Interesting Results
Yellow Pages Advertising Effectiveness
What advertiser-controlled factors influence the perceptions of products and services advertised in the Yellow Pages? A study in the Journal of Advertising1 described a series of experiments to examine the impact of colour and graphics in Yellow Pages ads. These showed that the perceived quality of products or services shown in colour ads was higher than those featured in non-colour ads. The use of photographic-quality graphics had a similar effect; increasing the perception of quality when compared with ads using line art graphics. Ads using photographic-quality graphics also were perceived to be more truthful and believable than claims made from ads using line art. The influence of colour and graphics on selection varied by product category, with the effects being stronger for categories such as photo developing and restaurants where colour and graphics are more important in judging the quality of the product.
1 Lohse, Gerald L., and Dennis L. Rosen (2001), “Signaling Quality and Credibility in Yellow Pages Advertising: The Influence of Color and Graphics on Choice”, Journal of Advertising, 30(2), 73-85.