An Investigation of Match-Up Effects: Influential Sources of Fit and the Generative Role of Imagination

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to enhance our understanding of sources of visual–product fit by investigating imagination as a process mechanism in a print ad context. Three studies are presented. In the first study, a scale is developed to measure perceptions of fit. The second study applies the perceptions of fit measure to investigate sources of fit. Findings indicate that this influence resides in the overlap of shared visual–product assumptions. The results of the third study suggest that assumptions common to the visual and the product provide the generative ground for imagination. This common ground facilitates the allocation of cognitive resources for imagining product experiences and augmented features beyond those associated with just the visual or the product only.

Acknowledgments

This article was accepted by Claude Martin and James Leigh, previous editors of the Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising.

Notes

*Significant at the 0.05 level.