The Generation and Consequences of Communication-Evoked Imagery

Cultural differences in imagery generation: The influence of abstract versus concrete thinking

“…Previous studies using U.S. population have found that use of concrete words in advertisements serves to create images in people's minds that result in higher ad recall, enhanced attitude toward the brand, and positive behavioral intentions toward brand purchase (Bone and Ellen, 1992;Wright and Rip, 1980). Our research indicates that the process of imagery generation is not uniform across cultures.…”

“…Such retrieval would be unlikely for Westerners as abstractness is consistent with the Western mode of thinking. The differential view of self will play a part in the types of imagery people generate (Bone and Ellen, 1992). Recall that East Asians have an interdependent view of self and Westerners have an independent view of self.…”

“…Since cognition plays a role in imagery, lesser number of images should result when access to cognitive mental resources is restricted (Bone and Ellen, 1992;Kisielius and Sternthal, 1984;Unnava et al, 1996). If East Asians were instructed to read ad descriptions as fast as possible, they would have less opportunity to retrieve scenes from memory as the reading task would consume bulk of their mental resources.…”

“…Imagery generation plays an important role in information processing (Block, 1981) through its effects on learning (e.g., recall), ad and brand attitudes, and purchase intention (Babin and Burns, 1997;Bone and Ellen, behaviors and plays a significant role in a person's knowledge schemata (Mikhailitchenko et al, 2009;Soares et al, 2007). An individual's knowledge about objects, self and others is inherently culture-dependent (Kale and Barnes, 1992).…”

Influencia de las imágenes mentales generadas por la publicidad en la mente del público infantil según la naturaleza del estímulo

“…Estos resultados son congruentes con investigaciones previas que han establecido la superioridad del uso de palabras concretas en la publicidad para generar imágenes mentales que han favorecido un mayor recuerdo y actitud favorable hacia la marca, además de despertar una intención de compra (Bone & Ellen, 1992;Wright & Rip, 1980). Sin embargo, otras investigaciones (Liang & Kale, 2012) han encontrado que esta superioridad de los estímulos concretos sobre los abstractos no es homogénea en todas las culturas, de manera que los asiáticos del este, que suelen tener siempre un pensamiento concreto, generan imáge-nes mentales concretas aun cuando los estímulos sean abstractos; por lo que, si los mensajes publicitarios concretos pueden ser útiles para poblaciones occidentales, los mensajes publicitarios con estímulos abstractos lo pueden ser para poblaciones asiáticas del este.…”