Content Order in Advertising and Thinking Styles: A Cross-Cultural Study of the United States and South Korea

Abstract

Considering cultural distinctions is an essential part of success in international advertising. In the current research, we provide novel findings of a cultural congruency effect of content order within a unit of advertising. Drawing on the theory of cognitive fit and processing fluency, we explore the contrasting influence of the order of content within a unit of advertising between American and Korean consumers. Across three experimental studies, more favorable responses were found when the presentation order of content in advertising was compatible with cultural distinctions of the respondents, namely, cognitive thinking styles (i.e., analytic versus holistic). Specifically, we demonstrate that Koreans respond to the advertising and the product more favorably when an ingredient is presented first and a final product made with it is shown later, whereas Americans do so when the order is reversed. We provide rigorous evidence of the psychological mechanism by testing a serial mediation model in which processing fluency, induced by perceived fit, is confirmed as a critical mediator underlying the proposed effect. Implications are provided for planning and implementing international advertising strategies, and theoretical contributions are described.