A laboratory study of the effect of verbal rhetoric versus repetition when consumers are not directed to process advertising
Edward F. McQuarrieSanta Clara University
David Glen MickUniversity of Virginia
INTRODUCTION
Contemporary consumers are deluged by advertising. Their resulting lack of interest and defence mechanisms have challenged advertisers to develop strategies that can rise above the commotion and motivate consumers to process ads. Among these strategies – based on insights that trace back to antiquity (Todorov 1982) – is the use of figures of speech, also known as rhetorical figures (e.g. rhyme, hyperbole, puns, metaphor).
Investigation into the nature,...