Effects of violence and brand familiarity on responses to television commercials

This study investigated the effects of violence and brand familiarity on an individual's responses towards television commercials measured in terms of memory, brand attitude and purchase intention. Results indicated that violence had significant effects on the processing of advertising messages. These effects were more pronounced for familiar brands. Specifically, on the measures of copy recognition, brand attitude and purchase intention, violence appeared to be more effective in generating less favourable responses for familiar brands than for unfamiliar brands. These findings have both theoretical and practical implications.