Ambient marketing is one of the fastest-growing out-of-home advertising methods, for the past 15 years, although formal research into this field is very limited. This research study investigates a particular subset of ambient ads, where physical features within the external environment are incorporated into the ads in some way, using an exploratory research design. The research addresses consumer engagement with ambient ads, through discussion of individual ad features and their influence on stimulating consumer interest in these ad messages, and consumer perceptions generated from these ads. The literature review presents theory and findings of existing ambient advertising, including various research perspectives on definitions of ‘ambient’ advertising. Related marketing practices are discussed, including stealth marketing, creative media and the wider practice of traditional OOH advertising. In addressing engagement within advertising, experiential marketing and interactivity concepts are reviewed, as well as ad clutter and creativity effects of traditional advertising. Due to the lack of existing literature into engagement with ambient messages, a series of five focus groups was conducted in order to identify categories of ad features, further developed through content analysis pre-tests. A content analysis of 494 ambient ads was conducted to illustrate marketers’ use of the identified ad features. In total, 15 interviews were conducted to provide further insights, coupled with focus group findings, into the influence of these features on consumer engagement with ambient ads. The findings presented indicate how each identified ad feature influences consumer engagement with ambient message, and with the advertised brands. The effects of ad novelty are discussed, where volitional attention and generation of word of mouth result from the perceived creativity of ambient ads. Consumer perceptions towards ambient ads, brands and the practice as a whole are presented. Throughout the discussion, the findings are analysed to suggest to marketers how ambient advertising practices can be developed to encourage engagement with ad messages, and provide brand experiences to consumers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:723144 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Lee Yuen, Megan Robyn |
| Publisher | University of Warwick |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/91496/ |
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