Information Content in Magazine, Television and Web Advertising: A Comparison and Update

Abstract

Reflecting the recent changes in the advertising environment such as the emergence of the Web, the main objectives of this study were to update estimates of the amount of information in advertising and to provide a comparison of information content across media. Using the Resnik and Stern scheme (but with additional categories), information content in advertisements collected from magazines, television, and the Web during a single period of time was analyzed. The findings suggest that advertising information in television and magazines does not decrease due to the advent of the new medium, but traditional media advertising increasingly directs consumers to the Web for additional information.