Determinants of visual forms used in print advertising

Abstract

Unlike past findings on cross-cultural advertising, culture seems to have little effect on visual forms in ads. In study 1, we tested whether the culture-congruent visual forms would still be prevalent, in spite of all the recent cultural convergence between Eastern and Western cultures. Interestingly, content analyses of visuals in 632 advertisements in a wide range of magazines from Korea (high context) and US (low context) revealed that ads with direct visual forms were more prevalent in both cultures. In study 2, we extended our study to test the effects of culturally matching the visual forms on consumers’ attitude towards the ads and the brand advertised. Consistent with the findings in study 1, study 2 showed that direct visuals have stronger effects on consumers across the board. Unlike the assumptions made in previous studies, ads with indirect visual forms were not always preferred by Korean consumers. The product type and the brand familiarity moderated the effects; when brand familiarity was low, direct visual forms were preferred regardless of culture. This has an important implication for global brands entering markets such as Korea that are deemed to be an indirect culture; clear and direct visuals, rather than subtle and indirect visuals, will be preferred.