An Examination of Factors Influencing Effectiveness of 15-Second Advertisements

This study investigates a relatively new and unresearched advertising phenomenon: the 15-second advertisement. The effects of various claim-types (factual and evaluative), musical backgrounds (positive, negative, neutral, and no music), and advertisement attention/involvement levels (high and low) on brand attitudes were examined in a 15-second television advertising format. The results provide some interesting insights into the dynamics of the 15-second advertisement. It appears that an advertiser's choice of narrative (factual versus evaluative) in a 15-second format can have a significant influence on brand attitudes. The findings suggest, however, that the impact of narratives may be moderated by music, with factual narratives being most persuasive when coupled with favourable (or no) music, and evaluative narratives being most persuasive under neutral music conditions. The moderating effects of consumer involvement levels, while less pronounced, were also demonstrated under certain advertising claim/music conditions. Implications for future research are also discussed.