A is (not) B. The influence of meaning operation in ads with visual metaphors on the comprehension and consumer reaction across high-context and low-context cultures.
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2019-08-20
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en
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The use of visual metaphors in advertisements has become increasingly popular for international brands. However, previous studies have shown that the consumer reaction towards visual metaphors is different across cultures. Therefore, advertisers should be aware of the preferences consumers from various cultures have regarding the use of visual metaphors. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of meaning operation in advertisements with visual metaphors on the consumer reaction across high-context and low-context countries. The two levels of meaning operation investigated in this study were a comparison for similarity (A = like B) and a comparison for opposition (A = not like B). In addition, the study compared the consumer reaction of participants from the Netherlands (low-context) and Mexico (high-context). This was investigated by means of an experiment in which participants were shown three product advertisements containing either a comparison for similarity or a comparison for opposition, followed by several questions concerning their comprehension, appreciation and intention to act. The results of this study confirmed that visual metaphors containing a comparison for similarity led to higher consumer’s comprehension than a comparison for opposition. Contrary to the expectation that more complex stimuli lead to higher appreciation, visual metaphors containing a comparison for similarity led to a more positive consumer reaction than a comparison for opposition, for participants from both low-context and high-context cultures. No difference was found between the low-context and high-context cultures regarding their comprehension of and appreciation for visual metaphors. Comprehension, perceived complexity and comparability of visual metaphors were found to be predictors for the consumer reaction. The findings of this study indicate that the safe option for product advertisers is to use visual metaphors containing a comparison for similarity rather than a comparison for opposition.
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