White Space in Newspaper Grocery Advertising: Some New Findings

Abstract

This paper analyzes the subject of white space in newspaper grocery advertising. Five supermarket newspaper advertisement mock-ups were produced for varying amounts of white space. A convenience sample of 150 subjects was selected from a population of customers in a large supermarket. Each subject viewed five mock-up ads and answered a three-part questionnaire. Results from the semantic differential and preference tests indicate that ads with less white space are more liked, perceived as being of higher quality, and preferred by customers seeking a store in which to shop. These tests further show that supermarket ads with more white space are perceived as being more expensive. Conclusions from recognition tests indicate that products and store names from ads with more white space have higher retention.