Information Content in Magazine, Television and Web Advertising: A Comparison and Update

Sejung Marina Choi, University of Texas at Austin
Nora J. Rifon, Michigan State University
Carrie S. Trimble, Illinois Wesleyan University
Bonnie B. Reece, Michigan State University

Abstract

Reflecting the recent changes in the advertising environment such as the Web that has emerged as a new advertising medium, the main objectives of this study were to update estimates of the amount of information in advertising and to provide a comparison of advertising information content across media. Using the traditional Resnik and Stern scheme (1977), but with additional new information categories, information content in a total of 1,085 advertisements collected from magazines, television, and the Web during a single period of time was analyzed. Similar to previous studies, results of this study provide evidence for differences in advertising information content across media and product types. Most interestingly, the findings of the study suggest that advertising information in television and magazines do not decrease due to the advent of the new advertising medium, but traditional media advertising increasingly direct consumers to the Web for additional information. That is, audiences are often directed from television or magazines to corporate/product Web sites for further, detailed information. Given the increasing popularity of cross-media promotion among advertisers, the findings suggest that future research should examine advertising from a broad view, not focusing on one medium.