The Effects of Dual-Task Processing on Consumers' Responses to High- and Low-Imagery Radio Advertisements

This study was designed to investigate the effects of dual-task processing on consumers' responses to high-versus low-imagery radio advertisements. In a repeated-measures experimental design, participants listened to six high- and six low-imagery radio spots while simultaneously performing a visual-processing task (viewing a series of pictures unrelated to the ads or viewing a blank/black screen). Consistent with theoretical expectations, the high-imagery radio advertisements performed better than the low-imagery ads on measures of advertising involvement, attitude toward the ad, brand attitude, and purchase intention. The study found that high-imagery radio ads are universally superior, but suffer more when there is competition for cognitive resources. When a visual-processing task (viewing pictures) was introduced, consumers' responses became generally less favorable. The pattern of responses, however, varied across ad types and processing conditions. In particular, the detrimental effect of introducing a picture-viewing task was more pronounced for high-imagery ads than for low-imagery ads, as well as on measures of ad-related response (advertising involvement and attitude toward the ad). No such moderating effect was observed for brand-related responses (brand attitude and purchase intention). Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.