Surprise, Surprise. Ambient Media as Promotion Tool for Retailers

• The paper explores the effects of surprising ambient media on advertising efficacy.
• Data is generated in real-life settings from observation, survey, and sales.
• Triangulation is used for explaining cognitive processing and consumer behavior.
• Ambient media is very effective by generating an additive effect of gaining and holding consumer attention and resolving the incongruence elicits positive feelings, which are passed on the evaluation of the ambient media and further downstream advertising effects such as positive attitudes, word of mouth intention, and sales.
• Ambient media is a cost-efficient way to enhance advertising effectiveness.

Ambient media evoke surprise with the aim of gaining the attention of consumers who are overexposed to traditional types of advertising. No study has yet considered the effects of unanticipated ambient media. To bridge this gap, the present article reports a field experiment entailing the manipulation of three types of ambient media that create different levels of surprise. The analysis combines observation data for 2,464 passersby, survey data from 305 respondents, and sales figures for 730 days. The results show that surprising ambient media draw attention, promote positive attitudes toward the ad, and stimulate word of mouth. Most importantly, ambient media increase purchase intention and sales revenue. Robustness checks ensure that the model is stable across several conditions, such as time of day or weather conditions. Follow-up studies further reveal that surprise elicits positive effects via two processes; the amplification of accompanying evaluations and the interplay of attention and incongruence resolution. The paper provides guidance for retailers wishing to design surprising ambient media that improve consumer attitudes and profitability.

Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide