A Comparative Analysis of Three Communication Formats: Advertising, Infomercial, and Direct Experience

Abstract We develop a theoretical framework around the simple proposition that infomercials are similar to ads in some respects and also reflect characteristics inherent in direct experiences (i.e., trial use of branded goods). Using a real infomercial for a rock music album, we conducted two experiments to investigate the relative effectiveness of three different communication formats of research interest: ad, infomercial, and direct experience. Results were consistent across the two studies and indicated that both direct experience and infomercial formats produced greater impact on recall, attitudinal, and purchase intent variables when compared to the ad format. However, few significant differences emerged between direct experience and infomercial formats, suggesting that infomercials are closer to direct experiences than they are to ads. Of the three audio-visual conditions examined (1-minute long ad, 15-minute long infomercial, and 30-minute long infomercial), evidence indicated that the 15-minute long infomercial was most effective for attitudinal and direct-response measures. Thus, from the perspective of both persuasion and behavioral response, the popular 30-minute long infomercial format may not be optimal; the 15-minute long infomercial format appears to deserve more research scrutiny.

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