Availableonlineatwww.sciencedirect.com JOURNAL OF SCIENCE DIRECT BUSINESS 要 RESEARCH ELSEVIER loumal of Business Research 58(2005)1397-1406 The brand attitude formation process of emotional and informational ads Changjo Yoo a*. Deborah MacInnis b, * Department of Business, Dongguk University, Seoul, South Korea Marshall School of Business, University of Southen California, Los Angeles, 90089, CA Received I June 2003: received in revised form I June 2004: accepted I March 2005 Abstract This study examines brand attitude formation process by ad execution format(emotional vs. informational). For ads with an emotional ad format, heightening positive feelings and reducing negative feelings enhanced thoughts about credibility of the ad, which in turn affected ad attitudes and brand attitudes. For ads with an informational ad format, enhancing evaluative thoughts about the credibility of the ad enhanced positive feelings and reduced negative feelings. These variables in turn affected brand attitudes, both directly, and through the mediational influence of ad. These results have relevant theoretical implications for studying the various processes by which brand attitudes are formed and have managerially relevant implications regarding advertising copy-testin C 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved Keywords: Advertising execution; Attitude formation processes; Feelings; Credibility: Ad attitudes; Brand attitudes 1. The brand attitude formation process of emotional attitudes is still limited(Kim et aL, 1996; Kim et al., and informational ads 998) Moreover. little is known abo Emerging conceptual and empirical evidence has advertisers'control, such as the format of the ad, might lanced our understanding of factors that affect brand te the process by which brand attitudes are for attitudes( Chandy et al, 2001; MacInnis et al., 2002; Advertising agencies have long recognized ad execution Meyers-Levy and Malaviya, 1999; Vakratsas and Ambler, format(emotional vs. informational) as a useful tool 1999). A number of studies have identified cognitive strategic advertising management(Vaughn, 1980; Chandy et (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975; Lutz, 1975; Wright, 1972, al., 2001; MacInnis et al, 2002). Consistent with past 1980)and affective predictors of brand attitudes. In this research (e. g, Golden and Johnson, 1983: Goldberg and latter stream, considerable progress has been made Gorm, 1987), we define an emotional ad format as an ad understanding the role of emotions and ad evaluations as execution designed to appeal to the receivers emotions by predictors of brand attitudes(Brown et al, 1998; Derbais, using drama, mood, music and other emotion-eliciting 1995; Kim et al., 1998; Edell and Burke, 1987; Burke and strategies. An informational ad format is defined as an ad Edell, 1989; Aaker et al., 1986; Batra and Ray, 1986: execution designed to appeal to the rationality of the Holbrook and Batra, 1987). Unfortunately, our under- receiver by using objective information describing a brand's tanding of the potentially complex relationships between attributes or benefits feelings, beliefs and evaluations in their impact on brand The purpose of this study is to propose and examine different brand attitude formation processes by ad execution format type(emotional vs. informational). In doing so, we Corresponding authors. Yoo is to be contacted at Tel. +822 2260 3718 dhere to recent calls toward research that examine a multi MacInnis. Tel: +1 213 740 5039 path approach to persuasion in which consumers are E-mail addresses: yoo(@ dongguk.edu(C. Yoo), macinnis(@usc.edu(D proposed to respond to advertisements in different ways (Vakratsas and Ambler, 1999). We suggest that the process, 0148-2963/S.see front matter o 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved doi:10.1016/ bushes.2005.03.011The brand attitude formation process of emotional and informational ads Changjo Yoo a,*, Deborah MacInnis b,* a Department of Business, Dongguk University, Seoul, South Korea b Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90089, CA Received 1 June 2003; received in revised form 1 June 2004; accepted 1 March 2005 Abstract This study examines brand attitude formation process by ad execution format (emotional vs. informational). For ads with an emotional ad format, heightening positive feelings and reducing negative feelings enhanced thoughts about credibility of the ad, which in turn affected ad attitudes and brand attitudes. For ads with an informational ad format, enhancing evaluative thoughts about the credibility of the ad enhanced positive feelings and reduced negative feelings. These variables in turn affected brand attitudes, both directly, and through the mediational influence of ad. These results have relevant theoretical implications for studying the various processes by which brand attitudes are formed and have managerially relevant implications regarding advertising copy-testing. D 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Advertising execution; Attitude formation processes; Feelings; Credibility; Ad attitudes; Brand attitudes 1. The brand attitude formation process of emotional and informational ads Emerging conceptual and empirical evidence has advanced our understanding of factors that affect brand attitudes (Chandy et al., 2001; MacInnis et al., 2002; Meyers-Levy and Malaviya, 1999; Vakratsas and Ambler, 1999). A number of studies have identified cognitive (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975; Lutz, 1975; Wright, 1972, 1980) and affective predictors of brand attitudes. In this latter stream, considerable progress has been made in understanding the role of emotions and ad evaluations as predictors of brand attitudes (Brown et al., 1998; Derbais, 1995; Kim et al., 1998; Edell and Burke, 1987; Burke and Edell, 1989; Aaker et al., 1986; Batra and Ray, 1986; Holbrook and Batra, 1987). Unfortunately, our under￾standing of the potentially complex relationships between feelings, beliefs and evaluations in their impact on brand attitudes is still limited (Kim et al., 1996; Kim et al., 1998). Moreover, little is known about how variables under advertisers’ control, such as the format of the ad, might moderate the process by which brand attitudes are formed. Advertising agencies have long recognized ad execution format (emotional vs. informational) as a useful tool for strategic advertising management (Vaughn, 1980; Chandy et al., 2001; MacInnis et al., 2002). Consistent with past research (e.g., Golden and Johnson, 1983; Goldberg and Gorn, 1987), we define an emotional ad format as an ad execution designed to appeal to the receiver’s emotions by using drama, mood, music and other emotion-eliciting strategies. An informational ad format is defined as an ad execution designed to appeal to the rationality of the receiver by using objective information describing a brand’s attributes or benefits. The purpose of this study is to propose and examine different brand attitude formation processes by ad execution format type (emotional vs. informational). In doing so, we adhere to recent calls toward research that examine a multi￾path approach to persuasion in which consumers are proposed to respond to advertisements in different ways (Vakratsas and Ambler, 1999). We suggest that the process, 0148-2963/$ - see front matter D 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2005.03.011 * Corresponding authors. Yoo is to be contacted at Tel.: +82 2 2260 3718. MacInnis, Tel.: +1 213 740 5039. E-mail addresses: yoo@dongguk.edu (C. Yoo), macinnis@usc.edu (D. MacInnis). Journal of Business Research 58 (2005) 1397 – 1406