Exploring the impact of emotional appeals in advertising: Effects on message recall

Emotional appeals have been found to influence message recall, yet prior research offers mixed conclusions on whether positive or negative appeals are more effective. For example, Akram et al. (2018) reported stronger recall for negative appeals, while Bolls et al. (2001) found the opposite. Furthermore, studies vary on the role of emotional intensity, some suggest high-intensity emotional appeals enhance recall e.g. research by Riemer & Noel (2021), while others argue moderate-intensity appeals more effective (Megalakaki et al., 2019). Much of the existing research is outdated and lacks examination of emotional valence and intensity together. Therefore, this study investigated the combined impact of emotional appeal type and intensity on message recall. A sample of 70 psychology students from the University of Reykjavík (21 male, 49 female, aged 19-32) viewed twelve advertisements varying in emotional valence (positive or negative) and intensity (low, moderate, high). Participants then completed a free recall questionnaire. Results showed that negative appeals led to significantly higher message recall than positive appeals. High-intensity advertisements also yielded higher recall than low and moderate ones. These findings suggest that both emotional valence and intensity play key roles in recall, with high-intensity negative appeals producing the strongest effect. Keywords: Advertisements, emotional appeals, emotional intensity, negative appeal, positive appeal, message recall.

Authors dc:creator

• María Líf Magnúsdóttir 2002-
• Díana Svava Arnarsdóttir 2002-

Contributors dc:contributor

• Háskólinn í Reykjavík

• Sálfræði
• Auglýsingar
• Tilfinningar
• Psychology
• Commercials
• Feelings

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1946/50621

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:skemman.is:1946/50621