The neural basis of the unattended processing of destination-slogan consistency

Abstract

Destination-slogan consistency plays a key role in destination advertising. However, consumers' implicit processing of consistency under unattended conditions is still not well understood. It is difficult or even impossible for traditional methods, such as questionnaires and self-reports, to assess unconscious cognitive processes, that generate fewer unfavorable cognitive responses than attended and conscious processes. This study mainly focused on using neurophysiology tools to investigate consumers' unattended processing of destination-slogan consistency and to measure slogan consistency via consumers' neural response. Based on the dual-process model, an event-related potential (ERP) experiment was designed in which destinations' picture-slogan pairs were chosen as experimental materials to study the consistency effect. Consumers’ implicit cognitive processing of slogan consistency under unattended conditions was revealed, and a two-phase neural cognition model was proposed. Then, the effectiveness of slogan design under unattended conditions was measured, and neurophysiological indicators were presented for destination management organizations (DMOs) to investigate slogan consistency. • Reveals consumers' implicit cognitive processing of slogan consistency under unattended condition. • Proposes a two-phase neural cognition model. • Presents physiological indicators to investigate slogan consistency. • Combines unattended task-irrelevant process with Go/No-Go paradigm. • Evaluates the effectiveness of slogan from the perspective of consumers.