Attention versus Distraction: The Interactive Effect of Program Involvement and Attentional Devices on Commercial Processing

Viewer processing of television commercials is influenced by an affective triad of viewer involvement; that is, involvement in a particular program interacts with both the viewer's involvement in the advertising message and with the ad's inherent attention-engaging capacity. Two experiments were conducted to test hypotheses relevant to this theory; the results support the assertion that both program involvement and dramatic attentional devices used in television advertisements, based on their interaction with one another and with viewers' processing motivation, have the capacity to enhance or hinder the generation of viewer thoughts relevant to ad messages. Building on prior studies, this research reveals some of the cognitive processes underlying program involvement as well as demonstrating the interactive nature of that construct in terms of message and audience characteristics.