The Recall and Attitude of Print Ads with Advertising Appeals

Different advertising appeals employed in the luxury watches print ads may influence various degrees of readers’ recall. Other than investigating whether participants have the abilities to recognize symbols or tokens embedded in the luxury watches print ads, during the in-depth interview, the researcher also attempt to understand what kinds of advertising appeals have the most significant impact on the aspect of recall. In terms of recall, the author asked each participant to recall five luxury watches print ads after they had been exposed so as to understand how advertising appeals affect readers’

recall. After interviewing with participants about recalling the content, the researcher would show stimuli again and ask their attitude toward print ads with each advertising appeal.

Sex Appeal

Sex appeal was employed by luxury watches brands Calvin Klein and Emporio Armani and

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this specific advertising appeal has acquired great recall in most of participants. Sex appeal refers to the figures in the ads posing gestures or movements, which directly or indirectly imply sexual images as well as elicit various experiences and association of sensuality so as to attract readers’ attention while they are exposed to the ads. Only participants D did not offer recall and feedback on this tactic. He claimed that this tactic and the used brands could not attract him. Advertisement with sex appeal was harnessed on the daily basis and without surprise, luxury watches print ads, which were, employed sex as advertising appeals were relative successful in recalling readers’ minds. Among all participants, female subjects with younger age, participant A and B, showed more advertising arousal compared to other participants. Nevertheless, as the researcher asked what exactly those participants remember. Their feedbacks were all about models’ gestures. La Tour (1993) had claimed sex appeal had greatest effect on brand recalling such as European and American beer.

However, in terms of specific commodity, sex appeal had less effect especially on high price item. As participant B said:

I still have an impression on the Emporio Armani print ads. I can remember the images of female and male characters pretty vividly. However, I can barely pick up the image of the promoted watches, maybe small pieces.

Even though the in-depth interview has confirmed prior study conducted by La Tour stating successful recall in terms of sex appeal, however, the author found out that sex appeal had difficulty in producing positive attitude among all the recruited participants. Readers were able to recall the images or brand name set in the print ads, nonetheless, great recall did not necessarily lead to positive attitude especially in the context of luxury watches print ads. People with higher status claimed that they did not appreciate luxury watches print ads with sex appeal and have relatively negative attitude about them. Their negative attitude was attributed to luxurious watches should

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be elegant, decent quality and lasting value. This specific advertising appeal could not bring out and correspond to their internal meaning luxury watches endowed to them.

As participant E said:

I think these luxury watches print ads are too strong and intense to me. I mean…

I am not sure I like these print ads appeal. I can accept woman’s perfume print ads with sexy male and female figures but here…

In the process of intensive interview, only participant A, D and G demonstrated a mutual attitude about print ads used sex appeal. It was conceivable that participant A and G were less likely to produce negative attitude toward sex appeal, given

considered that fact that their gender and younger age. What intrigued the researcher was the feedback from participant D. Participant D did not recall print ads with sex appeal. When the author asked him about his attitude, Participant D responded that he would not be one of the fans who adored this strategy here. He pointed out that even if these two brands, Calvin Klein and Emporio Armani, have adopted status appeal or luxurious appeal, he would not think their print ads would be convincing. Undeniably, people knowing luxurious watches would have already understood the position of watch brand. From the perspective of consumers or readers, luxury watches print ads with sex appeal could reach recall but their attitude may be negative to some degree.

Aesthetic Experience and Warmth Appeal

Aesthetic Experience and warmth appeal are two advertising appeals that were exclusively harnessed by Piaget and PATEK PHILIPPE-GENEVE respectively. In terms of ads recall, based on the participant C, the former did not effectively cause readers’ recall since aesthetic experience is not only mild advertising appeal but also relatively difficult to be identified compared to other advertising appeal to some

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degree. Some participants may misunderstand the advertising appeal, aesthetic

experience into others such as luxurious appeal that lead to difficulty in recalling print ads. However, participant B was the only one who was able to recall Piaget print ads.

She claimed that she recalled these print ads because she possessed Piaget luxury watches. The author found out that even if a participant could recall print ads, it was not about the use of advertising appeal but the brand itself. Participant B was a fan and had a prior purchase experience to Piaget and it may cause her to recall and produce positive attitude toward its print ads. Since the recall from participants was pretty rare, participants’ attitude toward this specific appeal was also quite mild and mutual. It might seem that this specific advertising appeal in the luxury watches print ads could not make resonance or association with readers’ minds, which illustrated the fact that aesthetic experience might not consider as successful advertising appeal as others when it was harnessed in the luxury, watches print ads. As participant B said:

I also can recall Piaget print ads. I like Piaget’s design and its watch always suits me. It’s really beautiful and very classic. Piaget’s print ads are stunning with flowers as background. It is not as tacky as other print ads such as Christian Dior.

As for warmth appeal, this specific advertising appeal also acquired great recall.

It has high recall because this specific tactic is not as widely used as other appeals that made its image, family and affection, stand out clearly. Warmth appeal is defined as a positive, mild, volatile emotion involving physiological arousal and precipitated by experiencing directly or vicariously a love, family, or friendship relationship as viewers engage themselves in the advertisement. Unlike luxurious appeal, warmth appeal was only employed by one specific watches manufacture that owns enormous advantage in recalling. Another important factor, according to participant E, these presented print ads also reflected the value of major society, passing along the best,

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most valuable thing to our next generation. Luxurious watches can be the typical items since luxurious watches mean, quality and ever-lasting value to the target customers. Due to the aforementioned factors, participants demonstrated very strong positive attitude toward print ads with warmth appeal. Warmth appeal in luxury watches print ads were fresh and unique to readers. At the same time, the portrayal of print ads corresponded to society’s value. People are likely to associate the watches with family. As participant B said to warmth appeal.

I like PATEK PHILIPPE-GENEVE’s print ads. I think it’s a good idea to pass along luxurious watch to my kids. Time and watches have special meanings to parenthood and these meanings are hard to be replaced.

Also, the comment is also made from participant D. Luxurious watches were what can express oneself and also were extremely personal items. PATEK PHILIPPE-GENEVE can project familial, caring images toward others. The emotions and affection toward parenthood and watches may connect together.

In spite of this brand PATEK PHILIPPE-GENEVE, I think I feel touched and moved by this advertising appeal. I see luxury watches can be more than being luxurious. With this watch, I believe I can not only show my friends or business partners who I am based on the watches I wear. I can also make my sons, my friends and my business partners understand what kind of father I can and will be.

Status Appeal

Luxury watches with status appeal could also achieve recall in readers’ minds to certain degree. However, it closely depends on the participants’ background

experience and brand equity. From the participant D, E and H’s point of view, their recall and attitude toward print ads with status appeal were relative strong and

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positive. From the interview, the author discovered both participants recalled clearly the brand images as well as watches design through the status association (Belk and Pollay, 1985). Due to strong recall and status association, participant D and E showed positive attitude toward these print ads. On the other hand, for other participants, it was more difficult to associate themselves to the life portrayed in the status appeal. In some cases, participants A, B, C, G and I also were able to recall prints ads of Rolex but not JAEGER-LECOULTRE. From the general readers, their ability to recall and willingness to show positive attitude were based on brand equity not the advertising appeal itself. Take Rolex as an illustration, readers understood the brand position of Rolex and felt comfortable as the processing information corresponded to their previous cognition. Monroe and Read (2008) reconfirmed that statement that cognitive reassurance may result in preference and positive attitude which could elaborate why participant A, B, C, G and I like Rolex print ads. Participants A can recall Rolex, with higher and better brand equity compared to

JAEGER-LECOULTRE. B, C and I and also their attitudes are positive. In terms of JAEGER-LECOULTRE, they hardly mentioned or recalled its print ads and their attitude became mild and mutual compared to Rolex. Therefore, the researcher discovered status appeal in the luxury watches print ads may have significant influence on recalling and positive attitude for readers with high social economic status. However, it made limited influence for consumers without similar background unless it was a well known brand. As participant B said.

I think I still remember Rolex and Louis Vuitton print ads. I think Rolex is a male gold watch on the left side of Rolex print ads layout and a man with a camera in Louis Vuitton print ads. Rolex’s background is about castle and noble family and I can see what Rolex is trying to say. It’s pretty classic.

Also, participant G said:

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I can recall Rolex’s print ads. There’s a woman wearing silver outfit and a jet plane is on the right side. The watch is gold frame with silver chain. That woman seems a wealthy figure and has high self-esteem based on her facial expression.

Luxurious Appeal

Luxurious appeal is the advertising appeal that is most commonly used in the luxury watch print ads based on stage one, content analysis, of this study. As textual analysis illustrated, male and female watches with luxurious appeal could be very different.

The former emphasized the limited production and distribution of that particular watches to stand out the luxurious features; the latter highlighted the lavish decoration of the exterior of the watch. During the intensive interview, female participants’ recall to print ads with this specific advertising appeal was pretty low, on the contrary, male participants showed great recall to luxurious appeal print ads but male luxury watches only. Among female participants, only participant E recalled Cartier print ads because she also had a prior purchasing experience before. She responded that she

remembered she read Cartier print ads with red background and gold watch. Therefore, she could only recall the brand name. In contrast, both male participants had

capabilities of recalling male luxury watches print ads with luxurious appeal with limited production such as A. LANGE& SOHNE. Participant C and D could

remember the brand name as well as the design of the promoted watches. In terms of attitude toward luxurious appeal, most participants felt mutual regarding this specific appeal. However, participant C and I demonstrated a little negative attitude toward this appeal, stating these print ads were not only too lavish but also comparatively similar and monotone. Indeed, female luxury watches print ads with luxurious appeal was alike and resembling. Too much similar stimuli may cause difficulty in recalling.

For participant A, B and G, they liked the print ads because these stimuli achieved a sense of relief. For female consumers without too much dollars, this luxury appeal

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offered a channel to release their feeling or we called, catharsis (Feshbach, 1961;

Ohmae, 1996). For participant D and E, they showed mutual attitude or positive attitude when they particularly had preference for the brand (participant E) or watch design (participant D and H). In addition, during intensive interview, male luxury watches print ads highlighting limited production could increase recall and positive attitude; however, male print ads accentuating exterior design did not have significant effect. As participant C said:

I’m pretty interested in the A. LANGE& SOHNE watch after I read the print ads.

I did not have too many impressions on this brand. Nonetheless, I recall its brand name and its limited production capture my eye and attention. I may not have ability to purchase it but I want to know more about the watch and brand itself afterwards.

Celebrity Endorsement

In the aspect of celebrity endorsement, this advertising appeal is the second most commonly employed in the context of luxury watches print ads. On the contrary to luxurious appeal, the recall rate of celebrity endorsement was relatively high for female participants. As the same as sex and warmth appeal, celebrity endorsement also acquired great recall. Female participants could not only recall female luxury watches print ads but the males with celebrity endorsement. They also showed positive attitude toward those print ads to certain degree. Even though the use of celebrity endorsement has been mushrooming for all kinds of commodities, this specific advertising appeal in the luxury watches print ads was still highly recognized and brought out the brand image and watches (Gilbert and Malone, 1995). The chosen celebrities were popular and famous for their personal unique characteristics that connected brand equity to customers’ minds. In addition to strong brand recall, Tripp

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(2000) articulated readers or consumers would pay extra attention to the products celebrities were endorsing. Also, participant A and B demonstrated positive attitude toward these print ads especially they have specially feelings and preferences for those celebrities and brands. However, for participant C and D they could recall the endorsed celebrities but the brands did not influence the ads but their attitude toward print ads and luxury watches themselves. Under that circumstance, the researcher found out the advertising appeal, celebrity endorsement, could enhance readers’ recall with the aid of celebrities. The images projected within celebrities may affect readers’

attitude toward the ads especially for the female participants. Male participants comparatively were more rational and less influenced by this advertising appeal. The author also asked female participants how they reacted to male luxury watches.

Female participants unraveled great interested in those promoted brands, which is never shown before through other advertising appeals. As participant B said:

I am sure that I read Omega, Longines and Mont Blanc print ads since there are internationally well-known celebrities in the print ads. I like Nicole Kidman and Lin Chi-Ling and their elegance made the watches look prettier. These ads made me consider having one luxury watches just like those celebrities.

I never know the male luxury brands. Mont Blanc is something I am familiar with but not TAG Heuer. I think Tag Heuer is something that I can introduce to my partner if he wants buy a luxury watch. Leonardo wears it and the watch looks good and masculine on him.

Also, participant F said:

I remember Mont Blanc’s print ads. Nicholas Cage is the endorser. I don’t pa extra attention to male watches but if I will be attracted by watches print ads with celebrity endorsement, both male and female watches.

Functional Appeal

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According to the content analysis of this research, functional appeal was also one of the most commonly harnessed advertising appeals in the luxury watch print ads.

Functional appeal is a tactic that describes the factual capabilities of this particular promoted product has so as to meet the demands of potential consumers. In addition, functional ad appeal was highly correlated with utilitarian needs in which it notifies consumers of the principal functional characteristics of products such as how high the quality is for a product and how these products can be employed (Resnik and Stern, 1977). What intrigued the author was that this specific advertising appeal was only employed in the male luxury watch print ads. Not a single female luxury watches print ads would adopt this advertising tactic. Indeed, during the in-depth interview, the recall rate was extremely low among female participants but not male participants.

Male participants took full advantages of the detailed descriptions about the mystery of watches that caught their attention with functional appeal to recall the brand names and the watches design. Participant C, D,H and I showed great interested in print ads with functional appeal with different aspects because of discrepant backgrounds.

Participant C and I focused on what this watch is capable of, such as the precise calculating time, since he was a doctor. On the other hand, participant D revealed that the slogan, HISTORY ALWAYS LEAVES A TRACE, left deep impressions because he was a businessman and loved a watch with great history behind it. Even though male print ads employed functional appeal, male readers recalled and showed positive attitude for different dimensions. On the contrary, female participants demonstrated mild, mutual attitude and even indifferent to print ads with functional appeal.

Accordingly, the author realized why this advertising appeal, functional appeal, was hardly harnessed in the female luxury watches print ads since the meaning of luxury watches for female customers was more than watches’ function. As participant C said:

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I remember the EDOX print ads promoting new watches that is able to stand up three hundreds meter water pressure and also OP III automatic click-on

movement (自動上機機芯). This watch made the time inaccuracy less than 0.01 second during the one hundred year. Its high quality in calculating time and function under water make it really fascinating and appealing.

Also, participant H articulated:

It’s hard for me to recall female watch’s print ads but I can clearly remember Panerai’s print ads. A professional scuba diver is in the ad, wearing Panerai.

Panerai was in the blue print.