The effects of ad–context congruency on responses to advertising in blogs

Abstract

This study examines the effect of ad–context congruency and the moderating role of issue involvement on consumers’ responses to banner ads on blogs. Results indicate that a banner ad that is thematically congruent with the blog’s context generates more favourable responses than an ad that is not congruent with the context. However, issue involvement moderates the effect of congruency. When a banner ad was placed in a congruent context, individuals who were highly involved with the issue discussed in the blog responded more positively to the ad. However, when a banner ad was placed in an incongruent context, individuals who were less involved with the issue responded more favourably to the ad. Findings suggest that ad–context congruency is especially important when targeting audiences who feel the issue is very relevant to them. In contrast, ad–context incongruency is better perceived by individuals who are less involved with the issue. We explain these findings using the tenets of contextual priming vs cognitive interference. The theoretical and managerial implications of this study are also discussed.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sigal Segev

Sigal Segev is an Assistant Professor of Advertising and Public Relations at Florida International University. She holds a PhD from the University of Leicester. Her research interests include green advertising, multi-cultural consumer behaviour and marketing communication in social media. Her papers have been published in the Journal of Product and Brand Management, the Public Relations Journal and the International Journal of Psychological Studies.

Weirui Wang

Weirui Wang is an Assistant Professor of Advertising and Public Relations at Florida International University. She holds a PhD from the Pennsylvania State University. Her research focuses on information seeking and processing in a variety of strategic communication contexts, with a particular emphasis on the impact of culture and new media technologies on health information seeking and processing.

Juliana Fernandes

Juliana Fernandes is an Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication at the University of Miami. She holds a PhD from the University of Florida. Her research interests include impact of affective advertising, international political communication, and social media and online communication. Her papers have been published in Mass Communication & Society, the American Journal of Media Psychology and American Behavioural Scientist.