Clutter and Serial Order Redefined and Retested

This paper discusses TV advertisement positioning in breaks or pods. The effects of positioning are defined in terms of 'clutter' and 'serial order'.

Clutter and Serial Order Redefined and Retested

Xinshu Zhao

For an advertiser, is it better to place a television advertisement in a pod of fewer ads? Within a same pod, are some positions better than others? Some advertisers suspect the answer is yes. 'The days are waning when an agency media buyer could be content simply to put a spot on a given television show' (Brown, 1988). Nevertheless, television networks and local stations say no by not allowing advertisers to choose positions, and by regularly charging the same price for all positions within a program (John Hunt of Ogilvy &...

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