The Effect of the Visual Perspective of Distance in Ad Pictures on Ad Liking

In two experiments we explored how the perceptual distance portrayed in ad pictures affected consumers' ad liking. The findings of Experiment I reveal that ads in which pictures depict distant scenes are preferred to those in which pictures provide a close-up perspective, and that this effect is moderated by sociability such that the advantage of a distant perspective is greater for solitary than for social individuals The results of Experiment 2 suggest that a distant perspective is preferred because it facilitates thoughtful processing and, thereby, allows both solitary and social individuals to engage in elaboration that reflects their inherent interests. By contrast, a close-up perspective evokes a more visceral response, which appears to inhibit performing the ad evaluation task. The purpose of this research is to explore the effect of pictorial distance on ad liking. Ad liking is of interest because it mediates the effect of ad exposure on attitude toward the brand (see Brown & Stayman, 1992). Further, a recent large-scale field experiment documents a strong, positive association between ad liking and product sales (Haley & Baldinger, 1991).