One of the most anticipated commercials of the 2012 Super Bowl is the follow up to last year\u2019s Volkswagen \u201cYoung Darth Vader\u201d ad. In the original VW ad, a boy dressed as Darth Vader tries to use \u2018The Force\u2019 to raise inanimate household items. He ultimately directs his superhuman powers to a VW Passat and the car actually lights up and starts. Only then do we see Dad pointing the key fob from the kitchen window as he offers a brief, mischievous grin.<\/p>\n Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management marketing professor Jennifer Edson Escalas says part of the reason the ad worked so well lies in its narrative complexity and its ability to draw the audience into the story and the characters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n It’s all about the story<\/strong> \u201cThe more effort viewers put into the storyline, the more involved they are in it and hopefully the product or brand<\/strong>,\u201d said Escalas.<\/p>\n That finding adds a critical twist to an earlier, well-established phenomenon that shows when deciding on an option requires a lot of effort\u2014such as comparing a product\u2019s attributes\u2014 consumers may be turned off and either select a different option or defer the decision.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder conditions of narrative processing, these feelings of difficulty will lead to more positive evaluations of the advertised brand through a deeper immersion into the narrative,\u201d Escalas and Nielsen write. \u201cThat is, consumers will evaluate the brand more positively when processing feels difficult<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Escalas explains this seeming paradox with the concept of narrative transportation, or getting drawn into a story. As narrative transportation increases, so too does a person\u2019s emotional responses. The result: more transportation leads to more persuasion.<\/strong><\/p>\n The power of a sequel<\/strong> \u201cIn the world of social media, marketers have to work harder than ever to provide interesting content to viewers on an ongoing basis. A serialized advertising campaign can unfold episodically, engaging consumers as each new commercial is unveiled. This can draw people online to follow the campaign and can guide marketers content on the internet,\u201d said Escalas.<\/p>\n Create ‘brand evangelists’<\/strong> \u201cBy linking Volkswagen to an extremely popular, often fanatical, franchise such as Star Wars, Volkswagen can tap into already existing associations. These favorable attitudes may spill over onto Volkswagen, and with the proper nurturing, convert slightly interested consumers into engaged, loyal consumers of their campaign and eventually their automobiles,\u201d said Escalas.<\/p>\n Why aren’t TV ads always this compelling?<\/strong> \u201cCompanies have very different objectives for the ads created for Super Bowl Sunday, said Escalas. \u201cNot only are those ads designed to appeal to what may be the widest audience of any television event, but they are judged by consumers and outside media such as Advertising Age primarily on their creativity and humor.\u201d<\/p>\n Escalas says the advertisements companies produce for the other 364 days of the year are created to appeal to a very narrow segment of the population \u2013 to the target market for the product or service being advertised. The objectives for these non-Super Bowl ads are to persuade the target customer and to get that audience to like, remember and purchase the product.<\/p>\n For the latest research from Vanderbilt, go to http:\/\/news.vanderbilt.edu\/research.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From the Vanderbilt University press release via Newswise: Unlike any other television event, when it comes to the Super Bowl, the commercials are as much a part of the entertainment… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[153,97,251,96,59,364,12],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1118"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1118"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1118\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1119,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1118\/revisions\/1119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/images\/blogpics\/TV2.jpg\" "\\"TV")
Unlike any other television event, when it comes to the Super Bowl, the commercials are as much a part of the entertainment as the game. And though sensationalism and celebrity can create a splash, Vanderbilt research shows a storyline that really makes the viewer pay attention may score the highest<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
\nA recent study by Escalas and Jesper Nielsen, published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology<\/em>, found that marketing narratives are more likely to trigger a positive response when following the storyline requires some mental work<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
\nThe success of VW\u2019s first ad has viewers greatly anticipating the sequel. They even released a teaser, \u201cThe Bark Side.\u201d Escalas says continuing storylines in advertising can have strong results, if done correctly, especially now that advertisers have multiple mediums to work with.<\/p>\n
\nEscalas says with the popularity of social media, marketers are trying to create \u2018brand evangelists\u2019 \u2013 consumers who become extremely involved with the brand, follow it online, and recommend the brand to their friends.<\/p>\n
\nWhile Super Bowl ads often beat the game itself for entertainment value, they wouldn\u2019t be effective any other day of the year.<\/p>\n