Memory factors to improve advertising effectiveness: A question of explicit or implicit memory?

Among the different contributions that psychological research can provide t o the field of publicity, one of the most remarkable is the study of the fa ctors that can improve the recall of the publicity messages. Considering pu blicity as a differed sale, the elements related with acquisition and retri eval of information must be taken into account. The aim of the present stud y is to investigate the factors that can favour the acquisition of informat ion in television advertising. A sample of 23 advertisements was tested 3 t imes in 3 consecutive years by 773 students of Psychology who didn't know t he objective of the experiment. All the advertisements of the sample had be en actually broadcasted on the spanish television before 1990. The subjects watched a television programme about publicity, which was followed by the sample of the 23 advertisements, and then were asked to list the advertisem ents they remembered. The results show a clear serial position effect, and the importance of both duration of ad and repetition of product or brand. O ther factors less studied as colours, context or music seem to have a might y influence on memory.