Effects of Website context relevance on banner advertisement effectiveness

This study examines how Internet context (web site) within which advertisements (banners) are embedded influences the ad effectiveness, considering contextual relationship between web sites and banners. Respondents evaluated banners after they reviewed a web site in which a contextually relevant banner and a contextually irrelevant banner were placed. Results suggest that (1) a contextually relevant banner induced more favorable evaluation and a greater purchase intention toward advertised products than a contextually irrelevant counterpart, and (2) neither a contextually relevant banner nor a contextually irrelevant banner was recalled better than the other banner. These findings provide implications for future consumer research and the development of advertisements on the Internet.