The mediating role of mental imagery in mobile advertising

Abstract

The future of communication and advertising is mobile. Some forecasts estimate that by 2015 more than 7.1 billion mobile-connected devices will be ready to operate as an advertising medium; however there is little empirical evidence as to exactly how mobile advertising works in the currently prevailing mobile technology. This research examines mental imagery elicited by advertising in the mobile medium and its mediating role in responses to the message: ad trust and purchase intention. Using a factorial experimental design, we examine the influence of the type of message –SMS vs. visual ad– and content orientation strategy –informational vs. transformational– on mental imagery. Results show a greater impact of visual and transformational ads on vividness and elaboration, while SMSs exert greater effect on the quantity dimension. Vivid and elaborate mental imagery mediates the effect of advertising strategies on ad trust and exerts a positive influence on purchase intention.