Processing of animation in online banner advertising: The roles of cognitive and emotional responses

Abstract

Marketers often compete to incorporate fast-moving images in their online banner ads to break through the ad clutter, in the hope for a positive perception of the ads. However, the findings of this study suggest that this strategy may not work. An experiment was designed to explore the effects of the degree of animation on memory and attitudes toward ads. The results showed inverted U-shaped relationships between the level of animation and both recognition rates and A <INF>ad</INF>, suggesting the existence of unintended negative effects of highly animated online banner ads. Under high-animation conditions, subjects experienced negatively valenced thoughts and unpleasant feelings, which negatively influenced A <INF>ad</INF>. Also, subjects were highly aroused, as indicated by the increased level of emotional intensity; this arousal inhibited subjects’ ad recognition performance. These findings show different processing mechanisms under different animation levels, and suggest that marketers should exercise caution when using animation in their ads.