Rational Versus Emotional Appeals in Newspaper Advertising: Copy, Art, and Layout Differences

The article compares and contrasts rational versus emotional appeals in newspaper advertising, based on over 100 items comprising copy, art, and layout characteristics. Using a sample of 1,335 advertisements that appeared in Cypriot national newspapers, a number of significant differences were observed. To a large extent these differences reflect the entirely opposite perspectives adopted by each appeal, with execution elements in rational advertisements revolving mainly around objectivity, functionality, and utilitarianism, as opposed to emotional advertising elements that are characterized more by subjectivity, emotionalism, and value-expressiveness. Several conclusions and implications for advertising researchers and practitioners are derived from the study findings.