Summary Advertising today unfolds less in closed dramaturgies than in fragmented, algorithmically generated media flows. This article conceptualizes advertising impact as a psychodynamic process of tension, object formation and resolution, drawing on Kurt Lewin’s field theory, Friedrich Sander’s Gestalt concept and Wilhelm Salber’s morphological psychology. We show that advertising is effective when it addresses pre-figurative forms and transforms them into viable symbolic Gestalts. Building on this, we introduce the Ad Pre-Figurative Test © 2025 | QUES | Berlin, a method developed in practice for the analysis of ultra-short commercials. Case studies (Coca-Cola, Deutsche Telekom, Dr. Oetker) illustrate how advertising can either foster coherent object formation or result in morpholysis when tensions remain unresolved. Especially in AI-generated formats, the opening images prove decisive for psychological impact. Pre-figurative analysis thus provides an instrument for early concept testing, enabling advertising to be not only informative but also resonant and meaningful.
Giebel et al. (Mon,) studied this question.