Anthropomorphism and Allegory in Advertising Across Cultures : Effects on Memory and Persuasion

This paper compares the cross-cultural effectiveness of anthropomorphism and allegory in advertising. The authors conducted a between-subjects cross-cultural experiment, which yielded two major results. First, the effect of anthropomorphism and allegory on memory (i.e.,recall) is culturally invariant. Second, the effect on persuasion (i.e., attitude toward the ad) is contingent on the recipients`cultur orientation. Masculine value orientation reinforces the effect of both anthropomorphism and allegory, while a collectivistic value orientation only reinforces the effect of allegory. The authors discuss theoretical implications of these findings, and offer guidance for marketers on the standardized vs. differentiated use of anthropomorphic and allegorical ads