Peripheral Processing Is Ineffective - Part 3

Before internet advertising, print, radio, and television ads produced successful results using the peripheral route of persuasion. Print ads are made to look aesthetically pleasing to attract the eye, radio ads use fast talking announcers to gain attention, and television ads present products with well known celebrity endorsers to create an illusion of credibility. However, as found in a study by Eastin, Yang, and Nathanson, these uses of peripheral processing are not effective in internet advertising. The study, titled “Children of the net: An empirical exploration into the evaluation of internet content,” (http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=2&hid=106&sid=a6a4da59-ce84-4da8-bfe3-3b4004313d91%40sessionmgr103) found that perceived validity is an important factor for internet advertisements to exert maximal influence over users.

The tactics used in pop-up ads are purely peripheral: they flash, they change colors, they move around your page, and they make noise. None of these methods show the actual benefits of the product or service being advertised. Users do not need to process any information, so a minimal amount of cognitive attention is devoted to the pop-up. When less attention is given to assessing the source and message of the ad, less thought is given to its validity. An advertisement that is not perceived as credible will decrease attention and information recall. Validity or trust-worthiness of a source can depend on if there is a relationship between the advertised content and the editorial content. When the lyrics database website http://www.azlyrics.com/ is visited, a flashy, colorful pop-up ad offers a download for free cursors. These two products, lyrics and cursors, are seemingly unrelated and are judged by users as unimportant and invalid.

Instead of providing a successful visual stimulus like commercials and print ads, pop-up ads are an ineffective annoyance. In order to reach the massive audience on the Internet successfully, advertisers need to find a new form of ad that utilizes the central route of processing and leaves the old notions about the peripheral route behind. Since internet use is such a highly personal and cognitively involved process, advertisements need to fit into the changing new media landscape.