Surprise, Surprise. Ambient Media as Promotion Tool for Retailers
Ambient
media evokes surprise with the aim of gaining the attention of consumers who
are overexposed to traditional types of advertising. No study has yet
considered the effects of unanticipated ambient media. To bridge this gap, the
present article reports a field experiment
entailing the manipulation of three types of ambient media that create
different levels of surprise. The analysis combines observation data for 2,464
passersby, survey data from 305
respondents, and sales figures for 730 days. Triangulation was used to
interpret the data jointly. The results show that surprising ambient media draw
attention, promote positive attitudes towards the ad, and word of mouth. Most
importantly, ambient media increases purchase intention and sales revenue. Robustness
checks ensure that the model is stable across several conditions, such as time
of day or weather conditions. The paper provides guidance for companies wishing
to design surprising ambient media that improve consumer attitudes and profitability.
Source: Mai/Hoffmann
(2015).
Hutter, K.; Hoffmann, S. (2014). Surprise, Surprise. Ambient Media as Promotion Tool for Retailers, Journal of Retailing, 90 (1), 93-110.