The effects of mood, gender, and ad context on type of elaboration and product evaluation

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of mood, gender, and ad context in relation to item-specific and relational elaboration, product evaluation, and purchase intention. Specifically, mood, gender, and ad context were posited to interact. The findings supported hypotheses predicting that mood interacted with gender to influence the type of elaboration. The findings also demonstrated that mood, gender, and ad context interacted to influence product evaluation and purchase intention. Furthermore, the findings showed that mood did not override gender predisposition of elaboration. Instead, mood acted to enhance elaboration that is predisposed by gender. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed regarding how women and men in different mood states process information in different ad contexts.

Keywords::

• mood
• gender
• ad context
• information processing

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sela Sar

Sela Sar, PhD, University of Minnesota, is an assistant professor of advertising at the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, Iowa State University.