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.