The Effects of Pleasure and Arousal on Recall of Advertisements during the Super Bowl

Newell, Stephen J., Kenneth V. Henderson, and Bob T. Wu. 2001. The Effects of Pleasure and Arousal on Recall of Advertisements during the Super Bowl. Psychology & Marketing 18, no. 11: 1135-1153.

Basing their research upon the principles of Processing Efficiency and Intensity, Newell, Henderson, and Wu engaged in a study on the effects of consumers’ moods on advertisement effectiveness. More specifically, they investigated whether advertisement recall is affected by viewers’ levels of pleasure and arousal. The researchers conducted a field study, as participants watched the Super Bowl in their natural surroundings. Afterwards, researchers questioned participants on their recall of the advertisements aired.

They found that the Super Bowl invokes emotional responses within viewers, especially those with a team preference, hindering the recall of advertisements and brands. They reported that the average number of advertisements recalled was higher than the number of brand names recalled. The researchers also found that advertisements aired during the first half of the game were recalled more than those aired in the second half.

Their findings ask questions of whether or not Super Bowl advertisements are worth their cost, and this article proves useful in such a debate. The researchers offer detailed background information and they explain the principles of Processing Efficiency and Intensity, helping readers to fully understand the theory behind their study. Their findings are applicable to today, as the article is current. The researchers also discuss the limitations of their study and the potential avenues for future research.