Ad repetition in a cluttered environment: The influence of type of processing

Advertising repetition is frequently used to influence consumers' judgments of an advertised product. Several studies have found that when the target ad is repeated in a cluttered environment, repetition may not affect judgments. These findings have provoked little interest because they seem to be attributable to the interference introduced by the cluttered environments. The implication is that a substantial number of exposures to the target ad would be needed before an effect of ad repetition on product judgments would be observed. Based on recent research, this article offers and tests an alternative account. The hypothesis is that the nature of the environment in which an ad is repeated can affect the occurrence of two types of target ad processing: item-specific and relational. The type(s) of processing the ad receives, in turn, affects ad recipients' learning and judgments of ad-related information.