Puzzle Pictures: A Study on Reversible Figures in Advertising

Abstract

Reversible figures have fascinated researchers in the psychological sciences since the 1800s, and these investigators have generated a massive amount of information on the psychological underpinnings and manifestations of this intriguing visual phenomenon. However, although these puzzle pictures have consistently appeared in marketing communications, advertising research has been negligent in acknowledging reversible figures as a distinctive form of advertising. This paper aims to fill this research gap by systematically investigating reversible figure ads and studying their effects on variables pertinent to marketing and advertising, thereby contributing to theory and practice. The results obtained from four studies reveal that reversible figure ads boost mainstream indicators of ad effectiveness such as brand attitude, perceived brand innovativeness, and perceived ad creativity. Further, informed by MacInnis and Jaworski’s (1989) information processing framework, this paper supports a novel ad processing model in which reversible figure ads enhance perceptions of ad creativity, increasing perceived brand innovativeness and thereby strengthening brand attitude. Last, the results indicate conditional indirect effects, revealing that this serial mechanism materializes in individuals with higher (vs. lower) levels of artistic interest.