ABSTRACT
Many advertisements tell stories or narratives (Chang, 2010a; Escalas, 1998), whereas others tend to offer a more analytical focus on brand features. Stories can revolve around the consumption of products (e.g., pictures of people happily cruising to Alaska) or simply recount what people desire or cherish, such as romance, relationship, achievement, or hopes (e.g., Microsoft’s “Your potential, our future”). In contrast, advertisements might present product benefits or functions in an argumentative way (e.g., Listerine antiseptic commercial showing how it cleans teeth better and more deeply than toothpaste alone). (Of course there are many other names for product-attribute based ads, which tend to make factual claims about brands.) This chapter outlines some theoretical explanations for how and why these varying advertising approaches affect consumers. The type of content in an advertisement can trigger either narrative or analytical processing (Adaval & Wyer, 1998). Through narrative processing, which is particularly likely when advertisements portray stories, consumers understand or imagine sequential events related to product consumption (Adaval & Wyer, 1998). Analytical processing of advertising instead involves close examination of product attribute information, as encouraged by advertisements that present a product’s features and attributes in a list (Adaval & Wyer, 1998). These two approaches to advertising differentially affect consumers. This chapter begins with a discussion of the distinctions between narrative and analytic modes of processing. It then reviews some comparative advantages of the narrative mode of processing, leading into a discussion of which factors might trigger this mode. Adopting an integrated advertising approach to advertising theory, and referring back to Figure 1.1 of this text, this chapter identifies three factors: sources, messages, and receivers. In terms of source factors, brands with established narratives encourage narrative processing. The message factors imply that advertisements in a narrative format or with specific advertising
executions more readily trigger a narrative mode of processing. For receiver factors, this chapter notes individual differences in terms of processing style or accessibility of narrative prototypes, which may influence the likelihood that people engage in narrative processing. The chapter next summarizes the functions of narrative advertisements. However, their advantages can be understood only by exploring how they are processed. The next question addressed therefore is how narrative advertisements are processed and how they persuade (their effect). The key theoretical concepts include mental simulation and being transported, both of which are typical responses to narratives. This chapter reviews the roles of both processes in enhancing persuasion. Finally, narrative processing can involve strong emotional responses, so this chapter outlines how it enhances advertising persuasion.
