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Primacy effect or recency effect? A long‐term memory test of Super Bowl commercials
Author(s) -
Li Cong
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of consumer behaviour
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.811
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1479-1838
pISSN - 1472-0817
DOI - 10.1002/cb.291
Subject(s) - serial position effect , recall , advertising , psychology , position (finance) , point of delivery , test (biology) , social psychology , cognitive psychology , free recall , business , paleontology , finance , agronomy , biology
The serial position effects for television commercials were tested within a naturalistic setting in this study, at both the micro level and the macro level. Television viewers' brand memory (recall and recognition) for the 2006 Super Bowl commercials were analyzed. At the micro level, the serial position of each commercial in a same commercial pod was measured. When the length of a commercial pod was controlled for, an earlier position for a commercial generated better brand recall. When the number of preceding ads was held constant, a commercial in a pod with fewer ads generated better brand recognition. At the macro level, the serial position of each commercial pod within the whole Super Bowl game broadcast was measured. The commercial pods at earlier positions generated better brand memory. Both findings confirmed a strong primacy effect. Managerial implications of the findings were also discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.