Moore,RS . "Banner advertiser-web site context congruity and color effects on attention and attitudes" Journal of advertising [0091-3367] 34.2 (2005). 71-84.

    These experiments were conducted in an online environment, considering “the effects of the congruity between the product foci of the advertiser and the web site, as well as banner color and banner color-text contrast on measures of attention (i.e., recall and recognition) and attitudes toward the ad and the Web site.” The first experiment found incongruity to have a “more favorable effect on recall and recognition,” and congruity to have a “more favorable effect on attitudes.” There were some inconclusive findings about color schemes as well and overall attitude toward the website was found to be “more positive for those who did not recall or recognize the ad.” Color was found to have a limited effect on the behaviors of the web users, and while some extreme manipulations of colors (such as red background and white letters) drew greater attention, the “color-contrast combinations did not differentially affect Web browsers’ attention levels.”
    Some important implications to take away from these experiments have to do with the locale of banner advertisements- specific sites they are located on and pertain to. Regarding my thesis, the authors stress the idea that sometime incongruency is needed to attract consumers’ initial attention, although the incongruency operates on a fine line. The environment in which these advertisements are placed are extremely relevant to its success. Another avenue, which I had not really considered to explore before reading this study is the effect that the banner advertisement can have on the host site. Can there be a symbiotic relationship that exists between the two? And in that case, can that maybe be a revenue source that the banner advertisement company can take advantage of? In these results, there is a hint that banner advertisement color may play a role and the authors suggest that further research should take place in this area. Specifically, I think that eye tracking devices would be useful to see how different color schemes are attended to and viewed.

Choi,SM . "Antecedents and consequences of Web advertising credibility: A study of consumer response to banner ads" Journal of interactive advertising [1525-2019] 3.1 (2002). 1-20.

    This study explores the effect banner ads have on overall online advertising credibility, specifically examining the effects of “ (1) website credibility, (2) ad relevance (the advertised product's relevance to website content), and (3) advertiser credibility on ad credibility, ad and brand attitudes, and product purchase intentions.” The final “best fit” model shows “source credibility perceptions and website/product relevance cannot be ignored in studying ad and brand-related outcomes and have merit to further our understanding of web advertising.” Specifically, the researchers suggest the credibility of site placement is important, and for brands that do not have well-known images, it would be a “good idea to place its ads on websites perceived as credible and relevant to the product category by target audiences.” They come up with a model illustrating the importance of the relationships between the following variables: website credibility, advertiser credibility, relevance, ad credibility, ad attitudes, brand attitudes, and purchase intent. Additionally, the researchers claim that using click through rates as an efficiency measure of banner advertisements is not wholly effective: “Consumer judgment of website credibility as well as relevance between website content and advertised product should be put into the media placement equation.”
    This study provides important data for my research. While adding another dimension to the creation of an effective banner advertisement- credibility- it is able to focus on multiple sources from which credibility can arise. Therefore, advertisers must be wary of not only how they present their advertisement, but also where the advertisement is seen and how it fits into the bigger picture of what a consumer is already searching for. Conveying credibility is imperative, and that can stretch anywhere from having accurate data to placing the advertisement in the right context. As consumers become increasingly accustomed to a world tailored to their every second wants and needs, it is imperative to capture their attention, and this research provides yet another means of doing that. Click-through rates are deemed an inaccurate measure of credibility, forcing advertisers to search for other methods to measure their success.