An Examination of Effects of Credibility and Congruency on Consumer Responses to Banner Advertisements

This study examined the effects of advertiser credibility and Web site reputation on consumer responses to banner advertisements. In addition, the study investigated the moderating role of product-Web site congruency in determining the effects of the two forms of source credibility on banner ad effectiveness. The results showed that, while advertiser credibility had a significant impact on consumer responses to banner ads, Web site reputation was found to exert no significant influence. Specifically, advertiser credibility appeared to positively influence perceived credibility of and attitudes toward the banner ad, the advertised brand, and the intention to purchase the brand. More interestingly, the findings suggest product-Web site content congruence effects that are contingent on advertiser credibility. That is, the persuasiveness of a banner ad is enhanced when a highly credible company advertises a product that is congruent with the Web site content. However, such congruence effects are not found for a company of low credibility.