that visual metaphor is strongly present in print advertising
and that this presence shows an increasing trend over time. Study two answered the
second overall research question through two experiments. The first experiment compared
the effect of different types of visual metaphor on different consumer responses. Results
from this experiment showed that replacement metaphor had the most positive effect on
effectiveness of the ad. Furthermore, replacement metaphor together with fusion metaphor
had the most positive effect on attitude toward the brand and purchase intention. Verbo-
pictorial metaphor on the other hand scored the lowest with regards to its effect on the
three aforementioned responses. The effect of replacement metaphor on effectiveness of
the ad, attitude toward the brand and purchase intention was positively mediated through
elaboration and subjective ad comprehension. Objective ad comprehension also positively
mediated the effect of replacement metaphor but only on effectiveness of the ad and
purchase intention. The same results applied to verbo-pictorial metaphor. However, the
mediation effects in this case were negative. Findings, also uncovered that ads that
compare two metaphorical objects which are conceptually similar particularly in terms of
their functional characteristics are better comprehended. Therefore, a specific visual
structure may vary in its effect and hence effectiveness depending on the nature and
character of this conceptual similarity as perceived by consumers. The second experiment
tested the moderating effect of ad viewing time on consumer response to visual metaphor
in advertising. Results, however, did not support the hypothesis related to this moderating
effect. Finally, comparing the content analysis and experimental findings provides valuable
insights for advertising practitioners. Practitioners can better frame their advertisements
and make more effective use of the different types of visual metaphor for this purpose.
Therefore, this thesis has also important practical implications.
Keywords: Advertising Effectiveness, Visual Metaphor, Ad Viewing Time
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Dedication

To my parents

Helen and Mahmoud

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Acknowledgements
I am delighted to take this opportunity to thank people without whose support, advice and
company I would not have managed to complete this thesis. First and foremost I would like
to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisory team Dr. Dina Rasolofoarison and
Professor Heiner Evanschitzky. Their combined knowledge, expertise, support and words
of encouragement made this doctoral research experience not only a valuable learning
experience but also an enjoyable one. I would like to thank Dr. Dina for her flexibility,
patience and support when I was selecting my research topic. Her guidance in the design
of the content analysis as well as the experimental research was also valuable. I also
appreciate her ability to keep a balance between providing directions and supporting my
efforts while offering me the opportunity to find my own way forward. There are so many
things to thank Professor Heiner for, but I will just single out a few that I really admired him
for. His great ability to provide essential and continuous support at all the stages of my
PhD studies. I am grateful to him for being able to fuel my motivation and enthusiasm to
progress with my research even at the most challenging times. His expertise and guidance
helped me prioritize my tasks and manage my time to meet the different deadlines
throughout this project. His knowledge in research design and data analysis was also of
great value to me and I did learn from him a lot in this regard.
Very special thanks to my friend and colleague Katharina Kils. Without her essential help
and support, I would never had been able to complete the content analysis study on time.
I will always be grateful and remember our chats on Christmas and new years’ eve, which
you generously devoted to support me and work on this study. I wish to also thank Aston
Business School represented in all the faculty members in the Marketing Group. You were
all more than generous with your time whenever I had a question or I needed any kind of
support. Special thanks also to Mr. Paul Hebron, Head of Marketing and Alumni Relations
at Aston Business School. Without his tremendous help in connecting me with Advertising
practitioners I would never had been able to recruit the needed participants for the
qualitative study conducted as part of this thesis. His valuable support enabled me to
complete this study on time. I would also like to give special thanks to the RDP team (Dr.
Elizabeth Bridges, Ms. Jeanette Ikuomola, Ms. Irene Vickers and Ms. Ranjit Judge) for
ethically supporting the whole PhD experience. Your informal chats and kind words of
encouragement had a valuable impact on my progress with my research. Thank you for
being there for me. Last and definitely not least I would like to thank all my friends and
colleagues at Aston Business School and also back home for their continuous
encouragement and support.
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Table of Contents
Thesis Summary ........................................................................................................................ 2
Dedication .................................................................................................................................. 3
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... 4
Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... 5
Chapter 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 11
1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 12
1.2 Aim and Research Objectives ........................................................................................ 17
1.3 Organization of the Thesis ............................................................................................. 18
Chapter 2 .................................................................................................................................. 23
Philosophy and Research Structure ......................................................................................... 23
2.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 24
2.2. The Different Philosophical Approaches ...................................................................... 24
2.2.1 Interpretivism .......................................................................................................... 24
2.2.2 Realism ................................................................................................................... 25
2.2.3. Positivism and Its Roots ......................................................................................... 26
2.2.4 Pragmatism ............................................................................................................. 28
2.3. Critical Discussion of the Research Structure ............................................................... 32
Chapter 3 .................................................................................................................................. 35
Literature Review (Part 1) ....................................................................................................... 35
3.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 36
3.2 What is a Visual Metaphor? ........................................................................................... 36
3.3. Typologies of Visual Metaphor in Advertising ............................................................ 41
3.4. Previous Research on the Presence of Visual Metaphor in Print Advertising .............. 52
Chapter 4 .................................................................................................................................. 55
Contemporary Uses of Visual Metaphor in Print Advertising ................................................. 55
4.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 56
4.2. Qualitative Study with Advertising Experts ................................................................. 57
4.2.1 Aim of the study ...................................................................................................... 57
4.2.2. Context and Reason for Choice ............................................................................. 57
4.2.3. Research Objectives ............................................................................................... 60
4.2.4. Method ................................................................................................................... 61
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4.2.4.1 Why Qualitative in-depth interviews? ............................................................. 61
4.2.4.2. Sample............................................................................................................. 62
4.2.4.3. Interviews Structure ........................................................................................ 62
4.2.4.4. Materials ......................................................................................................... 63
4.2.4.5. Data Analysis .................................................................................................. 63
4.2.5. Research Findings .................................................................................................. 64
4.2.5.1. Metaphor in Print Advertising ........................................................................ 64
4.2.5.2. The Visual Element ......................................................................................... 64
4.2.5.3. The Textual Element ....................................................................................... 65
4.2.5.4. The Brand Element ......................................................................................... 68
4.2.5.5. Managerial Insights ......................................................................................... 69
4.2.6. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 73
4.3. Content Analysis on Print Ads ...................................................................................... 74
4.3.1. Aim of the study ..................................................................................................... 74
4.3.2. Research Objectives ............................................................................................... 74
4.3.3. Method ................................................................................................................... 75
4.3.3.1. Descriptive Study ............................................................................................ 75
4.3.3.2 Why Content Analysis? ................................................................................... 75
4.3.3.3. Steps of Content Analysis ............................................................................... 76
4.3.4. Research Findings .................................................................................................. 87
4.3.4.1 Visual Metaphor ............................................................................................... 88
4.3.4.2 Visual Element ................................................................................................. 93
4.2.4.3. Textual Element .............................................................................................. 97
4.2.4.4. Brand Element .............................................................................................. 105
4.4. Discussion ................................................................................................................... 105
Chapter 5 ................................................................................................................................ 111
Literature Review (Part 2) ..................................................................................................... 111
5.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 112
5.2. Effects of Visual Metaphor Type on Comprehension ................................................ 113
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5.3 Effects of Visual Metaphor on Consumer Responses .................................................. 114
5.3.1 Cognitive Elaboration ........................................................................................... 115
5.3.2. Comprehension .................................................................................................... 122
5.3.3 Attitude Toward the Ad ........................................................................................ 128
5.3.4 Ad Credibility ....................................................................................................... 129
5.3.5 Attitude Toward the Brand ................................................................................... 131
5.3.6. Purchase Intention ................................................................................................ 132
5.3.7. Perceived Quality of Advertised Product ............................................................. 133
5.3.8. Effectiveness of the ad ......................................................................................... 134
5.3.9. Ad Recall ............................................................................................................. 134
5.4. Previous research on the effect of Forceville’s (1996) typology on consumer response.
........................................................................................................................................... 135
5.5. Moderating Factors ..................................................................................................... 147
5.6. The Gap in the Literature ............................................................................................ 151
5.7. The Derived Conceptual Model .................................................................................. 152
Chapter 6 ................................................................................................................................ 154
Experimental Research .......................................................................................................... 154
6.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 155
6.2. Methodology ............................................................................................................... 156
6.2.1. Why Experimental Research? .............................................................................. 156
6.2.2. Why More Than One Experiment? ...................................................................... 156
6.3. Experiment One .......................................................................................................... 157
6.3.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 157
6.3.2 Proposed Hypotheses ............................................................................................ 160
6.3.3. Methodology ........................................................................................................ 163
6.3.4. Data Analysis and Results.................................................................................... 173
6.3.5. Small Complementary Study ............................................................................... 194
6.3.6. Discussion ............................................................................................................ 197
6.4. Experiment Two.......................................................................................................... 205
6.4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 205
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6.4.2. Proposed Hypothesis ............................................................................................ 206
6.4.3. Methodology ........................................................................................................ 206
6.4.4. Data Analysis and Results.................................................................................... 214
6.4.5 Discussion ............................................................................................................. 219
6.5. General Discussion ..................................................................................................... 220
6.6. Ethical Considerations for Experiments ..................................................................... 222
Chapter 7 ................................................................................................................................ 223
Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 223
7.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 224
7.2. Aim and Objectives of This Thesis ............................................................................. 224
7.3. Meeting the Objectives ............................................................................................... 225
7.4. Managerial Implications ............................................................................................. 233
7.5. Limitations and Future Research ................................................................................ 234
References .............................................................................................................................. 237
Appendices ............................................................................................................................. 257

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List of Figures
Figure 1: Welti-Furer Ad Figure 2: Greenpeace Ad ................................................ 12
Figure 3: Reflex Racquet Ad (Phillips, 1997) .................................................................... 41
Figure 4: Replacement Metaphor - Clerget ad (Source, Forceville, 1996) ....................... 42
Figure 5: Juxtaposition Metaphor - Chocolate Cherry Cookies Ad (Source, Lagerwerf,
van Hooijdonk, & Korenberg, 2012). ................................................................................. 43
Figure 6: Verbo-Pictorial Metaphor - BMW Motorbike Ad (source, Forceville, 1996)....... 44
Figure 7: Phillips and McQuarrie (2004) Typology ............................................................ 46
Figure 8: Gkiouzepas and Hogg (2011) Typology ............................................................ 49
Figure 9: Example of a Print Ad ........................................................................................ 80
Figure 10: Importance of The Three Ad Elements ............................................................ 81
Figure 11: Key Finding for the Ad Elements as Percentages of Total Sample ............... 88
Figure 12: Visual Metaphor in Print Advertising – An Increasing Trend over Time .......... 89
Figure 13: Presence of Visual Metaphor Types Over Time .............................................. 89
Figure 14:Visual Metaphor in Different Print Media Categories and Award Winning Ads.
........................................................................................................................................... 90
Figure 15: Verbo-Pictorial Indirect Effect Metaphor - Harvey Nichols Ad ......................... 91
Figure 16: Total Replacement Metaphor - Terrain Ad - (Source: AdForum Database) ... 92
Figure 17:Key Findings for Visual Content........................................................................ 93
Figure 18: Key Findings for Color in Ad ............................................................................ 96
Figure 19: Proportion of Text in Ads over Time ................................................................ 97
Figure 20:Types of Headline Trends over Time ................................................................ 98
Figure 21: No Headline in Ads - Increasing Trend over Time........................................... 99
Figure 22: Types of Headline in Ads ............................................................................... 100
Figure 23: Tagline Identity - Examples ............................................................................ 102
Figure 24: Ads Including No Body Copy - Increasing Trend Over Time ......................... 104
Figure 25: Example of an award winning ad with a declarative tagline .......................... 109
Figure 26: Advertising Stimuli used by Mohanty and Ratneshwar (2015) ...................... 144
Figure 27: The Conceptual Model ................................................................................... 153
Figure 28: Objective Metaphor Comprehension Results ................................................ 190
Figure 29: Complementary Study - Results .................................................................... 195
Figure 30: Complementary Study Results ...................................................................... 196
Figure 31: Procedures Followed in the Limited Ad Viewing Time Condition .................. 212
Figure 32: Objective Metaphor Comprehension for the Four Conditions ....................... 218
Figure 33: Ad Recall for the Four Conditions .................................................................. 219

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List of Tables

Table 1: Summary of Thesis ................................................................................................ 22
Table 2: The Pillars of Pragmatism as a Philosophy Underlying This Thesis ............. 31
Table 3: Summary of The Research Design ..................................................................... 34
Table 4: Previous Research on Elaboration ................................................................... 115
Table 5: Previous Research on Comprehension ........................................................... 122
Table 6: Previous Research on Attitude Toward the Ad ............................................... 128
Table 7: Previous Research on Ad Credibility ................................................................ 129
Table 8: Previous Research on Attitude Toward the Brand ......................................... 131
Table 9: Previous Research on Purchase Intention ...................................................... 132
Table 10: Previous Research on Ad Recall .................................................................... 134
Table 11: Summary of Previous Research on the Effect of Forceville (1996) Typology
............................................................................................................................................... 135
Table 12: Advertising Stimuli used in Experiment one .................................................. 165
Table 13: Mean and Standard Deviations For Dependent Variables (N=200) .......... 173
Table 14: Open Ended Questions Results – Replacement Metaphor ........................ 191
Table 15: Open Ended Questions Results – Fusion Metaphor ................................... 191
Table 16: Open Ended Questions Results – Juxtaposition Metaphor ........................ 192
Table 17: Open Ended Questions Results – Verbo-Pictorial Metaphor and Verbo-
Pictorial Indirect Effect Metaphor ...................................................................................... 193
Table 18: Means and Standard Deviations For Subjective Comprehension ............. 208
Table 19: Means and Standard Deviations For Subjective Comprehension ............. 210
Table 20: Advertising Stimuli used in Experiment Two ................................................. 211
Table 21: Linear Model of Predictors of Subjective Comprehension. ......................... 216
Table 22: Linear Model of Predictors of Objective Comprehension ............................ 217
Table 23: Linear Model of Predictors of Elaboration ..................................................... 217
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