The Effect of Slogan Language (English/Dutch), Slogan Difficulty, Language Proficiency, and Slogan Familiarity, on Perceived Slogan Difficulty, Slogan Appreciation, Product Attitude, and Purchase Intention of Dutch Consumers.
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2018-08-15
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en
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Studies have provided empirical evidence for the use of easy and difficult English slogans in advertisements in non-English-speaking countries. Some studies have argued that the use of English as a foreign language in international advertising is mainly symbolic, while others argue that comprehension of an English utterance in advertisements increases the evaluation of the ad. Previous studies have either found a significant positive effect or a non-significant effect for the use of English in advertisements. However, these studies have not taken into account the effect of slogan difficulty on native language equivalents. Also, little is known about the effects of actual language proficiency in both the foreign language and the native language on advertisement evaluation. Additionally, studies have not yet considered the effects of slogan familiarity on the underlying objectives of an advertisement. This study empirically investigated the effects of easy and difficult English or native language equivalent slogans on perceived slogan difficulty, slogan appreciation, product attitude, and purchase intention of Dutch consumers. A total of 123 Dutch consumers participated in this mixed factorial design experiment. Sixty Dutch participants judged three easy and three difficult English slogans and 63 Dutch participants judged three easy and three difficult native language equivalents. Also, slogan familiarity and perceived slogan difficulty were used as measures of processing fluency. Findings indicated a significant main effect of slogan difficulty on perceived slogan difficulty, slogan appreciation, product attitude, and purchase intention. Easy slogans were perceived as easier than difficult slogans and appreciated better, which resulted in a more favorable attitude towards the product and a higher purchase intention subsequently. Slogan language had a significant main effect on the appreciation of the slogans, with English slogans receiving higher appreciation than native language equivalents. Actual language proficiency – English and Dutch – turned out to have a significant main effect on product attitude and purchase intention. Participants with high actual language proficiency scores had a more negative attitude towards the product and a lower purchase intention than participants with lower actual language proficiency scores. High rates of slogan familiarity turned out to increase slogan appreciation, product attitude, and purchase intention.
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