Marketing Holistics

According to this interesting, well-reasoned scholarly journal article, the rapid growth of online advertising raises concerns about advertising clutter in the online media environment. This is a long, difficult but worthwhile read and I have summarized the key points to encourage further exploration.

This paper proposes an integrated model of advertising clutter that considers the unique interactive characteristics of online media. Authors, Louisa Ha from Bowling Green State University & Kin McCann from Northern Illinois University review the structural, information processing and functional approaches to clutter. The scholars integrate these components into a new comprehensive framework that explores consumer responses to AD CLUTTER differentiating consumer analysis from media centered analysis. The primary difference is attributed to the distinction between user/audience control and advertiser control.

For me, the main takeaway from an internet marketing and advertising perspective, is the ability of the marketer to effectively control the perception of AD CLUTTER by understanding how and why the audience reacts.

According to this article, mediating factors include attitudes toward advertising in general, specific media contexts and task orientations. Particular attention is focused on the how the perception of clutter creates negative advertising effects. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB): U.S. internet advertising revenue reach $10 billion in the first half of 2007.

Structural, functional & information processing approaches are the major paradigms used to examine consumer response: the three dimensions of AD CLUTTER are: quantity (proportion of advertisements in the media vehicle; intrusiveness (the degree of interruption); and competitiveness (the degree of similarity). Functional is the most relevant processing approach when considering AD CLUTTER.

Functional explains consumer response by distinguishing the use motive, emphasizing the active role of consumers when exploring, information seeking, entertaining & shopping. Identification of motive is the main consideration to control negative reactance to AD CLUTTER.

Additional takeaways:

• Ads, typically, are not viewed as a negative externality when offering useful product information.
• Overload theory indicates that absorption of one piece of information will be at the expense of another piece of information.
• Perceived lack of relevance is also tied into peripheral cues such as color and execution.

Reactance theory has been used to explain resistance to and avoidance of clutter. Online medium possesses the dual characters of a captive medium and a self-paced. Pop up pop/under, delivery time, delay in timing and timing manipulations. On line AD CLUTTER is defined as a high number of ads in various formats appearing on a single web page.

This article is a must read for any advertising professional already well versed in the general industry rules but seeking a deeper psychological/behavioral understanding of what makes people “click.” I could not resist including this screen shot which gives advice about AD CLUTTER and inadvertantly demonstrates exactly what to avoid.

Scholarly Work Cited:

An integrated model of advertising clutter in offline and online media.
Ha, Louisa, and Kim McCann.. “An integrated model of advertising clutter in offline and online media.” International Journal of Advertising 27.4 (Nov. 2008): 569-592. Business Source Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 5 Apr. 2009 <http://0-search.ebscohost.com.csulib.ctstateu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=34216818&site=ehost-live>.