The short- and long-term impact of brand placement in an ad-funded TV
program on viewers’ attudes toward the sponsor brand and its compettor
Verhellen, Eelen, Dens & de Pelsmacker
Integratng brands in TV media content causes a transformatonal process in which content-related
feelings and thoughts spill over to the placed brands. Ultmately, the mechanism of afect transfer is
nested in the workings of the human associatve memory. The context (television program) in which
a brand is encountered makes up part of that brand’s associatve network. Therefore, a brand’s
associatve network should contain more positve associatons by being placed in a program which
induces positve afect.
Hypothesis 1: program liking of an ad-funded TV program (AFP) has a positve efect on viewers’
attitude toward the sponsor brand.
Program-sponsor brand ft: the degree of congruence between the program and the sponsor brand.
Placements that are more fitting with the program generate more positve brand attitudes because
they are less likely to interrupt the viewing experience.
Attitude obcects that fit well are strongly connected through shared associatons in their associatve
networks. The more associatve links exist between two attitude obcects, the easier it becomes to
transfer afect from one attitude obcect to another.
Hypothesis 2: the positve efect of program liking on viewers’ attitude toward the sponsor brand is
moderated by program-sponsor brand fit, so that the efect is more positve with higher levels of
perceived fit.
People can forget learned associatons when they are no longer actvated, so the associatons
between a program and a brand will fade over tme, reducing the potental for afect transfer.
Hypothesis 3: the positve efect of program liking on viewers’ attitude toward the sponsor brand
weakens over tme.
A high degree of perceived fit benefits both the number and strength of associatons between the
brand and the program. As the AFP and the brand are more directly related, it is more likely that
afect transfer will stll occur as tme goes by. In contrast, when there is low perceived program-
sponsor brand fit, the brand is weakly associated with the program and these weak associatons are
much more likely to erode over tme.
Hypothesis 4: the positve efect of program liking on viewers’ attitude toward the sponsor brand
weakens over tme, but slower with increasing program-sponsor brand fit.
The sponsor brand not only shares associatons with the AFP, but also shares associatons with its
compettors. Brands in the same product category share associatons that are related to that product
category. Brands with a similar positoning within that product category will share even more
associatons. The spreading actvaton of an AFP may result in the retrieval of a number of brands
within the product category. Thus, while it is mainly the sponsor brand that benefits from afect
transfer at encoding, the program may be linked to another brand at a later stage.
Hypothesis 5: the positve efect of program liking on viewers’ attitude toward a competng brand
increases over tme.
program on viewers’ attudes toward the sponsor brand and its compettor
Verhellen, Eelen, Dens & de Pelsmacker
Integratng brands in TV media content causes a transformatonal process in which content-related
feelings and thoughts spill over to the placed brands. Ultmately, the mechanism of afect transfer is
nested in the workings of the human associatve memory. The context (television program) in which
a brand is encountered makes up part of that brand’s associatve network. Therefore, a brand’s
associatve network should contain more positve associatons by being placed in a program which
induces positve afect.
Hypothesis 1: program liking of an ad-funded TV program (AFP) has a positve efect on viewers’
attitude toward the sponsor brand.
Program-sponsor brand ft: the degree of congruence between the program and the sponsor brand.
Placements that are more fitting with the program generate more positve brand attitudes because
they are less likely to interrupt the viewing experience.
Attitude obcects that fit well are strongly connected through shared associatons in their associatve
networks. The more associatve links exist between two attitude obcects, the easier it becomes to
transfer afect from one attitude obcect to another.
Hypothesis 2: the positve efect of program liking on viewers’ attitude toward the sponsor brand is
moderated by program-sponsor brand fit, so that the efect is more positve with higher levels of
perceived fit.
People can forget learned associatons when they are no longer actvated, so the associatons
between a program and a brand will fade over tme, reducing the potental for afect transfer.
Hypothesis 3: the positve efect of program liking on viewers’ attitude toward the sponsor brand
weakens over tme.
A high degree of perceived fit benefits both the number and strength of associatons between the
brand and the program. As the AFP and the brand are more directly related, it is more likely that
afect transfer will stll occur as tme goes by. In contrast, when there is low perceived program-
sponsor brand fit, the brand is weakly associated with the program and these weak associatons are
much more likely to erode over tme.
Hypothesis 4: the positve efect of program liking on viewers’ attitude toward the sponsor brand
weakens over tme, but slower with increasing program-sponsor brand fit.
The sponsor brand not only shares associatons with the AFP, but also shares associatons with its
compettors. Brands in the same product category share associatons that are related to that product
category. Brands with a similar positoning within that product category will share even more
associatons. The spreading actvaton of an AFP may result in the retrieval of a number of brands
within the product category. Thus, while it is mainly the sponsor brand that benefits from afect
transfer at encoding, the program may be linked to another brand at a later stage.
Hypothesis 5: the positve efect of program liking on viewers’ attitude toward a competng brand
increases over tme.
