Narrative, transportation and advertising

Abstract

An increasing body of research demonstrates that narrative-based communication can be effective in eliciting attitude change, especially when recipients become transported into the narrative. Using data from a national sample of viewers of Super Bowl XLV (2011) or XLVI (2012), this study addresses whether some people are more disposed to be transported by narrative advertising and how they react to it. Evidence is presented to suggest that people differ in their receptivity to narrative messaging and that these differences are significantly related to advertising effectiveness. Managerial implications of this work are discussed.