Memory in advertising and the Wechsler Memory Scale

Overview

Cues, repetition, information overload and autobiographical advertising, and the Wechsler Memory Scale as a neuropsychological measure of memory functions.

What you need to know

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Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   How do advertisers use cues to help people remember a product?

   Model answer

   Adverts link a product to cues such as a logo, jingle, slogan or colour. A cue seen or heard later, for example in a shop, triggers recall of the product.

2. 2

   Why are cues effective in advertising?

   Model answer

   Cues reduce retrieval failure by giving the memory a trigger. A cue present both when an advert is seen and when shopping makes the product easier to recall.

3. 3

   Why do advertisers repeat adverts?

   Model answer

   Repetition acts like rehearsal, helping to move the advert's message into long-term memory. Repeated exposure also makes a brand feel familiar.

4. 4

   What is a drawback of too much repetition in advertising?

   Model answer

   Seeing the same advert too often can irritate people and make them ignore it. Advertisers vary adverts slightly to hold attention while still repeating the message.

5. 5

   Why do advertisers avoid information overload?

   Model answer

   Short-term memory can hold only around seven items, so extra information is lost through displacement. Adverts with one clear message are easier to remember.

6. 6

   How might an advert be designed to avoid overload?

   Model answer

   An advert might show one short slogan, one image and the brand name. A phone number or web address can be chunked so it is easier to hold in memory.

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