Title: Universal emotional arc structure in advertisements and their favorability

Author (s):: Ghosh A.; Deb M.

Journal: European Journal of Marketing

Month and Year: April 2022

Abstract: Purpose: This study aims to propose a novel way to explore the narrative structure of advertisements, a nascent area of research, through the protagonist’s emotional arc progression. Design/methodology/approach: The multi-methods approach is used. In Study 1, the authors explore the basic universal emotional arcs through the analysis of narrative advertisements from six key economies. In Studies 2 and 3, the authors experimentally test hypotheses concerning the narrative structure and viewers’ attitudes toward the narrative using representative samples (317 and 193 ads, respectively). Findings: The authors identify five broad emotional arcs of the protagonist in audiovisual advertisements. Different emotional arcs are found to induce different attitudes in the audience. Narratives ending in a positive mode and the narrative arcs with higher emotional shifts are more favorably evaluated by the audience. Research limitations/implications: The present study is limited to textual stimuli tested in a US population and does not consider protagonist characteristic portrayal. Practical implications: Understanding consumer preferences for different emotional arcs can help practitioners to develop more clutter-breaking and relevant advertisements. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore the narrative structure theory in the context of advertisements using a positivist approach. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Document Type: Article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-12-2020-0912