Prof. Ivan Guitart (EM-Lyon Business School)

Programm

Datum: 24. April 2019

Zeit: 10.30 - 12.00 Uhr

Ort: Professor-Huber-Platz 2, Raum V005

Titel: The Impact of Rational and Emotional Television Ad Content on Online Search and Sales

Abstract

Managers use advertising content to improve different purchase funnel metrics, such as online search and sales. In this article, the authors examine how rational and emotional appeals in more than 2,000 television ads, aired over four years, influence online searches for and sales of 144 car models. They find that advertisements with more emotional content are more effective for generating online search but advertisements with more rational content do not generate such effect. Furthermore, they find that both rational and emotional content positively influence sales and that these effects depend on the positioning of the product: rational content becomes more effective as the price and quality of the advertised product decrease whereas the effect of emotional advertising on sales increases as the price of the product increases. They also divide the impact of advertising on sales into its direct and indirect (though online search) effects and find that the indirect impact is stronger as the price of the product decreases. Thus, using advertising to encourage consumers to search online is more valuable for products with lower prices. Overall, adding ad content and online search volume to a sales model improves in- and out-of-sample performance. The results can help analysts generate better sales forecasts and predict the effectiveness of ad campaigns, as well as aid managers in adapting the content of their ads to reflect product characteristics and marketing objectives, whether to increase online search or sales.