Current Issue Summary
March 2024 (Vol. 64, Issue 1)
When Are Photographs or Illustrations More Effective in Public Service Ads? The Role of Visual Medium in Consumer Response toward Public Service Announcements
An image that tells a powerful story is vital for the success of a public service ad. Is a photograph or illustration better at motivating prosocial actions? The answer lies in whether the visual medium is paired with concrete or abstract messaging, and how intimately the audience can relate to the ad, this research by Rita Ngoc To (Tarleton State University) shows.
Author To found that photography works best at motivating prosocial actions when PSA ads are designed to appeal to a concrete mindset. Conversely, when using an abstract appeal, illustrations are more effective. “This matching effect leads to enhanced processing fluency and subsequent empathic response, which motivates prosocial behavior,” she writes. “The matching effect is reversed, however, when the (PSA’s) social issue is directly relevant to the viewer’s identity.” This was observed in the researcher’s final study, which focused on viewers’ psychological distance to or identity with the social issue, and how that influences prosocial behaviors—such as making donations. The study took place in a real-life setting. Two versions of an ad—one with a photograph, the other with an illustration—were created representing a real-life, local nonprofit (The Battered Women’s Foundation). On “Giving Day” at a public university, study participants received an email with these ads which gave them the option to donate to the organization.
Among the takeaways:
- “When consumers feel psychologically close to a social issue, more concrete virtual media, such as photographs, can cause consumers to avoid the advertising content of a PSA.
- “By contrast, more abstract visual media, such as illustrations, can serve as a more effective visual means.
- “Female participants were more likely to click on the donation link when the e-mail featured an illustration PSA,” and their donations tended to be larger than those of males.