The Effect of Color Versus Black and White Advertising Formats on Affective Ratings and Perceptions of Product Quality

ABSTRACT - A problem with the academic research on color vs. b/w advertisements is that the majority of studies was conducted several decades ago, when the use of color in advertising was quite novel. A further problem is the overwhelming emphasis on the cognitive domain (attention, recognition, recall) in studying consumer response to advertising formats. Yet, there is now some evidence that advertising may work on more of an affective as opposed to a cognitive level. Thus, the present study takes a new look at the effect of color vs. b/w advertising formats, using variables of more current interest to marketers--affect toward the ad and perception of product quality. The study also examines several exploratory issues, such as variations in response across different types of appeals, product categories, levels of product intensity, and amounts of copy. The major finding was greater liking and slightly better ratings of quality for color versions; however, the differences were quite small.

Citation:

Wayne D. Hoyer, Robert P. Leone, and Cathy J. Cobb (1986) ,"The Effect of Color Versus Black and White Advertising Formats on Affective Ratings and Perceptions of Product Quality", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 13, eds. Richard J. Lutz, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 667.

Advances in Consumer Research Volume 13, 1986      Page 667

THE EFFECT OF COLOR VERSUS BLACK AND WHITE ADVERTISING FORMATS ON AFFECTIVE RATINGS AND PERCEPTIONS OF PRODUCT QUALITY

Wayne D. Hoyer, University of Texas

Robert P. Leone, University of Texas

Cathy J. Cobb, University of Illinois

ABSTRACT -

A problem with the academic research on color vs. b/w advertisements is that the majority of studies was conducted several decades ago, when the use of color in advertising was quite novel. A further problem is the overwhelming emphasis on the cognitive domain (attention, recognition, recall) in studying consumer response to advertising formats. Yet, there is now some evidence that advertising may work on more of an affective as opposed to a cognitive level. Thus, the present study takes a new look at the effect of color vs. b/w advertising formats, using variables of more current interest to marketers--affect toward the ad and perception of product quality. The study also examines several exploratory issues, such as variations in response across different types of appeals, product categories, levels of product intensity, and amounts of copy. The major finding was greater liking and slightly better ratings of quality for color versions; however, the differences were quite small.

For further information, write to:

Professor Wayne D. Hoyer / Department of Marketing, CBA 7.202 / University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712

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