MASTER THESIS MARKETING COMMUNICATION INFLUENCE OF ADVERTISING DESIGN AND FEATURED PRODUCT ON CONSUMER’S PERCEIVED MOOD AND EVALUATIONS Anoek Hogenkamp s1392301 08/03/15 Version 3 Graduation Committee Dr. A. Fenko & Dr. M. Galetzka ! ABSTRACT ! Organizations!devote!a!large!amount!of!money!to!a!marketing!budget!from!which!a!designer!develops!an! advertising!mainly!based!on!intuition,!experience,!a!good!eye!for!design!and!creativity.!It!is!very!important!for! designers!to!gain!insight!into!the!science!of!advertising.!Which!elements!are!used!for!a!specific!mood?!Which! elements!are!people!more!drawn!to!when!viewing!an!advertisement?!What!is!the!relative!influence!of!both!design! elements!and!a!featured!product?!Which!design!combinations!ensure!positive!advertisement!evaluation?!And! does!personality!impact!these!issues?!This!Master!Thesis!provides!insight!into!these!questions!in!order!to!help! designers!substantiate!their!creative!decisions.!When!doing!so,!organizations!will!better!understand!their!decisions! and!increase!their!trust!in!the!designer.!And!so,!the!following!research!question!was!formulated:!“What!is!the! relative!influence!of!an!advertisements!design!elements!and!featured!product!on!the!perceived!mood!and! advertisement!evaluations!(attitude,!price/quality!perceptions,!and!purchase!intentions)!and!to!what!extent!does! the!consumers’!personality!type!impact!this!outcome?! ! Firstly,!a!pretest!was!performed!to!reveal!which!design!elements,!including!colors,!shapes,!lines,!fonts,! and!images!are!perceived!as!extremely!relaxed/calm/serious!(introverted),!and!busy/enthusiastic/fun! (extraverted).!In!addition,!several!beverages!were!mentioned!as!well,!in!order!to!examine!which!beverages!elicit! the!most!introverted!and!extraverted!mood.!These!results!were!used!in!order!to!create!the!stimulus!materials! (four!advertisements)!for!the!main!study.! ! Thereafter,!in!the!main!study!(N=173),!advertising!design!(introverted!vs.!extraverted)!and!featured! product!(introverted:!mineral!water!vs.!extraverted:!energy!drink)!were!manipulated!in!a!2!x!2!between!subjects! design.!The!participant’s!personality!type!(introverted!vs.!extraverted)!served!as!the!moderating!variable.!The! perceived!mood!from!the!overall!advertisement,!attitude!toward!the!advertisement,!perceived!quality!and!price,! and!purchase!intentions!were!measured!as!dependent!variables.!! ! The!results!provide!several!answers.!Firstly,!both!the!design!elements!and!the!featured!product! significantly!influence!the!perceived!mood!derived!from!the!advertisement,!in!which!the!design!elements!play!a! more!dominant!role.!Secondly,!both!the!design!elements!and!the!featured!product!influence!the!perceived!quality,! more!specifically,!the!featured!product!plays!a!more!dominant!role.!Furthermore,!only!a!significant!influence!of! the!featured!product!is!measured!on!the!purchase!intentions.!Thereafter,!an!interaction!effect!between!the!design! elements!and!the!featured!product!revealed!that!design/product!congruity!positively!influences!the!attitude! toward!the!advertisement,!in!contrast!to!design/product!incongruity.!Finally,!personality!type!showed!no! significant!influence!on!these!results.!! ! Based!on!these!results!several!practical!implications!can!be!formulated!for!graphic!designers.!Beginning! with!the!fact!that!both!the!design!elements!and!featured!product!are!very!important!when!designing!an! advertisement.!In!addition,!a!visual!fluent!(design/product!congruity)!advertising!leads!to!more!positive! evaluations.!Finally,!when!keeping!the!target!group!in!mind!whilst!designing!an!advertisement,!personality!type! (introversion/extraversion)!is!not!considered!as!one!of!the!characteristics!that!should!be!taken!into!account.! Apparently,!both!personality!groups!react!roughly!similar!to!the!proposed!advertisements!used!in!this!study.!! MASTER THESIS | 2015 | Influence of advertising design and featured product on consumer’s perceived mood and evaluations 1 ! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ! ! This!master!thesis!is!the!last!section!of!my!Master!in!Communication!Studies!at!the!University!of!Twente.! By!making!the!decision!to!continue!my!education!at!the!University!of!Twente!after!graduating!from!the!Bachelor! Art!&!Technology!at!Saxion!University!of!applied!Science,!I!can!say!that!I!have!gained!additional!and!in!depth! knowledge!into!the!field!of!marketing!communication.!In!particular,!conducting!research!for!this!master!thesis!has! contributed!greatly!to!my!knowledge!concerning!advertising!and!product!design!in!association!with!personality! type.!! Firstly,!I!would!like!to!thank!my!supervisor!Anna!Fenko,!for!guiding!me!throughout!the!entire!process!of! developing!this!thesis.!Her!constructive!feedback,!support!and!criticism!have!helped!me!bringing!my!thesis!to!a! higher!level.!Subsequently,!I!would!like!to!say!thanks!to!my!second!reader,!Mirjam!Galetzka!as!well,!for!her!insights! and!additional!feedback.!! Furthermore,!I!am!grateful!for!my!close!family!and!friends!who!have!helped!me!considerably!by!sacrificing! their!time!and!sitting!through!an!extensive!questionnaire,!which!can!be!labeled!as!my!pretest.!Even!though!I!have! heard!many!complaints!about!the!length!and!content,!they!all!completed!it,!for!which!I!am!thankful.!In!addition,! their!support!and!encouragements!over!the!past!couple!of!months!helped!me!completing!this!thesis.! ! Anoek&Hogenkamp& S1392301&& ! ! ! MASTER THESIS | 2015 | Influence of advertising design and featured product on consumer’s perceived mood and evaluations 2 ! TABLE OF CONTENTS ! 1&Introduction&& & & & & & & & & & & 6.& 1.1!Scope!and!outline!of!the!thesis!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! 9.! ! 2&Theoretical&framework&&& & & & & & & & & 11.& 2.1!Advertising!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 11.! 2.2!Design! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 11.! 2.2.1!Design!elements! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 12.! 2.3!Product!design! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 14.! ! 2.3.1!Consumer!response!to!product!design!! ! ! ! ! 15.! 2.4!Design/product!congruity! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 18.! ! 2.4.1!Visual!processing!fluence! ! ! ! ! ! ! 18.! ! 2.4.2!(In)congruity!among!visual!elements! ! ! ! ! ! 19.! 2.5!Introversion/Extraversion! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 20.! ! 2.5.1!Extraversion! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 20.! ! 2.5.2!Introversion! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 21.! 2.6!Selfccongruity!theory! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 21.! 2.7!Reversal!theory! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 23.! 2.8!Research!question! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 25.! 2.9!Hypotheses! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 25.! ! 3&Method& & & & & & & & & & & 27.& ! 3.1!Research!models! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 27.! ! 3.2!Pretest! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 28.! ! ! 3.2.1!Participants!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 29.! ! ! 3.2.2!Procedure!and!measures! ! ! ! ! ! ! 29.! ! ! 3.2.3!Results!of!the!pretest! ! ! ! ! ! ! 31.! ! 3.3!Main!study! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 32.! ! ! 3.3.1!Design!en!participants! ! ! ! ! ! ! 33.! ! ! 3.3.2!Stimulus!materials! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 33.! ! ! 3.3.3!Measures! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 35.! ! ! 3.3.4!Procedure! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 37.! ! ! 3.3.5!Preliminary!datacanalysis! ! ! ! ! ! ! 37.! ! ! ! MASTER THESIS | 2015 | Influence of advertising design and featured product on consumer’s perceived mood and evaluations 3 ! 4&Results& & & & & & & & & & & 39.& ! 4.1!Multivariate!analysis!of!covariance! ! ! ! ! ! ! 39.! ! ! 4.1.1!Design!of!the!ad! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 39.! ! ! 4.1.2!Featured!product! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 40.! ! ! 4.1.3!Interaction!effect! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 42.! ! ! 4.1.4!Personality!type! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 43.! ! 4.2!General!discussion!of!the!man!results! ! ! ! ! ! ! 43.! ! 5&Discussion& & & & & & & & & & & 46.& 5.1!Part!1:!hypothesis!1! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 46.! 5.2!Part!1:!hypothesis!2! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 47.! 5.3!Part!2:!hypothesis!3! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 48.! 5.4!Part!3:!hypothesis!4! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 49.! 5.5!Part!3:!hypothesis!5! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 51.! 5.5!Practical!implications! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 51.! 5.6!Limitations!and!future!research!! ! ! ! ! ! ! 52.! & 6&Conclusions& & & & & & & & & & & 54.& & 7&References& & & & & & & & & & & 55.& & Appendix&I&–&Questionnaire&of&the&pretest& & & & & & & & & Appendix&II&–&Developed&advertisements&main&study& & & & & & & Appendix&III&–&Questionnaire&main&study& & & & & & & & & ! ! ! ! ! & & MASTER THESIS | 2015 | Influence of advertising design and featured product on consumer’s perceived mood and evaluations 4 ! FIGURES AND TABLES ! Figures& Figure!1!–!Reversal!theory!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 24.! Figure!2!–!Model!H !en!H !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 27.! 1 2 Figure!3!–!Model!H ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 27.! 3 Figure!4!–!Model!H ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 28.! 4 Figure!5!–!Model!H ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 28. 5 ! Figure!6!–!Stimulus!material!(small)!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 34.! Figure!7!–!Personality!distribution!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 38.! Figure!8!–!Influence!of!advertising!design!and!featured!product!on!perceived!mood! ! ! 41.! Figure!9!–!Influence!of!advertising!design!and!featured!product!on!attitude!toward!the!ad! ! 41.! Figure!10!–!Influence!of!advertising!design!and!featured!product!on!perceived!quality! ! ! 42.! Figure!11!–!Influence!of!advertising!design!and!featured!product!on!purchase!intentions!! ! 42.! ! Tables& Table!1!–!Gender!and!Education!of!the!articipants!within!the!pretest! ! ! ! ! 29.! Table!2!–!Cronbach’s!Alpha!and!examples!of!the!pretest! ! ! ! ! ! 30.! Table!3!–!Results!of!the!pretest!(means!and!standard!deviations)! ! ! ! ! 32.! Table!4!–!Descriptive!statistics!across!the!four!questionnaires!! ! ! ! ! 33.! Table!5!–!Overview!of!the!reliability!of!the!scales! ! ! ! ! ! ! 37.! Table!6!–!Multivariate!analysis!of!covariance!! ! ! ! ! ! ! 40.! Table!7!–!Price!expectations!of!the!featured!products!! ! ! ! ! ! 41.! Table!8!–!The!confirmed!hypotheses!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 44.! ! MASTER THESIS | 2015 | Influence of advertising design and featured product on consumer’s perceived mood and evaluations 5 ! 1 INTRODUCTION ! ! Many!graphic!designers!create!an!advertisement!based!on!intuition,!experience,!a!good!eye!for!design! and!creativity,!in!combination!with!the!associated!marketing!strategy!for!that!campaign.!In!most!cases,!this! combination!works!in!order!to!provide!a!successful!advertisement.!However,!organizations!devote!an!average!of! 10%!of!their!annual!turnover!to!a!marketing!budget!(Gartner,!2014).!This!large!amount!of!money!is!being!spent!on! a!designer!who!develops!an!advertising!solely!based!on!intuition,!experience,!and!creativity.!And!so,!it!is!very! important!for!designers!to!gain!insight!into!the!science!of!advertising.!Which!elements!are!people!more!drawn!to! when!viewing!an!advertisement?!What!is!the!relative!influence!of!both!design!elements!and!a!featured!product?! Which!design!combinations!ensure!positive!advertisement!evaluation?!And!does!personality!impact!these! matters?!This!Master!Thesis!provides!insight!into!these!questions!in!order!to!help!designers!substantiate!their! creative!decisions.!When!doing!so,!organizations!will!better!understand!their!decisions!and!increase!their!trust!in! the!designer.!! ! The&importance&of&advertising&design&& “Advertising!is!one!of!the!oldest,!most!visible!and!most!important!instruments!of!the!marketing! communication!mix”,!and!entails!the!use!of!mass!media!for!noncpersonal!mass!communication!(De!Pelsmacker!et! al.,!2007;!Colley,!1961;!Eze!&!Lee,!2012).!It!is!a!frequently!used!marketing!tool!to!promote!a!product!or!an!idea,!to! create!awareness,!to!enhance!brand!loyalty,!to!channel!desire,!and!to!inform,!persuade,!assist!and!remind! consumers!of!their!brand!(Myers!et!al.,!2010;!Eze!&!Lee,!2012).!! One!major!component!that!influences!the!success!and!effectiveness!of!advertising!is!the!design.!Resnick! (2003,!p15)!describes!that!design!informs,!educates,!persuades,!influences,!and!provides!a!visual!experience.! “Used!alone,!design!may!be!individual!elements!such!as!photographs,!words,!and!colors,!but!integrated!together! as!a!whole!layout,!design!can!help!tie!a!campaign!together”!(Rhoads,!2007).!It!also!has!symbolic!meaning,!breaths! the!voice!and!personality!of!the!brand,!and!creates!a!certain!mood!(Van!Rompay!et!al.,!2009).!! ! The&influence&of&the&featured&product&& Design!elements!play!a!crucial!role!within!an!advertisement.!However,!often!the!purpose!of!an! advertisement!is!to!promote!a!product.!The!product!displayed!within!the!advertisement!can!be!viewed!as!the!main! subject.!And!so,!the!featured!product!is!very!important!as!well,!and!plays!a!major!part!in!the!overall!look!and!feel! of!the!advertisement.!Product!design!encompasses!a!complex!and!diverse!range!of!disciplines,!since!it!concerns! ergonomics,!strength,!production!efficiency,!recyclability,!distribution!ease,!marketing,!and!aesthetics!(Bloch,! 1995;!Desmet!&!Hekkert,!2007;!Brunel!&!Kumar,!2007).!Product!design!provides!the!opportunity!to!differentiate!a! product!or!brand!from!its!competitors.!! ! Furthermore,!several!scholars!have!described!various!levels!of!consumer!response!to!product!design.! There!are!three!different!categories!described!in!which!a!consumer!can!have!a!cognitive!response!to!product! appearance,!namely!aesthetic!impression!(attractiveness!of!the!product),!semantic!interpretation!(functionality!of! MASTER THESIS | 2015 | Influence of advertising design and featured product on consumer’s perceived mood and evaluations 6 ! the!product)!and!symbolic!association!(what!it!tells!about!the!consumer’s!personality).!In!addition!to!the!three! cognitive!responses,!a!consumer!can!also!experience!an!affective!or!emotional!response!to!a!product,!in!which!one! might!experience!certain!emotions,!moods,!and!feelings!(Crilly!et!al.,!2004;!Desmet!&!Hekkert,!2007).!! ! It!can!be!stated!that!both!the!design!elements!and!the!featured!product!elicit!certain!emotions!and!a! certain!mood!within!an!advertisement.!It!is!however!unclear,!which!of!these!two!components!is!more!important! and!has!a!bigger!impact!on!the!overall!mood!derived!from!the!advertisement.!Do!consumers!mainly!perceive!the! mood!from!the!product,!or!from!the!design!elements?!It!could!be!argued!that!the!product!evokes!a!certain! response!on!multiple!levels,!therefore!being!more!important!than!the!surrounding!design!elements.!However,!the! design!elements!do!play!a!major!role!within!an!advertisement!as!well,!because!they!encompass!the!remaining! visual!communication.!The!literature!reveals!a!gap!concerning!this!issue.! ! The&impact&of&design/product&(in)congruity&& ! The!previous!section!focused!on!the!separate!components!within!an!advertisement,!namely!the!design! elements!and!the!featured!product,!and!their!relative!influence!on!the!overall!perceived!mood!from!the! advertisement.!It!is!also!important!to!view!both!the!design!elements!and!the!featured!product!as!a!whole!in!which! they!are!either!congruent!with!one!another!or!not.!! Design/product!congruity!can!be!achieved!by!creating!congruity!and!unity!between!different!elements! within!an!advertisement.!When!the!visual!stimuli!are!congruent,!they!are!processed!more!easily,!and!favorable! attitudes!and!positive!evaluations!can!occur!(Reber!et!al.,!2004;!Van!Rompay!&!Pruyn,!2011).! ! On!the!one!hand,!several!scholars!argue!that!design/product!congruity!within!an!advertisement!has! multiple!advantages,!including!an!increased!aesthetic!pleasure,!enhanced!purchase!intention,!more!credibility,! positive!appraisal,!and!a!heightened!feeling!of!familiarity,!which!is!preferred!over!novel!stimuli!(Winkielman!et!al.,! 2000;!Van!Rompay!et!al.,!2009;!Van!Rompay!&!Pruyn,!2011).!! ! On!the!other!hand,!multiple!scholars!claim!that!design/product!incongruity!might!lead!to!favorable! evaluations,!since!it!could!enhance!a!consumer’s!cognitive!arousal,!surprise!and!curiosity,!and!when!contradictions! are!resolved,!it!may!elicit!a!more!positive!verdict.!Congruent!stimuli!might!have!an!enhanced!aesthetic!value,!but! they!are!predictable,!and!therefore!do!not!stimulate!any!extensive!interest,!resulting!in!a!mild!response!(Bloch,! 1995;!Dahlén!et!al.,!2005;!Halkias!&!Kokkinaki,!2013).! ! It!appears!that!the!literature!supports!both!ideas!in!which!design/product!congruity!and!design/product! incongruity!could!lead!to!positive!consumer!evaluations!(attitude!toward!the!advertising!and!purchase!intentions).! Since!both!concepts!are!plausible,!it!is!important!to!further!investigate!their!influence!on!consumer!evaluations.! ! The&effect&of&personality& However,!not!all!consumers!evaluate!an!advertisement!equally.!Diverse!evaluations!(attitude!toward!the! advertisement!and!purchase!intentions)!might!be!caused!by!different!consumer!characteristics.!Several! characteristics!have!been!used!as!moderators!in!marketing!research,!including!need!for!cognition!(Cacioppo!&! Petty,!1982),!product!involvement!(Celsi!&!Olson,!1988),!state!or!action!orientation!(Bagozzi!et!al.,!1992),!and! MASTER THESIS | 2015 | Influence of advertising design and featured product on consumer’s perceived mood and evaluations 7 ! gender!(Stern,!1993;!Ruiz!&!Sicilia,!2004).!Subsequently,!the!personality!type!introversion/extraversion!might! present!novel!findings!as!well.!No!research!was!found!concerning!personality!type!as!moderator.!! ! The!extraversion!scale!forms!a!continuum!that!ranges!from!introversion!to!extraversion!(Sanderman!et! al.,!2012).!Introverts!appear!more!quiet!and!reserved.!They!possess!qualities!such!as!thoughtfulness,!selfc awareness,!eye!for!detail,!seriousness,!control!over!the!situation,!and!the!interest!to!observe!(Cerry,!n.d.;! Sanderman!et!al.,!2012;!Harbaugh,!2010).!Social!interaction!costs!them!energy!in!contrast!to!extraverted!people! who!gain!energy!from!these!types!of!situations.!According!to!Hills!and!Argyle!(2001),!introverted!people!endeavor! an!autonomy!and!independence.! Extraverted!people!on!the!other!hand!appreciate!social!contact!and!have!many!friends!(Sanderman!et!al.,! 2012).!Extraverts!flourish!when!being!around!others!and!easily!get!bored!when!being!alone!(Helgoe,!2008).!They! like!to!try!anything!new!and!don’t!have!any!difficulty!with!taking!a!risk.!Extraverted!people!seek!a!certain!kind!of! excitement!and!arousal!in!the!things!they!do.!They!are!impulsive,!optimistic,!easygoing,!active,!carefree,!assertive,! and!venturous!(Harbaugh,!2010;!Orth!et!al.,!2010;!Zhang,!2002).! ! Personality&type&and&selfScongruity&& If!in!fact,!introverted!and!extraverted!people!evaluate!advertisements!differently,!two!diverse!theories! might!hold!the!answer!as!to!why!this!occurs,!namely!selfccongruity!theory!and!reversal!theory.!Boksberger!et!al.! (2010),!defines!the!first!theory!as!follows:!“Selfccongruity!theory!is!based!on!the!assumption!that!consumers!prefer! advertisements!and!brands!they!associate!with!a!set!of!personality!traits!congruent!with!their!own”!(Khare!&! Handa,!2009;!Quester!et!al.,!2000;!Chang,!2002;!Xue!&!Phelps,!2013).!! ! Multiple!scholars!have!identified!several!positive!effects!due!to!ad/self!congruity,!namely!positive! affective!responses,!more!effective!messages,!increased!agreement!with!the!messages,!positive!attitudes!toward! the!advertisement,!competitive!advantages,!enhanced!brand!memory,!and!increased!purchase!intentions!(Xue!&! Phelps,!2013;!AguirrecRodriguez!et!al.,!2012;!Chang,!2002;!Govers!&!Mugge,!2004;!Chang,!2006).!! ! This!might!explain!why!consumers!with!contrasting!personality!types!evaluate!certain!advertisements! differently.!They!simply!prefer!advertisements!with!characteristics!similar!to!their!own.!It!is!however!unclear!if! introversion/extraversion!causes!consumers!to!react!differently!to!advertisements,!and!if!so,!ad/self!congruity! might!hold!the!answer.!Therefore,!this!concept!will!be!examined!further!within!this!study.!!! ! Personality&type&and&design/product&(in)congruity& In!addition!to!ad/self!congruity,!this!second!theory!might!also!explain!why!consumers!with!different! personality!types!evaluate!certain!advertisements!differently.!Reversal!theory!states!that!there!are!two!opposite! curves!in!which!individuals!interpret!arousal.!A!high!level!of!arousal!can!be!either!pleasant!or!unpleasant!for!an! individual.!In!addition,!a!low!level!of!arousal!could!be!both!pleasant!and!unpleasant!as!well!(Apter,!1984).!! Subsequently,!there!are!arousalcavoiders!and!arousalcseekers.!An!arousalcavoider!will!feel!anxiety!when! dealing!with!high!levels!of!arousal.!The!final!achievement!of!his!goal!will!provide!feelings!of!relief!and!relaxation.! An!arousalcseeker!is!concerned!with!the!pleasure!of!the!moment.!He!wants!to!feel!alive!and!excited.!The!individual! will!search!for!thrills!and!avoid!situations,!which!will!lead!to!boredom!(Apter,!1984).!Also,!several!scholars!have! MASTER THESIS | 2015 | Influence of advertising design and featured product on consumer’s perceived mood and evaluations 8 ! revealed!that!arousal!seeking!is!positively!correlated!to!extraversion!(Cook!et!al.,!1996;!Lafreniere!et!al.,!2013),! meaning!that!arousal!seeking!corresponds!to!extraversion!and!arousal!avoiding!to!introversion.!Arousal!could!be! created!with!the!aid!of!design/product!incongruity!within!an!advertisement.!Where!extraverted!people!might!feel! excited!and!aroused!when!looking!upon!a!design/product!incongruent!advertising,!introverted!people!might!feel! anxious.!These!feelings!of!excitement!or!anxiousness!could!lead!to!different!attitudes!toward!the!advertisement! and!purchase!intentions.!Finally,!if!introverts!and!extraverts!evaluate!advertisements!differently,!this!theory!might! hold!the!answer!too,!and!therefore,!it!will!be!further!investigated!within!this!Master!Thesis.!! ! Abovementioned!paragraphs!reveal!that!there!are!several!unanswered!questions!concerning!the!design! elements,!the!featured!product,!the!design/product!(in)congruity,!and!the!influence!of!personality!in!the!matter.! Answering!these!questions!will!provide!more!in!depth!knowledge!for!designers!when!creating!an!advertisement.!In! addition,!it!will!help!designers!substantiate!their!creative!decisions,!so!that!organizations!will!increase!their!trust!in! the!designer.!! ! 1.1 SCOPE AND OUTLINE OF THE THESIS ! ! It!is!important!to!gain!understanding!in!the!demarcation!of!this!research.!This!study!investigates!the! relative!influence!of!the!design!elements!(introverted!vs.!extraverted)!and!the!featured!product!(introverted:! mineral!water!vs.!extraverted:!energy!drink)!within!an!advertisement!on!the!perceived!mood!and!advertisement! evaluations!(attitude,!price/quality!perceptions,!and!purchase!intentions).!In!addition,!personality!type!is! measured!(introverted!vs.!extraverted)!as!a!moderating!influence.!Since!this!field!of!research!is!very!extensive,! certain!boundaries!have!been!imposed!due!to!time!and!resource!limitations.!! o Firstly,!personality!type!is!chosen!as!moderator!for!this!study!since!it!has!been!researched!by!multiple! scholars,!but!still!possesses!novel!fields!of!research!within!the!domain!of!advertising.!In!addition,! personality!type!consists!of!multiple!dimensions,!namely!neuroticism,!extraversion,!psychoticism,!and! social!agreeability.!Exploring!all!these!different!dimensions!of!personality!type!would!make!this!study!to! extensive.!And!so,!the!level!of!extraversion!is!chosen!for!this!study!since!it!can!easily!be!translated!into! visual!elements!and!product!features,!in!contrast!to,!for!example!neuroticism.!This!makes!extraversion! extremely!suitable!for!the!design!of!this!study.!! o Secondly,!the!level!of!extraversion!can!be!associated!with!two!divergent!moods,!which!are! relaxed/calm/serious!(introverted),!and!busy/enthusiastic/fun!(extraverted).!Within!the!stimulus! materials!(advertisements),!the!design!elements!and!the!featured!product!will!be!manipulated!to!portray! one!of!these!two!moods.!Even!though!there!are!many!different!types!of!moods!to!choose!from,!these! moods!are!chosen!so!that!the!study!can!explore!if!ad/self!congruity!influences!the!evaluations!of!the! participants.!! o Furthermore,!advertising!consists!of!various!tools,!for!example!television!commercials,!magazines,!radio! commercials,!Internet!advertising,!etc.!This!thesis!will!focus!on!print!advertisements!only.!Print! MASTER THESIS | 2015 | Influence of advertising design and featured product on consumer’s perceived mood and evaluations 9