Could Placing ADS Wrong be Right?: Advertising Effects of Thematic Incongruence

Abstract

This paper adds to the research on media-context effects with two experimental studies of thematic (in)congruence (i.e., advertising placed in media with themes that are either congruent or incongruent with the advertised brands). We hypothesize that by challenging expectations, placing ads in thematically incongruent media could enhance ad processing. Furthermore, employing theory on information incongruence, we hypothesize that thematic incongruence could enhance advertising evaluations and produce stronger perceptions of existing brand associations. The results support the hypotheses and suggest that effects are moderated by brand familiarity.