Sequel advertisements, while used often in practice, are not well-studied in literature. We define sequel advertisements, investigate their effectiveness on customer attitudes towards the ads/brands, and identify key elements leading to their effectiveness. Using field data from Facebook and three experimental studies, we find that sequel advertisements are more effective on consumer recall and brand attitudes as compared to new or repeat advertisements, with the message format of the first advertisement moderating the effectiveness of the sequel. Consumers’ recognition of the prior-sequel connection mediates the effectiveness of the sequel advertisement. Plot extension with character retention is the most effective sequel advertising strategy. Our findings suggest that managers can profitably adopt a strategy of narrative ad followed by a sequel that extends the plot while retaining the characters.
Co-author (s): Patrali Chakraborty, Independent Researcher, India Frank Mathmann, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business & Law, School of Advertising, Marketing & PR, Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
Journal: European Journal of Marketing
