The Future Looks “Right”: Effects of the Horizontal Location of Advertising Images on Product Attitude

Consumers from cultures that read from left to right possess a spatial representation of time whereby the past is visualized on the left and the future is visualized on the right. Across four studies, the current research investigates whether and how this past-left, future-right conceptualization of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of consumer research 2013-08, Vol.40 (2), p.223-238
Main Authors: Chae, Boyoun (Grace), Hoegg, JoAndrea
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advertisements
Antique furniture
Conceptualization
Consumer advertising
Consumer attitudes
Culture
Graphics
Local advertising
Orthographies
Product image
Reading
Research biases
Shopping
Studies
Visualization
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Summary:Consumers from cultures that read from left to right possess a spatial representation of time whereby the past is visualized on the left and the future is visualized on the right. Across four studies, the current research investigates whether and how this past-left, future-right conceptualization of time affects attitudes toward time-related products. Specifically, when consumers view advertisements in which product images are positioned congruently (incongruently) with their spatial representation of time, they have more (less) favorable attitudes toward the product. This effect occurs for both products that naturally involve the progression of time (e.g., self-improvement products) and also products for which a time component is a desired attribute (e.g., antiques). The effect of horizontal position reverses among consumers who read from right to left. The mediating role of processing fluency is highlighted as an underlying mechanism, and the moderating role of need for structure is identified.
ISSN:0093-5301
1537-5277
DOI:10.1086/669476