Research has shown that this is particularly true for banner advertising (Dreze and Hussherr 2003). Yet little is known about the impact of avoiding messages. Recent work in cognitive psychology has found that trying to avoid focusing on distracting stimuli may serve to reduce its emotional salience, so that future exposures may attract less attention and actually serve to decrease affect (Raymond, Fenske and Tavassoli, 2003). Brittany Duff in our research group at Minnesota is currently developing a direct test of the application of this work on avoidance to advertising (Duff 2006). The interesting pattern found for banner advertising exposure reported in this book may ultimately turn out to be at least partially due to the affect of advertising avoidance over repeated exposures.
It is rare to find academic literature addressing any one of the factors that makes advertising distinctive. To find a work that touches on almost all of these factors is indeed impressive. To further do so in the context of real advertising situations and with actual brands makes this work truly unique. As such it represents a standard for the way meaningful advertising research should be carried out.
Professor Ronald J. Faber
Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
University of Minnesota
Former Editor, Journal of Advertising
References