The influence of message format on the effectiveness of print advertisements for tourism destinations

In a context of overabundant ads and saturated consumers, message format is crucial in developing effective advertising campaigns. In this study, four major format components of print advertisements are considered: picture, logo, text and headline. The goal is to investigate the effectiveness of each of these components in triggering a response by the target audience. Three types of response are taken into account: knowledge (information), liking (attraction) and behavioural intention. Four series of hypotheses related to the influence of message format on the effectiveness of print ads are tested for an urban tourism destination through an experimental research design. Findings show that picture and text are the prevailing elements, while logo and headline are of marginal importance. Pictures are especially effective in attracting the consumer and arousing a behavioural intention, whereas text is most powerful in conveying information.