Time Compression, Response Opportunity, and Persuasion

Abstract

The effects of time-compressed advertising on attention allocation and attitudinal judgments are examined. The results of a series of experiments indicate that compressed ads: (1) capture less attention, (2) evoke fewer cognitive responses to the advertising claims, and (3) attenuate the effects of message quality and enhance the effects of source credibility on brand attitude judgments. These results generally support the hypothesis that time compression influences the persuasiveness of an appeal by disrupting cognitive elaboration.