Television advertising in national crises: shifting consumer attitudes and brand perceptions during the first month of war

This study investigates consumer evaluation of television advertising and brands during war, comparing wartime advertising with a matched routine period, integrating advertising expenditure, consumer attitudes, and content analysis. Advertising spending sharply declines during wartime. Sectors such as health and financial services remained relatively stable, while food, fashion, and leisure saw significant declines. Consistent with the Dual Mediation Hypothesis, the relationship between attitude toward the advertisement and the brand remained stable across contexts. However, wartime advertising was perceived as more reliable and was associated with stronger brand evaluations, whereas routine-period advertising was perceived as more entertaining and irritating. This suggests that consumer evaluations of advertisements and brands differ between wartime and routine conditions. Content analysis further explains these patterns, showing a shift toward more informational and socially oriented communication. Together, the findings demonstrate how armed conflict changes the advertising environment, from advertising expenditure and message strategies to consumer evaluations of ads and brands.