ABSTRACT
Research on the effects of complexity in an advertising context has yielded seemingly contradictory findings. Rather than being problematic, however, the results from previous research can be reconciled by placing each set of findings along a complexity continuum based on textual factors, the advertising medium, and individual difference variables. The purpose of this chapter is to explain the interactive effects of respondent characteristics, the medium, and the message itself in determining the ultimate impact of the message, allowing for a more thorough understanding of how complexity operates.
