Advertising to ‘active’ viewers

Effects of mere exposure have been widely investigated in the area of advertising, consumer behaviour and social psychology. However, mere exposure theory presents an inherently passive audience perspective (‘What does advertising do to consumers?’). Using a cross-national sample from the US (n = 280) and South Korea (n = 958), this study proposes and tests an ‘active’ exposure concept (‘What do consumers do with advertising?), as derived from uses and gratifications theory. This is important because consumers have changed in the way that they watch television and television advertising, with ‘active’ audiences exerting more control over what, how and when they watch. The results of this study suggest that when consumers experience passive exposure to TV, their prior attitudes do not change in both countries. However, the findings suggest that consumers’ active exposure to TV (in both countries) and to TV ads (only in South Korea) boosts the relationship between Aad and Aproduct in a positive direction. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.