Visual Congruency and Brand Attitudes: The Mediating Role of Processing Fluency in Metaphorical Advertising

Research has rarely examined visual congruency in metaphorical advertisements. Drawing on processing fluency theory, we examine whether visual congruency enhances brand attitudes. Study 1 shows that congruent (vs. incongruent) metaphorical executions generate more favorable brand attitudes. Studies 2a-2c demonstrate that this effect is mediated by processing fluency across three manipulations of congruency: matching product color with background color, product shape with the advertising slogan, and product values with the surrounding scene. Study 3 finds explanatory information restores processing fluency and improves brand attitudes when visuals are incongruent. The findings extend visual congruency research and provide guidance for designing metaphorical advertisements.