The effects of varying levels of object change on explicit and implicit memory for brand messages within advergames

Abstract

This study examined the effects of varying levels of object change in advergames on implicit and explicit memory for the brand sponsoring the game. For the purposes of this thesis, object change was defined as an object entering the screen of an advergame to which a player must react to with a motor response using a mouse or keyboard. This study utilized a 2 (level of object change) x 5 (advergame) repeatedmeasures experiment. Explicit memory was measured using a speeded recognition test. Implicit memory was measured via a word-fill task assignment. A signal detection analysis of explicit memory data revealed that participants were less able to recognize brands they had seen in high object change games versus brands in low object change games. There were no significant differences in implicit memory for high object change game brands and low object change game brands.