The Medium is Not Always the Message : The Case of “Total Paint Buses”

Abstract

High media visibility and creativity do not always guarantee success. A new, unconventional concept in media, “total paint buses”, lends support to this fundamental assumption. Not only does message effectiveness vary considerably, but perceptual vigilance and combined awareness appear to be restricted to a younger audience whose attitudes towards the new concept are more positive and innovation proneness is higher. Consequently, our results prove that the medium is not always the message !