Effectiveness of animal images in advertising

Abstract

While there are many studies on the effectiveness of human models in advertising, little is known about the effectiveness of animals' images. This paper presents a series of studies indicating that animal images mostly result in more favorable attitudes toward the promoted brand than depictions of human models. In particular, the studies provide evidence for the presumption that consumer biophilia and attitude toward pets amplify the effectiveness of animal models. The studies show the characteristics of the depicted animals that influence feelings of entertainment due to advertising and perceptions of a company's message credibility. The studies also show that infantile animals are perceived as cute, which elicits pleasant emotions resulting in feelings of entertainment due to advertising. Furthermore, the studies indicate that contact with animals of species that are found to be cute is perceived as highly entertaining. Depictions of animals with high suitability as pets cause perceptions of trust in the animal, which spills over to the company's message credibility. When animals are shown in the role of the targeted consumers, a negative effect on brand attitudes was observed.