Patterns in Motion: How Visual Patterns in Ads Affect Product Evaluations

This article contributes to research on advertising effectiveness by investigating the combined influence of ad headlines and visual patterns in the ad on consumer product evaluations. Headlines can convey motion (e.g., “move,” “quick”); when the associated ad features a regular visual pattern, it evokes stronger product evaluations than if it depicts an irregular visual pattern. Thus, the way the advertised products are aligned visually represents critical decisions for ad designers. As Study 1 reveals, if the regular visual pattern of an advertisement combines with verbal information conveying motion, stronger product evaluations result compared with the use of an irregular visual pattern. Study 2 extends these findings by demonstrating that a regular pattern creates mental simulation, such that consumers imagine themselves experiencing the product, which mediates the relationship between visual patterns and product evaluations. Study 3 uses text mining and image annotation analyses to provide ecological validity for the findings, corroborating them in the context of brand messages on Twitter.