Orienting response and memory for web advertisements: Exploring effects of pop-up window and animation

This study investigated the effects of pop-up windows and animation on online users' orienting response and memory for Web advertisements. All participants (N = 60) in a mixed-design factorial experiment were exposed to four online portal Web sites, each containing a banner ad that was either animated or static and a pop-up ad that was also either animated or static. Their orienting responses during reception of the online sites were measured via heartbeats using electrocardiogram (ECG). Recall and recognition memory for ads and portal Web sites were measured via a postexposure paper-and-pencil questionnaire. Hypotheses derived from visual attention, motion effect, distinctiveness, bio-informational, and limited-capacity theories were tested. The results fully supported the proposition that pop-up ads elicit orienting responses. Ad recognition was lower whereas ad recall was higher for pop-up ads compared to banner ads. In addition to main effects, the data revealed several interaction effects, with implications for theory.