Preattentive Processing of Web Advertising By Chan Yun Yoo

In cause– and health–related areas, for example, breast cancer (Meyerowitz & Chaiken, 1987), testicle cancer (Steffen, Sternberg, Teegarden, & Shepherd, 1994), and heart disease (Maheswaran & Meyers–Levy, 1990), it is consistently found that negatively framed messages are more effective than positively framed ones because consumers appear to be motivated by loss aversion.

The effects of other variables were also investigated in the context of message framing. Shiv et al. (1997) found that the extent of ad processing affects the impact of message framing on consumers’ responses. Specifically, when processing is limited, negatively framed messages are more effective than positively framed ones. Smith (1996) found that more educated consumers were influenced more by positively framed messages and less educated consumers were affected more by negatively framed messages. Zhang and Buda (1999) revealed that subjects with low need for cognition showed more message framing effects, that is, attractiveness, willingness to purchase, and perceived performance, than those with high need for cognition. These results indicate that the effects of message framing in Web advertising may vary under different conditions.

Moderators of Web Advertising Processing

The third key component of the present model addresses the moderators of Web ad processing (See Figure 2.1). An understanding of how consumers process Web ad requires more than a simple main–effects explanation based on Web ad source or message characteristics.