Constructive Memory: Interference and Facilitation Effects in Multi-attribute Advertising

Burke and Srull (1988) find that when people view two different ads for the same brand, the first ad interferes with memory for the product attribute information in the second ad (i.e., proactive interference) and the second ad interferes with memory for the product attribute information in the first ad (i.e., retroactive interference). The implication is that brands needing to communicate information about multiple attributes will reduce consumer memory for any one attribute with each additional attribute advertised. One potential solution to this memory interference problem is to present information about a brand’s multiple attributes close together in time (i.e., within the same ad). This recommendation is consistent with the predictions of constructive memory models and inconsistent with both anecdotal recommendations to limit an ad’s content to a single benefit and empirical evidence that dispersed presentations are more effective at improving memory. Implications for ad execution and ad flighting are discussed.