The Effectiveness of Print Advertising Stimuli in Evoking Elaborate Consumption Visions for Potential Travelers

Abstract

Two imagery-evoking strategies are examined to determine their effectiveness in producing an elaborate consumption vision. Specifically, a 3 × 3 factorial experimental design is employed to examine the effects of pictures and text as advertising stimuli to evoke elaborate consumption visions among the participants within the context of holiday decision making. A MANOVA revealed a main effect for each of the two stimuli. The presence of more concrete pictures contributed to the extent of elaboration and the quality of consumers' consumption visions. Furthermore, the addition of concrete words together with instructions to imagine increased the elaboration and quality of the consumption vision. A significant interaction effect between the picture and text variables demonstrated that combining instructions to imagine with concrete pictures is the most efficacious strategy. The article discusses the implications of the findings for theory as well as offering an application of the results for tourism destination marketers.

Designing persuasive destination websites: A mental imagery processing perspective

“…From the perspective of consumer research, a consumer's mental image of a tourism product can be the main source of information available to enhance expectations and facilitate purchasing decisions (Walters, Sparks, & Herington, 2007). When imagery is encouraged through vivid product information, it strongly influences consumers' attitudinal judgments (McGill & Anand, 1989).…”

“…Furthermore, Miller and Stoica (2003) indicated that photographic images of beach scenes effectively stimulated mental imagery processing. More recently, Walters, Sparks and Herington (2007) asserted that the presence of more concrete pictures affects the extent of elaboration and the quality of consumers' consumption visions. Adaval and Wyer (1998) noted that the addition of pictures to a narrative format can encourage readers to imagine the sequence of events, and can facilitate the construction of a representation to be used as a basis for judgment.…”

“…given that the research aim of the current study was to focus on theoretical explanation rather than the generalization of the study to a population, using student subjects was appropriate (Sternthal, Tybout & Calder, 1994;Peterson, 2001;Walters, Sparks & Herington, 2007).…”

Another look at ‘being there’ experiences in digital media: Exploring connections of telepresence with mental imagery

“…Through these fantasies, users develop solid riveting representations of possible consumption activities, imagining themselves utilising a product and anticipating the effects of using it (Goossens, 2000;Jasper and Ouellette, 1994;Petrova and Cialdini, 2005;Walters et al, 2007). This, in turn, facilitates a learning of products and drives actual consumption (Belk et al, 2003;Phillips et al, 1995).…”

A Study on the Effect of Web Live Broadcast on Consumers’ Willingness to Purchase

“…Waller et al argue that social telepresence is the necessary condition for the generation of trust in the virtual Interwork environment since trust is usually generated in the social environment [9]. Therefore, the rich sense of immediacy brought by online shopping environment enhances trust among customers; Gefen's research based on e-commerce service scenario reveals that social telepre- …”