Tracking the effects of comparative and noncomparative advertising with relative and nonrelative measures: A further examination of the framing correspondence hypothesis

The framing correspondence hypothesis proposes that a measure's ability to detect advertising effects depends on the degree of correspondence between the encoding frame used during ad processing and the measure's response frame. Consistent with this hypothesis, prior research has shown that relative measures are more sensitive than nonrelative measures in tracking the effects of ads which encourage a relative encoding frame (e.g., comparative ads). The present study provides further support for the framing correspondence hypothesis by demonstrating that whereas relative measures are superior for assessing comparative advertising effects, nonrelative measures may outperform their relative counterparts when ads are processed with a nonrelative encoding frame.