DOES THE STANDARDIZA TION OF ADVERTISING FOR A GLOBAL BRAND S IGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE ITS CONSUMER - BASED BRAND EQUITY? By Mark Carassi A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Media and Information Studies - Doctor of Philosophy 2016 ABSTRACT DOES THE STANDARDIZA TION OF ADVERTISING FOR A GLOBAL BRAND S IGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE ITS CONSUMER - BASED BRAND EQUITY? By Mark Carassi This experimental research investigates the impact o f the standard ization of color, visual and graphic ad elements on consumer - based brand equity. T he research examines the degrees of standardization on the basis of th e number, type and combination of ad - element components and its effect on brand equity rat ing s . In this study, standardization is treated as an independent variable , as opposed to most other related research in international advertising , that have explored standardization as a dependent variable. The proposed statistical and research design pro vides a conceptual and theoretical framework for the implementation of standardization as a means and ways of globalizing ad campaigns to strengthen brand equity of global brands . The findings demonstrate that the more ad elements are standardized, the hig her are the brand equity ratings . The study revealed that standardization of the number, type and combination of ad element s , have varying effects on brand equity. It was demonstrated that v isual standardization moderates most positively in conjunction wit h either color standardization or graphic standardization to improve brand equity ratings for an ad campaign and the product. Th is dissertation establishes that the effect of the standardization of ad elements on brand equity ratings is positively moderate The findings provide a robust standardization guideline for optimizing the development of global ad campaigns to build strong brand equity in global markets . . iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS career burden. Therefore, I dedicate this work to my wife Julie , for having persevered and survived this climatic journey with its turbulent ups and downs. The dedica tion is extended to my two daughters Isabelle and Rebecca who were also very patient and supportive. I have to thank my guidance committee one by one because their determining role in my research project was immense , and critical for this accomplishment. First and foremost, I cannot more than thank my dearest friend and mentor, Professor Richard Cole , who made my academic success to come to fruition with persistent and on - going encouragement, motivation , education and high - tier academic wisdom and advice. It was Professor Bruce Vanden Bergh, who as the head of my guidance committee because of his in - depth understanding of research, strategy, branding and creative made it all possible for me to get an exhaustive and highly focused guidance to navigate throug h th is dissertation to the finish line through painstaking critiquing of t he methodology, research design and supervision left its impact on this paper from the very start to the very end. It was professor J ef Richards who pointed out and re - emphasized the significance of color concept and theory as a key independent factor in this study and phenomenally guided the paper through. Professor Ogundimu due to his background on globalization and research methodolo gy had a sharp eye at all time and provided invaluable guidance along the way. The best part of this phenomenal academic experience was the incessant joy of having had the most exciting, cordial, respectful and highly knowledgeable guidance committe e. iv TAB LE OF CONTENTS L IST OF TABLES v i i LIST OF FIGURES i x INTRODUCTION 1 LITERATURE REVIEW AN D THEORETICAL FRAMEW ORK 4 Consumer - Based Brand Equity as a Dependent Variable 7 PROPOSED HYPOTHESES 9 The Impact of V isual Standardization on Brand Equity 9 Hypothesis I 11 The Impact of Color Standardization on Brand Equity 11 Hypothesis II 15 The Impact of Graphics Standardization on Brand Equity 15 Hypothesis III 17 The Impact of the Degrees of Standardization on Brand Equity 17 Hypothesis IV 18 The Importance of Visual Standardization as a Global Strategy 18 Hypothesis V 19 The Impact of Prior Globality Cognitive and Affective Reactions on Brand Eq uity 19 Hypothesis VI 20 METHODOLOGY 21 Cause 22 Effect 22 Research Design 23 Sample Selection and Questionnaire P rocedure 25 Random Assignment 29 Construct Validity 30 CO NCEPTUAL AND OPERATI ONAL DEFINITIONS 32 Independent Measures: Summated Ad Elements for Powerful Manipulation 32 Color 32 Visuals 32 Graphics 32 Operational Definitions of Key Ad Element s 33 Dependent Measu re: Brand Equity Construct to Measure Standardization of Ad Elements Effectiveness 35 Moderating / Dependent Measure: Globality as a Moderating Measure 36 v Ten - item MBE Measures 37 Fifteen - item Globality Construct Measures 38 TREATMENT S AND MEASURES 39 Experime ntal and Control Groups 41 Level I Manipulation 41 Level II Manipulation 41 Level III Manipulation 42 Interactive Manipulations and Effects 42 Level IV Manipulation 43 Level V Manipulation 43 Level VI Manipulation 43 Level VII Manipulation 44 Level VI I I Manipulation 44 Control Groups: The Effects of the Degrees of Standardization 45 Construct Validity and Measures 46 The Treatments and Related Reactive Threat s 47 PRETESTING OF PRODUC T CATEGORIES AND BRA NDS 49 Pr oduct Category Pretest 49 Automobiles 49 Fashion Products 49 Mobile Phones 50 Cereals 50 Shampoos 50 Brand Prete st 50 Pilot Test of Treatments 53 STATISTICAL METHODS 54 FINDINGS 55 Setting the Groundwork for Statistical Design and Anal ysis 55 Effects of Visual s Standardization on Brand Equity 56 Ef fects of Color Standardization on Brand Equity 62 Effects of Graphics Standardization on Brand Equity 65 Effects of the Degrees of Standardization on Brand Equity 69 The Importance of Visual Standardization as a Global Strategy 80 Prior Cog nitive and Affective Globality Reactions on Brand Equity 81 Hypotheses Testing with MANOVA 84 Reliability Test of Brand Equity Scale 97 CONCLUSION OF RESULTS 99 FUTURE RESEARCH 123 vi RESEARCH LIMITATIONS 126 MSU IRB Human Research Protection Program 128 STIMULI 129 APPENDIX 133 REFERENCES 147 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: F Statistics for elicited consumer - based brand equity through the standardization of ad elements 24 Table 2: Hypothesis Testing I 57 Table 3 : Hypothesis Testing I 57 Table 4 : Hypothesis Testing I 58 Table 5: Hypothesis Testing I 60 Table 6 : Hypothesis Testing I 60 Table 7 : Hypothesis Testing I 6 1 Table 8: Hypothesis Testing II 63 Table 9 : Hypothesis Testing II 6 3 Table 10 : Hypothesis Testing II 63 Table 11: Hypothesis Testing III 66 Table 1 2 : Hypothesis Testing III 66 Table 1 3 : Hypothesis Testing III 66 Table 1 4 : Hypothesis Testing III 67 Table 1 5 : Hypothesis Testing III 68 Table 1 6 : Hypothesis Testing III 68 Table 1 7 : Hypothesis Testing I V 70 Table 1 8 : Hypothesis Testing I V 70 Table 1 9 : Hypothesis Testing I V 71 Table 20 : Hypothesis Testing I V 72 Table 21 : Hypothesis Testing I V 73 viii Table 22 : Hypothesis Testing I V 73 Table 23 : Hypothesis Testing I V 75 Table 24 : Hypothesis Testing I V 75 Table 25 : Hypothesis Testing I V 76 Table 26 : Hypothesis Testing I V 77 Table 27 : Hypothesis Testing I V 77 Table 28 : Hypothesis Testing I V 77 Table 29: MANOVA Box's test of Equality of Covariance Matrices 84 Table 30: MANOVA Levene's Test of Equality of Error Variances 84 Table 31: MANOVA Multivariate Tests 85 Table 32 : Tests of Between - Subjects Effects / Hypothesis Testing VI 86 Table 33 : Hypothesis Testing I 88 Table 34 : Hypothesis Testing II 89 Table 3 5 : Hypothesis Testin g III 91 Table 3 6 : Hypothesis Testing V 92 Table 37 : Hypothesis Testing V 92 Table 38: Hypothesis Testing V 93 Table 39 : Hypothesis Testing IV 94 Table 40 : Hypothesis Testing VI 96 Table 41 : Reliability Stati stics 98 Table 42 : Reliability Item - Total Statistics 98 ix LIST OF FIGURE S Figure 1 : Level I Manipulation 41 Figure 2: Level II Manipulation 42 Figure 3: Level III Manipulation 42 Figure 4: Level IV Manipulation 43 Figure 5 : Level V Manipulation 43 Figure 6: Level VI Manipulation 44 Figure 7: Level VII Manipulation 44 Figure 8: L evel VIII Manipulation 45 Figure 9: Hypothesis Testing I 59 Figure 10: Hypothesis Testing I 62 Figure 11: Hypothesis Testing II 64 Figure 12: Hypothesis Testing III 67 Figure 13: Hypothesis Testing III 69 Figure 14: Hypothesis Testing IV 71 Figure 15: Hypothesis Testing IV 74 Figure 16 : Hypothesis Test ing IV 76 Figure 17 : Hypothesis Testing IV 78 Figure 18 : Hypothesis Testing VI 82 Figure 19: Related to Hypothesis Testing VI 96 Figure 20 : Related to Hypothesis Testing VI 97 Figure 21 : Color Standardization (Experim e ntal Group I) 129 x Figure 22 : Visuals Standardization (Experimental Group II) 129 Figure 23 : Graphics Standardization (Experimental Group III) 130 Figure 24 : Color and Visuals Standardizati on (Experimental Group IV) 130 Figure 25 : Visuals a nd Graphics Standardizat ion (Experimental Group V) 131 Figure 26 : Color and Graphics Standardizati on (Experimental Group VI) 131 Figure 27 : Color, Visuals and Graphics Standardizati on (Experimental Group VII) 132 Figure 28 : Color, Visuals and Graph ics Non - Standardizati on (Experimental Group VIII) 132 Figure 29 : Instructio ns to the Participants 134 Figure 30 : Demograph ic Questions on Workers 134 Figure 31 : Instructions for the Re view of Digital Magazine 138 Figure 32 : Online Digita l Magazine with 138 Figure 33 : Sample of Ads in side the Online Magazine 139 Figure 34 : Main Bod y of the Questionnaire 140 Figure 35 : Amazo n Code for Workers 146 1 INTRODUCTION ________________________________ ___________________________ ______ d _________________________________________________________________ The purpose of this experimental research is to empirically examine the effects of the degrees of the standardization of color, visual and graphic ad elements in an ad campaign on brand equity ratings . This study treats standardization of ad elements , conceptually and theoretically , as an independent variable or communication strategy and brand equity as a dependent variable or a measure of advertising standardization effectiveness . According to past studies, there are competitive marketing communication advantages to executing standardized advertising ad campaigns. According t o Mueller (1992 , p. 15 ) one of the ben efits of standardization for marketers is . Hsieh (2002) emphasized the importance of providing an explicit approach to measuring the degree of brand globalization in te rms of brand image cohesiveness . This study experimentally highlights strategic and executional techniques of achieving varying degrees of ad campaign standardization through the development of a uniform brand - image communication that contribute s to build ing consumer - based brand equity. Many scholars correlate global consumer cul ture with global brand image that lead s to stronger brand equity. Alden , et al. (1999 , p.75) suggested, that flow from associ ating a brand with global consumer culture have long been recognized The importance of this statement is that visuals as an ad - element component can play an influential role to convey the global consumer culture through specific brand image and positioni ng. Levitt (1983) stated that consumers around the world express preference for global 2 . O ne of the key measures of brand equity scale is based on the perception of brand trust and brand quality (Yoo, et al. 2 001) . Steenkamp, et al. (2003, p. 53) indicated The idea that standardization of ad symbols can trigger universal common grounds for brands has been expressed in numerous scholarly papers. Steenkamp, et al. (2003) added that building on the emergence of globally share d meanings , increasingly competitive . I t appears that a globally standardized ad campaign can have cognitive, affective and conative influence on consumers despite the ubiquitous and steadfast counter - arguments against standardization in the literature . Aaker (1996 p. 128) underscored prestige and credibility that is associated with global brands. It is deemed that the reputation and credibility of a brand is built on the basis of continued exposure to uniform content . Kapferer (1992, p. 16) asserted that a b rand becomes credible thro The author also emphasized permanence and continuity ( Kapferer, 1992 p. 33). This paper argues that to establish consistency , brand image and brand identity through time and markets , they have to be built through standardize d ad campaigns . Sign of continuity can be developed through uniform identity. Identity precedes image that is decoded by consumers ( Kapferer, 1992 p.37). Aaker and Joachimsthaler (2000) described brands with a high degree of similarity ac ross countries with respect to brand identity . Aaker (1996, p. 7) define d that ad d Aaker (1996) refers to major assets for brand equity as brand name awareness, brand loyalty, perceive d quality and brand associations. Such 3 strong asset categories build strong brands that create value (Aaker, 1996, p.8). In this paper, the brand equity scale (Yoo, et al., 2001) tests the stan dardization effects of ad elements on the basis of high - level ad effectiveness measures such as purchase intentions, loyalty, quality and trust. This study revolves around the standardization effects of color , graphic and visual factors in an ad campaign on consumer - based brand equity. Customer - based brand equity occurs when the consumer is aware of the brand and holds some favorable, strong and unique brand associations Keller (1993 p. 17) defines cu st o mer - based brand equ ity a s Most studies , in the past , have focused on the impact of marketing content and selling approaches of a n ad message on standardization as an effect . Ther efore, t his is a timely and practical strategic consideration to study the core role of color , visual and gra phic standardization to optimize creative effectiveness of global ad campaigns in global markets . This inves tigation contribute s to academic studie s by shedding light on the conceptual and theoretical importance of color , visuals and graphics as an effective integrated ad campaign standardization framework to improve advertising effectiveness and brand equity. Equally , the proposed research design an d findings provide the professionals a scientific, systematic, organized and empirical approach for optimizing global ad campaigns and as a guiding light for local and regional companies that intend to globalize their ad campaigns, products and brands. 4 LI TERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWOR K In many past studies , standardization has been investigated as a dependent variable. Roth (1995) used standardization as a dependent variable and employed social, cultural and economic independent variables. Duncan and Ramaprasad (1995) named their dependent variable standardization of advertising campaigns in terms of strategy, execution and language and stated that standardization occurs mainly at the strategy level and time pressure was singled out as the most im portant reason for standardization. Other researchers such as Mehta (1992) found that strategies tended to be more stan dardized than executions in advertising. However, this research demonstrates that advertising can be standardized , to a great extent , at the executional level by standardizing ad elements of color, visuals and graphics to build and strengthen brand equity . Benefits of standardization were debated from the earlier times. Elinder (1965) advocated using the same copy and design for cost effici encies. Buzzell (1968, p. 102) pinpointed the use of advantages in standardizing ad campaigns. Okazaki and Mueller (2008, p. 771) stated that ads from West to East appear to be standardized. Levitt (1983) theorized globalization of markets for optimization of cost and authors Zou and Cavusgil (2002) presented a Global Marketing Strategy. The focus of the earlier research in standardization , to some extent, was on cost efficiencies and centra lization of the production of ads as o pposed to building brand equity, ad effectiveness and measuring the results despite the immense importance of marketing communications and brand equity concept s in the marketing literature (Aaker, 1996; Keller, 1998; K apferer, 1992 ; Alden, et al. 1999 ) . The conceptual and theoretical framework researched and applied for the deduction of 5 the proposed hypothese s in this dissertation are the b asis for the development of t he Theory of Standardization of Ad Elements as a Glo balization of Ad Campaign Processes . Other scholars addressed why and how consumers are becoming global through universal media and content (Appadurai, 1990). Nelson and Paek (2007) examined executions for global advertising strategies and found standardi zed copy and models. Hall (1997) suggested that the recent global phenomenon does not necessarily have a Western association and it is a global Yet not all the scholars were conv inced that standardization works . Hannerz (1990) indicated that though consumers are exposed to standardized advertising they do not become homogenized. Some authors proposed a convergent mix of global and local approach (Robertson, 1995). De Mooij (2005) one of the most outspoken scholars against standardization believed that to effectively change attitudes, purchase intention and behavior, standardization does not work. mo (p. 59). The proponents of adaptation for adaptation of ad campaigns. The proposed theory, the hypotheses, t he research design and the findings in this paper demonstrate that there are specific symbolic elements in the form of color, graphics, typography and visuals that can be employed in ad campaigns in order to build and strengthen brand equity. This scientif ic probe differs from the past academic and professional research for its holistic focus on color, visual and graphic ad elements as a new paradigmatic realm of study in standardization for the purpose of strengthening the globalization of ad campaigns wit h brand 6 equity as a measure of communication effectiveness for global brands . Past studies in standardization and international advertising circled around environmental and cultural values as variables (De Mooij and Hofstede, 2010; House, et al. 2004); org anizational and structural causes (Zou and Volz, 2010: Zou and Cavusgil, 2002); the degrees of globalization (Mueller, 1989) ; the cultural differences in advertising appeals (Mueller, 1987; Okazaki, et al. 2010, Taylor, et al. 1997); convergence in adverti sing appeals in the East and West (Okazaki and Mueller, 2008); improvement in performance (Zou and Cavusgil, 2002); and ad effectiveness (Okazaki, et al. 2006). Harris (1994) questioned the earlier research on standardization and stated that many emphasiz e whether standardization or adaptation should be used, but few examined how to standardize thus is addressed empirically, systematically and scientifically t hrough this experimental research. intends to address the impact of the standardization of ad elements on brand equity as a strategic and executional approach to the globalization of ad campaigns and brands through a strong advertising and marketing theoretical framework. Another important aspect of this study is that not only standardization of ad elements is operationalized, manipulated , tested, analyzed and applied to academic research and practice, but standardization is also examined in terms of the degrees of its execution on the basis of the number, type and combination of standardized ad elements in order to optimize the effectiveness of global ad campaigns a nd strengthen brand equity . 7 The importance of products bene fiting from stronger brand equity as a result of the standardization of ad campaigns for and s of brand globalizati and the positive impact of such ad element standardization on brand equity (Aaker, 1996; Keller, 1998; Kapferer, 1992) leads to the proposed Theory of Standardization of Ad Elements as a Globalization of Ad Campaign Processes . Consumer - Based Brand Equity as a Dependent Variable A dvertisers by achieving a uniform design in global ad campaigns (Steenkamp, et al. 2003, p. 54) or a global look and feel for brands to add value. Steenkamp , et al. (2003. p. 60) stated that evidence supported their hypothesis that there is a causal sequence, Yoo, et al. (2001) developed and validated a multidimensional consumer - bas ed brand equity scale that includes perceived quality as a key factor and measure (p.14). Holt, et al. (2004), argued that consumers prefer global brands on the basis of quality as a global characteristic. Aaker (1996) posited that brands have two choices The objective of this experimental research is to test and compare perception of differently standardized ad campaigns through the measu re of brand equity scale. Yip (1995 T his paper puts standardization to test to observe if product and brand preference s improve as a result of the manipulation of the number, t ype and combination of ad - element standardization, and if it leads to higher scores on brand equity ratings . In other words, testing and measuring the impact 8 of the degrees of standardization on brand equity ratings. Steenkamp, et al. (2003) found that This paper examines the executional strategies to see if the standardization of ad elements as ke y factor s in globalization of ad campaigns does achieve advertising effectiveness as measured through brand equity scale . It is argued that global brands convey credibility. Further, as a main effect, Steenkamp, et al. (2003, p. 60) not only found that pe rceived globalness is positively associated with brand prestige or quality, but th a direct association of PBG (perceived brand globalness) with purc . Ford, et al. (2011, p. 29) pro vided the following conclusion on the status of standardization abounds that a standardized advertising strategy has become more feasible than it was in the past. And, in fact, it often may have become more desirable in that it can h elp build a global brand . T he latter statement is most relevant to the core of this dissertation argument and leads the conceptual and theoretical literature review of standardization and globalization studies toward the deduction of the following propose d hypotheses for the standardization of ad elements to build , strengthen and sustain brand equity for global brands , market by market , on a global basis . 9 PROPOSED HYPOTHESES The Impact of Visual Standardization on Brand Equity Alden, et al. (1999) examine d the emergence of brand positioning strategies. The authors proposed Global Consumer Culture Positioning (GCCP) , even though they did not accrue it to standardization , and stated opposed to pos itioning the brand as a member of the local consumer cultur Standardization of an ad campaign on the basis of color , graphic and, in particular, visual ad elements contributes to Glob al Consumer Culture Positioning (Alden , et al. 1999) and theorization (Steenkamp, et al. 2003) for the very reason that it can develop a consistent global brand image . The standardization of visual ad elements including models, pack shots, mnemonics and illustrations are pivotal in developing a uniform i mage and building a strong brand equity , market by market , globally on the basis of brand awareness, associations , likability, perceived quality, trust , purchase intentions and brand loyalty (Aaker, 1996; Keller, 1998; and Kapferer 1992). Park, et al. (19 94) attempted to separate their studies from others by investigating the sources of brand equity in terms of its attribute and nonattribute - based components such as brand added value (p. 286) product features or brand attributes . T his study will provide new techniques and approaches to optimize global brand added value through standardized visual s of products, background setting , - up and personality ad elements as a cohesive global marketing communication platform for developing a uniform cosmopolitan global brand image . 10 theory of cultural meaning implying that ceaselessly Kernan (1993) asserted - and standardized framework of visual content can reflect Such a framework can basically convey th e idea that visuals can transfer meaning from one culture to another depending on how they are developed and managed and that they can be used as standardized imagery in ad campaigns . Calder and R eagan (2001, p. 67) design simply expresses mean ing. Meaning can be expressed in many ways. It can be d visually through pictures and It is reaction to pictures influence s their processing of advertising information (Unnava and Burnkrant, 1991). This experimental research intended to test the substantial influence of visuals on standar dization of advertising and its critical impact on brand equity as conveyed through an ad campaign. Özsomer and Altaras (2008) postula ted actively appropriate and recontextualize the symbolic meanings encoded in marketer - generated whilst elaborati ng on how consumers interpret meaning, pointed out that role in studying, understanding and responding to consumer - driven brand meanings remains The latter statement is of importance because it simply argue s that it is not just the perception of the symbols from the consumers end, but rather the companies must devise 11 mechanisms enabling them to deliver messages effectively across borders and cultures . This research delves into what firms do for standardizat ion of ad campaigns to fulfill s uch objectives. Holton (2000) viewed modernity as a reason for the use of globally - based brands. Global Consumer Culture theory forwarded by Alden, et al. (1999), incorporated the concept that some consumer culture value referred to as cosmopolitanism and modernity and the feeling of belonging to a global market (Friedman, 1990) that is aligned with a set of symbols that indicate the me mbership in a global consumer culture segment (Hannerz, 1990). D ue to the prevailing and increasingly emerging global consum er culture, global transfer of meaning , the global cosmopolitanism, modernity and relatively large - scale shared global values, the standardization of ad campaigns is more than ever relevant and potent . Therefore, the standardization of v isuals such as projection of global images of cosmopolitanism and lifestyle s will comprise a vital and determining independent variable to be tested a nd evaluated in terms of its impact on consumer - based brand equit y as the dependent variable . The above literature and theoretical framework point toward the conceptualization of the first hypothesis : Hypothesis I : Those exposed to an ad campaign with sta ndardized visuals versus an ad campaign with non - standardized visua ls will rate the visually standardized ad campaign and the product advertise d with higher brand equity mean . The Impact of Color Standardization on Brand Equity In addition to standardizati on of visuals, advertisers use standardization of color to optimize advertising effectiveness , build and strengthen brand equity. Very few academic studies have addressed color as an ad element component to examine standardization. Michele - Anne Dauppe 12 (201 1) emphasized that graphic design has long been recognized as a relatively under - theorized domain of scientific studies the theory / practice relationship, and explore how we might usefully position graphic design underdeveloped as a discipline; in comparison to its design neighbors (architecture, industrial design), its fine art neighbors, and its th eory neighbors (cultural studies, media studies, visual culture) color, design, typo graphy, photography and visuals have not yet been integrated more closely and comprehensively in to standardization and globalization studies while conceptual and practical aspects of color in ad campaigns play a fundamental strategic and day - to - day role in advertising and marketing practice. One of the reasons for such shortcomings has been due to lack of operational definitions for color and the in - depth conceptualization of the standardization of color in ad campaigns which have not surfaced in any substantive ways in scientific advertising and marketing journals . Yet among many other s cientific inquiries, Kobayashi (1981, 1987, 1990) found close association between varying colors and descriptive words as in feelings of psychological emotions. Since color can trigger and arouse substantially different types and kind s of emotions, it is imperative to standardi ze color in addition to visuals and graphics . This experimental research is intended to measure the extent of the standardization of ad campaigns through the manipulation and interaction of color as an independent factor and its impact on brand equity as a dependent variable. Though the topic of standardization has had a long history, hardly any substantial research has been conducted empirically to discuss the cardinal role of color, visuals and graphics for standardization of ad campaigns, som ething of much importance in practice amo ng advertisers, ad agencies , media companies and digital units . 13 Although some limited research has been done in theorizing the use of color, however, the extent of research on standardization of color has been scant in advertising and communication studies . The central role of color in advertising and marke ting field and the sparse attention it receives in academic studies is representative of a principal disconnect between p ractice and the academic priorities . For t hat matter , even professional research on globalization of advertising has lacked the required studies on standardization of such elemental factor s such as color in marketing communication . Only very few and important inter - and intra - agency white papers a nd documentations have addressed such grass - roots concepts in marketing communi c ation. Considering that in the field of advertising one of the most important tasks of global advertising is standardizing color hues, satura tion, C hroma, values and CMYK color processes such as cyan, magenta, yellow and b lack in every global market and on every communication piece, however, no solid and meaningful research can be found addressing standardization of color in advertising either academically or professionally . Ps ychologists have shown interest for long in terms of the effects of color on preferences (Guilford, 1934), though studies on the effects of color in advertising and, in particular, standardization have been sparse despite the fact that it is one of the mos t routine and day - to - day advertising account management tasks in the field of design, communication, advertising, consumer behavior, marketing, edu cation and online marketing . Even t hough the standardization of color provides promises , it should be taken u Many scholars have done research supporting the use of higher value colors because they are increasingly better lik ed (Sharpe, 1974). Middlestadt (1989) investigated the effectiveness of products presented on blue color background versus red color background. Miller (2014) stated 14 ers, et al. (1982) demonstrated that color has an effect on the degree of arousal. For example , Walters, et al. (1982) revealed that red causes excitement and blue leads to relaxation. Other scholars have also supported the different effects of color (Tom, et al. 1987). Therefore, one can assume that if different colors are used for diverse communication messages and for di screpant markets, then the chances are that the arousal level and type of arousal effects can be a mismatch for global advertisers and it is naturally more desir able and rather critical to keep the level or type of arousal consistent in various markets by keeping colors standardized and consistent in ad campaigns globally . Color consistency from other perspectives has been a matter of muc h philosophical discussions in visual arts and culture. According to Hatfield As a follow - up to research by Bellizzi and Hite (1992) on importance of hue in color - choice arch results can have limited generalizability to broader advertising applications. It can be argued that an international campaign that is not standardized in background color s can instigate different types of effects that might not be the intended global communication objectives of an advertiser. Gorn, et al. (1997) through their detailed empirical study of color effects on arousal stated that there have been three streams of empirical research on color which include : F irst , color used in magazines to inc rease the impact of an ad through contrast (Schindl er, 1986; Lee and Barnes, 1990); S econd, the comparative use of color vs. black and white ads (Meyers - Levy, et al. 1995) and ; T hird , the effects of colors on consumer responses (Bellizzi, et al. 1983; Crow ley, 1993). 15 This paper provides ways and means to examin e and operationally define color and measure color standardization effect on brand equity as gauged through the higher - level measures of advertising effectiveness such as brand purchase intentions an d brand loyalty . For a specific corporate or brand color to be standardized, the researcher must have the checks and balances on the levels of c yan, magenta, yellow and black that is ubiquitously known as CMYK , plus the correct configuration of Chroma , hue , saturation and gradient of color in order to achieve color consistency in global ad campaigns. All the above - mentioned aspects of color not only operationally define color, but also influence the construct validity of color standardization as an independ ent variable. The above literature and conceptual review points to the second hypothesis in this paper. Hypothesis II : Those exposed to an ad campaign with standardized color versus an ad campaign with non - standardized color will rate the color standardize d ad campaign and the product advertised with higher brand equity mean . The Impact of Graphics Standardization on Brand Equity Grohmann, et al. (2013), through an empirical study found that font characteristics influence brand personality perceptions. The y further investigated the influence of type font color on brand Carver (1970) e xamined the groups of meaningfully related words facilitates free recall, rote memorization and the authors confirmed that there was no important or statistically significant 16 difference between the chunked format and control format. Interestingly, Moore, et al. (2005) in her advertisement structural characteristic, such as type size, the modality of pr that the effectiveness of the background color depends on the contrast between background color and the text color (Fernandez and Rosen, 2000 ). McCarthy and Mothersbaugh (2002) found that typographic legibility and clarity improves the power of reading. On the basis of these earlier attention to a ban ner ad with a high background - color / text - color contrast than to a banner ad with a low background - color / text - Standardization of typography or color fonts was not again found as a subject of empirical study in many of past studi es. This theoretical development will attempt to assess the impact of typographic and graphic elements as one composite component on brand equity. It appears that research in branding, psychology and advertising has had some earlier focus on typography. None of the studies, however, looked at the standardization of typography or the in - depth operationalization of the concept of color or empirically examined the holi stic and the influential effect s of typography such as typeface, weight, font size, kernin g, lead ing, serif, san - serif, ascender, descender, color and art treatment on consumer responses. Further , other aspects of graphics such as the u se of bleed, margin treatments th at encompass numerous executions , logo positioning and spacing, logo size and logo treatment have not been subject to past empirical research. The uniformity of the graphic and typographic ad elements in detail and, in particular, in relation to visuals and color ha ve not yet been been brought under empirical studies . L ogo treatmen ts, ad margins and typographic strategies can dramatically influence the look and feel of an ad campaign. T ypographic and graphic ad elements are frequently used to 17 standardize ad campaigns on a global basis with strict ad element s usage guidelines . The ab ove literature, the conceptual and theoretical framework of the standardization of graphics as an independent variable direct this paper to the third hypothesis. Hypothesis III : Those exposed to an ad campaign with standardized graphics versus an ad campai gn with non - standardized ad graphics will rate the graphically standardized ad campaign and the product with higher brand equity mean . The Impact of th e Degrees of Standardization on Brand Equity In the literature of standardization and globalization of a dvertising there has been much debate about the degrees of standardization as pioneered by the lead scholars such as Mueller in this realm of studies (Mueller, 1989). However, none of the researchers attempted to systematically and empirically study the de grees of standardization operationally , and in particular, in terms of visuals, color or graphics. Due to the importance of this concept ual framework , the next hypothesis attemp t s to address the long standing concept of the degrees of standardization and i ts impact on brand equity as the levels of standardization are manipulated by the number, type and combination of ad elements. Even the earlier scholars were referring to standardization in terms of visuals or copy in the ads in their totality. For example , Elinder (1965) suggested the use of the same copy and design for cost efficiencies. Fatt (1965) and Roostal (1962) promoted the use of standardized ad campaigns without specifying verbal or visual elements and Okazaki and M ueller (2008, p. 7 1) found ads from West to East to be standardized . In other words, for standardization to leave its impact on brand equity and demonstrate persuasive effectiveness, adequate degrees of standardization must be assigned to an ad campaign for an effect to be observed . Vis ual standardization, color standardization or graphic standardization might not , on their own individually , as a single component reach the required threshold for the perception of 18 standardization as a treatment to actualize and leave an impact on brand eq uity scores. The fourth hypothesis specifically highlights the effects of the degrees of standardization in terms of the number, type and combination of ad element standardization in ad campaigns and their effects on brand equity. Hypothesis IV : Those expo sed to an ad campaign with increasingly more ad elemen ts standardized in various combination s of color, visuals and / or graphics versus an ad campaign with fewer standardized ad elements , will increasingly rate brand equity with higher mean . The Importanc e of Visual Standardization as a Global Strategy The use of visuals has always played an important role in the composition of the ad campaigns. Visuals have long been considered as the determining ad element s for standardizing ad campaigns, products, brand s and promoting a global consumer culture in the form of the transfer of meaning ( . V isuals can encompass and convey images with a consiste nt global meaning , as suppo rted by Domzal and Kernan (1993) that some brands have c ulturally - transc endent meaning and that they , therefore , qualify for g lobal advertising consideration (p. 2). Other scholars emphasized the importance of visual meaning and imagery on a global basis. Calder and Reagan (2001, p. 67) postulated that sses meaning. Meaning also reported by other scholars that reaction to pictures influences the processing of adve rtising information (Unnava and Burnkrant, 1991). This experimental research attempts to test if visuals do play a more important role on standardization of ad campaigns versus graphics and color as other ad elements . Due to the unique and historical impor tance of visuals in advertising, the following hypothesis is proposed . 19 Hypothesis V : Visual standardization moderates most positively in conjunction with either color standardization or graphic standardization in improving the brand equity ratings for the ad campaign and the product. The Impact of Prior Globality Cognitive and A ffective Reactions on Brand Equity Dimofte, et al. (2008) argued that t he ten - item Measure of Brand Equity (MBE) developed by Yoo & Donthu (2001) falls short for not bringing un der consider ation the prior cognitive and affective reaction to globality of brands. Because in this paper, Measure of Brand Equity (MBE) is used as the key assessment for evaluating the impact of standardization on ad campaign effectiveness, then it is considered important to examine globality as a cognitive and affective scale. - known and As such, their associating global brands with perception of superior quality. They built their argument on the affective aspects of consumer predispositions and state d that globality construct does not relate (Dimofte, 2008; Batra, et al. 2000). In order to make sure that an important aspect of brand equity that is that of aspiration (feelings) or prior cognitive and affective reactions to globality is incorporated in the conceptual and theoretical framework of this dissertation, the following hypothesis is proposed to test the moderating effect of globality construct (D imofte, 2008) on brand equity measure, Yoo & Donthu (2001) . The criticism against MBE can be that global brands are shaped more by affect 20 and much less by cognition (Dimofte, et al. 2008) and that the quality effect is due to prevailing brand strength of b ig brands and not due to brand globality. For future guidance and for developing more optimized measures of advertising standardization effectiveness for building brand equity on the basis of brand trust versus aspirations, the following hypothesis is pres ented . Hypothesis VI predisposition) of those exposed to more standardized ad campaigns moderates positively the cumulative impact of the standardization of color, visual and graphic ad elements on brand equity ratings. 21 METHODOLOGY Online l aboratory experimental research is employed . The treatment factors in the experimenta l group s are standardization of color, standardization of visual s and standardization of graphic s as nominal or cate gorical variables that are administered at three distinct ad - element component levels of manipulation through the exposure of different ly stand a rdized ad campaigns to the participants . All the experimental treatment stimuli such as color, visua ls and graph ics are induced at different levels to a fully non - standardized ad campaign as a benchmark experimental ad campaign group with non - standardized color, non - standardized visuals and non - standardized graphics . For example, when color is standardized it is mea sured against other standardized experimental groups and also benchmarked against a fully non - standardized color ad campaign and a fully sta ndardized ad on all ad elements. I n other words, the latter ad campaign being a one - off ad run repetitively rather t han an ad campaign with ad element variation . A total of 440 subjects are selected randomly online to participate in the study . The subjects are then randomly assigned to eight experimental groups of approximately equal number of 55 each . T wo of the exper imental groups at the two end of the continuum of standardization are exposed once to a fully standardized ad campaign ( exactly the same and identical ads repeated three times in the digital magazine ), and once to the fully non - standardized ad campaign (di fferent and non - standardized on all the three summated ad - element components of color, visuals and graphics) . These two experimental groups have the dual role as control and experimental groups simultaneously . Each of the eight experimental group s is expos ed to a different ad campaign standardized on the basis of the number, typ e and combination of standardization that allow to 22 test the degrees of standardization from fully non - standardized ad campaign to a fully standardized ad campaign with all the three components standardized as shown in T able 1 . The brand equity scale means for the fully standardized to the least - standardized ad campaign s are compared with the mean of other experimental groups . The mean differences in responses elicited at the three ca tegorical levels of ad element components are compared and statistically analyzed in order to measure the degrees of the effect s of the standardization and non - standardization of the three main nominal factors of color , visual s and graphics on brand equity as conveyed through eight differently standardized ad campaign s in the combined eight experimental and control groups . Once the experimental group s have been exposed to their assigned standardized ad element s , then the mean differences of the eight experi mental groups are gauged (in - between group measure s ) . Cause The cause or the cumulative independent factors in this experimental research is the standardization of color , visuals and graphics as three composite components that each is the multiple items o f specific ad elements within an ad campaign . The ad effectiveness measured through brand equity scale is the effect caused by the standardization of ad elements as the cause . ause, and Effect In this experiment the intention is to observe what happens to brand equity when standardization is manipulated in terms of the number, type and combination of ad elements . The effect here is the statistical mean difference s among the various experimental groups (between group tests) . 23 Kerlinger and Lee (2000, p . 487) state d as long as there is an attempt to make two groups systematically different on a dependent vari able, a comparison is poss ible. Thus the traditional notion that an experimental group should receive the treatment not given to a control group is a special case of the more general rule that comparison groups are necessary for In bot h experimental and control groups, treatments are induced. However, in the case of fully standardized and non - standardized tests a dual function of control and experimental group holds in the statistical and methodological design of this proposed research. Research Design The three nominal independent variables in our study are color standardization, visual standardization and gr aphic standardization. Standardization is used in the three main - effect experimental groups and in the four other experimental gr oups in the form of the interaction of the three types of standardization as in T able 1. A control group is used w ith no standardization stimuli that ensures all the ads are varied substantially in respect to color, visuals and graphics . Fully standardized group can also be considered as a control or experimental group. The below design outlines the conceptualization and the structure of the relations among the variables of this research study. R representing randomized assignments of the participants, X as the treatment of the various standardized ad elements such as color, visuals, graphics and O as the observation or the measure of the dependent variable in each group. The X in light grey stands as a control group. 24 Tab le 1: F Statistics for elicited consu mer - based brand equity through the standardization of ad elements STIMULI________________________ MODERATION_______________________ _ DEPENDENT VARIABLE Prior Cognition and Affective disposition I Brand Equity Globality Scale MBE Scale Color Standardizatio n Visual Standardization Graphics Standardization Color S X Visuals S Visuals S X Graphics S Color S X Graphics S Color S X Graphics S X Visuals S Control Group: No Standardization Treatment S = Standardization Experimental Group - Control Gro up: Randomized Participants Design R X1 O Experimental Group I / Color S R X2 O Experimental Group II / Visuals S R X3 O Experimental Group III / Graphics S R X4 O Experimental Group IV / Color S x Visuals S R X5 O Experimen tal Group V / Visuals S x Graphics S R X6 O Experimental Group VI / Color S x Graphics S R X 7 or X7 O Experimental Group VII / Color S x Graphics S x Visuals S R X 8 O Control Group VIII / No intended Standardization S: stands for st andar dization of summated ad element components in each independent factor The objective is to find a causal relationship by ensuring that standardization of ad elements as the cause in the form of manipulation in the number , type and combination of ad el ement components precede the effect that is brand equity of ad campaign and the product . Cause must relate to the effect and no alternative explanation s or rival hypotheses must be found for the 25 effect than the cause. B etween - groups mean comparison design is used in this empirical study for the eight experimental statistical tests . T his research design shed s light on the various types of confou nds that can interfere with the experimental research. The objective in improving internal validity and external v alidity is to isolate such confounding factors. This experiment investigate s the standardization effects of summated groups of ad elements in each category of color, visuals and graphics that can be manipulated to leave an impact on the reactions of the re spondents toward brand equity . The conceptual and theoretical framework here is that standardization or consistency of ad elements influences brand equity and values . Sample Selection and Questionnaire Procedure A total of 440 online interviewees were sel ected randomly and assigned randomly to 8 groups of approximately 55 master workers each. Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT) is used and digital magazine s are designed for each experimental group with three ads in one issue and eight differently sta ndardized ad campaigns for all the eight experimental groups. In reality, standardized or non - standardized ads are run in different issues of magazines, newspapers and various types of media such as TV, outdoor, point of sales and in other forms. The assumption limitin g the scope of this research is that the subjects are exposed to three ads within one digital magazine as the definition of a campaign which is not the case in the real world . T h ough on the positive side , it is not impossible to have two or three ads of th e same product in the same magazine, or a number of TV commercials run within a one - hour time slot as it is very much common in online video advertising on CNN or YouT ube . 26 The respondents are requested to go through the pages of a thin digital magazine th at is produced with merely 12 pages for ease of review . The idea is to have the participants pay more attention to the ads that are the main focus of the study as opposed to the content of the magazine that is a secondary concern and is only meant to provi de a proper and realistic context for the ad campaign . Then the AMT workers as online participants are invited t o go through the online magazine and look at the three ads . The requester as the author of this online research instructs t he workers as online research subjects that they are provided only with a section of the digital magazine for ease of the research task and for saving their time . http://www.flipsnack.com magazine format is used that is the mirror imitat ion of an actual magazine as opposed to typical CNN or BBC online sites. The advantage of using this online magazine format is that because th is type of digital magazine mi mics exactly the real traditional magazine s and that ad elements such as bleed, marg in and other related ad elements can be accurately developed in the ad campaign as treatment stimulus . Further, instead of implementing the traditional classroom experimental surveys, online respondents are employed. In this case the ads are seen in real context and in a more natural setting as opposed to th e artificial and forced setting s of a university class room http://www.flipsnack.com/flip - book - template/interactive - magazines/#1 T he workers (subjects) are recommended to go through the pages of the magazine and review the magazine with the three ads for at least one minute . P articipants can move to the survey section only after one minute is passed in order to ensure that the subjects do get the chance to notice the ads to respond appropriately to the online questions . The online program was written and coded as such that the workers could not start responding to the survey questions within the experiment until one mi nute is allotted to the magazine review by the Amazon workers . HITS or Human Intel ligence Tasks that are the data and information elicited on AMT 27 have their reliability and validity limits despite the profound advantages they offer . Comprehension questions or attention check questions or ACQs are required for reliability of A MT answers , however, Peer , et al, (2014) concluded S ampling high - reputation workers can ensure high - quality data without having to resort to using ACQs, which may lead to selecti on bias if participants who fail ACQs are excluded post - The workers for this dissertation research were paid above average and mainly master workers were used. However, a n attention check question was included in the experimental questionnaire to en sure reckless , inattentive and professional ly twisted AMT respondents who are frequently online merely for financial gains and a quick buck are avoided . One other problem with AMT, (Amazon Mechanical Turk also known as Mturk ) , is that because the workers are paid substantially lower than they would have been paid in a real lab or as a credit hour in a class , the attention span is lower and the participants either drop out easier in the middle of the session or do an easy and quick run of automatic ticking of the responses to get o ver the task quicker. I t is important that the data is collected during the daytime in any specific time zone and not at a time when the workers are suffering from fatigue or intoxication at later hours of the night . To make the qu estionnaire more engaging and interactive it is important that the survey is basically fun and simple. A digital magazine that flips automatically by clicking the arrows on the right and left hand side of the magazine with special toned down mild flipping sound effect is simp le and fun to go through. The subjects provide d the answers by simply ticking the boxes on multiple - choice questions and picking out the numbers on the scale sentiment questions. The answers are then digitall y and online transferred to a central SQL data base custom designed for this research and transferred on to an MS Excel while the data prepared and cleaned for import into IBM SPSS Statistics program, 64 - bit edition, version 23, 28 for the various ANOVA and MANOVA statistical a nalyse s. T o safeguard that distraction does not affect the completion of the questionnaire, it was ensured that no further links are required and the questionnaire can be completed on the same one - page IP address without any need to go on to another page that can re quire Internet access to other sites. However, each question is placed and answered in sequence and the subjects were not able to get back to the previous questions or the digital magazine once they have started answering the questions in order to protect the experiments reliability and validity. Because various browsers are used such as Safari, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Firefox, Netscape and some others, it is very important that the app or the site devised for the questionnaire and the digital magazine comprising the ads were compatible for all these browsers and their various versions. A filter question made it clear and helpful for the workers that their browser was compatible with the digital magazine site so that the presentation of the stim uli is consistent with all the workers and no dissimilarities occurs in the exposure of the experimental treatments that can seriously bias the research. The criteria for selecting the workers are set in advance of the research and all efforts were made not to influence the sample selection process in any biased manner . This is usually something very tempting during virtual online research as opposed to real life lab experiments. Though the sample selection was on a random basis, however , the prior selection criteria were from the pool of col lege students or graduates, 20 - 4 5, equally of male and female gender and from the pool of the universe available through AMT . This latter point can again be another limitation to the research procedur e. Further, since Mturk allows only US workers to answer the questions as a result of the recent federal laws and regulations, then only US workers are used for this research that can limit the study to the extent that US workers are not as much globally d riven (having 29 more tendencies to follow Buy American sentiments) as opposed to some specific countries in the world . To address this problem , a globality interaction construct is used as a moderating measure. This is because US being the base for the headq uarters of most of the global brands, the international brands are not as enticing to the Americans as opposed to countries such as UK, Portugal, China, Saudi, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Iran, Philippines and the like . Ironically in such countries despite the negative political rhetoric, the love marks for global brands (American brands) are imprinted in the minds of the consumers. Therefore, it can be assumed that if this research was conducted in such countries the analysis of variance would have yielded by far much higher mean differences. Mturk works best f assert scholars in the field ( Buhrmes ter, et al, 2011; Berinsky , et al, 2012). Internet population in use is usually more educated, younger providing a good random sel ection of the popula tion. T he workers were made to fulfill q ualifications before the participants for this research as the experimental subjects. To add to the quality of the research and to have a quicker response to the questionnaire (HITS) , a higher amount was paid than the lower average s on the internet in order to improve on the reliability and validity of the experiment by grabbing and maintaining the attention and interest of the subjects. Further , the length of the experiment was managed maximum to 20 minutes or less having the demographic information along the study. Mortality or dropout rates were brought under check and to a minimum level . Random Assignment A n online, randomized an d controlled laboratory experiment al design was employed . The purpose of the random assignment of the subjects (workers) to eight comparative groups with variance in treatment is to ensure that control is exerted over extraneous variables for improving 30 ext ernal validity for better generalization of the results from the experimental condition to the broader and varied situations outside the confines of the experimental online setting. Random assignment is a very important step in order to ensure that the sub jects are assigned at random and merely by chance to the eight experimental treatment and non - treatment groups . Online research is , by default , a random assignment because Mturk population is selected on a random basis . However, must take care that the eig ht experimental groups that are designed are not different under any conditions by any demographic characteristics (within - group differences) . For example, it is a reliability and validity problem if one group is from 16 to 25 and another from 25 to 45 yea rs of age . Normal distribution must persist. The treatment s to be measured against the control grou p as a comparative unit are as if by pulling the names out of a box randomly and assigning the subjects to the various classes for testing purposes in the r eal lab situation if that option had been opted . The result was that the eight experimental groups were probabilistically similar in attributes and the differences between the groups can be assumed to have been merely as a result of the effect s of the expe rimental treatment s and not due to the inherent differences in the eight groups (in - between group difference s ) . Random assignment eliminates prevailing within - group differences as alternative causes of the observed effect s that might have existed before th e manipulation of the independent variable s as experimental bias . Construct Validity Cronbach , et al. (1982, p. 78) elaborated on causal generalization by stating that experiments consist of particular units, treatments, observations and settings as local conditions that have to 31 be applied to the real world people, treatments, measures and settings and t his concerns external validity. Construct validity generalization that is about inferences about the operational definition of the concerned standardizatio n factors, brand equity scale and globality scale and the applications to higher order and more complex constructs in the real world is an important aspect of generalization in the exper iment s conducted here (Shadish, 2002) . It is important that the data represent the concepts , the hypotheses and the theories related to th is dissertation research. Valid and reliable operational definition s for color , visuals and graphics as our independent variable at three distinct categorical levels and operation al defi nitions of standardization, globality dispositions and brand equity have a major impact on this experimental research and future investigations by other scholars and in terms of its application to the broader advertising and marketing communication s field. 32 CONCEPTUAL AND OPERATIONAL DEFI NITIONS Independent Measures : S ummated Ad E lement s for P owerful M anipulation To induce powerful treatments for each variable , multi - item elements have to be standardized as the sub - sets of the factors of color, visuals an d graphics that are detailed below as operations. Color : Color Picker elements as in Adobe and other design programs demonstrate color as a function of h ue , Chroma, s aturation, v alue , g radient; and CMYK elements such as cyan, m agenta, y ellow and black. If any of these ad elements are not consistent and standardized within the composite component of color variable in the various ads, then color standardization is not achieved as a stimulus even if the ad color superficially or relatively looks similar . Visua ls: Visuals are defined as models individualities, hair, eye colors, postures, model attitudes, b ackground props ; product shots and the related background setting s . Imageries of cosmopolitanism and modern global lifestyles and other photos or illustration s for a specific product , product category and brand positioning can be cited as examples for transferring meaning through pictorial frames, icons, symbols or mnemonics . Graphics: Graphics are logo position, logo size, logo treatment, bleed and margin trea tment within an ad . Typography also comprises an important graphic aspect of an ad campaign in the form of typeface, type family, font size, type weight, type kerning and type leading. The levels of s tandardization and non - standardization are the range of measures for the independent variable through the three components of color , visuals and graphics. The degree s of the uniformity of the look and feel of ad campaign s are defined as the degrees of the standardization of such ad elements . The idea behind the proposed operation al definition s for the 33 independent variables is to see if the subject s can recognize and identify consciously or unconsciously a consistent ad campaign within the framework of standardization and perceive and develop brand attitudes towa rd the dependent variable without being aware of standardization of ad elements as a purpose of the research . Then it was probed to find out what implies in terms of the brand equity of the ad campaign , the product and the brand . Aaker and Joachimsthaler (2000, p. 306) referred to P&G products as global brands that are envy that is brands with a high degree of similarity across countries with respect to brand identity, position, advertising strate gy, Other scholars covered e conomies of scale and development of worldwide identity (Jain, 1989). Calder and Reagan (2001, p. 63) elaborated resents the product, gives a few basic facts about it, and maybe a picture . Meaning is conveyed through such minimalist style . Meaning is attachment of an association Meaning can be expressed in many ways. It can be expressed verbally through words. Or it can be expressed visually through pictures and images. Operational Definitions of Key Ad Elements The use of bleed defined as an ad without a margin or a border fram e or the use of a margin is an important means of giving a consistent look to an ad. Most global campaigns usually are either bleed or have a margin as part of their global graphic design consistency . Bleed is defined as ads having no margins. Margin treat ment is defined as formatting of the graphics of the margins. A margin can be thin or thick. A margin can be applied to the top or the bottom of an ad or to the sides , left and right. Or the margins on the right and left can be thinner than the margins on top and the bottom. Keeping such elements consistent in an ad campaign contributes to the 34 standardization of an ad campaign. Then margins can come in hundreds of different graphic looks. For the ads that have margins, the similarity of the margins is a pow erful means of standardizing ad campaigns. Logo position similarity indicates that the logo is placed on the left, right, or center bottom or even in the center of an ad. Logo treatment is defined as the design and artwork done around the logo. For exampl e, i f shadows are give n, if the let ters are reverse white on black, or if the logo appears on the margin, o r inside the picture in reverse, or on a background panel in the pictorial frame of the ad and many other such considerations are logo treatments. Lo go size similarity in relation to other ad elements within the ad is self - explanatory. In respect to typography, t he text is made standardized through similarity of: type face with serif or san serif, type family such as Gothic, Arial, Helvetica , type wei ght in the form of light, medium or bold , type or font size, 12 points, etc., k erning which occurs when a portion of space is removed between adjacent words or characters that makes the kerning tight or space is added in between the letters and the kerning becomes more spaced or spread out . Kerning can change the overall look of a text and consequently an ad campaign to a great extent for making it m ore modern , edgy , masculine, feminine, soft or harsh, cosmetic or technical or more traditional and even drab . Leading is the vertical distance between the lines. Leading like kerning can make an ad look contemporary or old fashioned, serene or busy and contribute to the standardization of an ad campaign . The combination of type fami ly, type face , type size, type weight, type kerning and type leading all affect the overall typography of the text and design in an ad that influences the feel and look d ramatically . 35 Construct validity of the in dependent variable s encompassing color , visuals and graphics and the depen de nt variable as brand equity of the ad campaign and the product is garnered through a clear explication of the random assignment ( participants randomly assigned to eight groups of treatment and control), setting ( online interface ), treatment (well concept ualized variation in groups of ad elements of the ad campaign) and observation and measurement of the outcome of the research by measuring the mean difference s and comparing the eight experimental groups . T he intended treatment which is variations and int eraction s among the color, visual and graphic factors are conceptualized and well induced with power (effective manipulation as combined ad - element components ) to affect the outcome by using multiple features and indicators (multi - item measure s ) in order t o operationalize the constructs in sever al ways so that the treatment can be effectively perceived by the participants and accurately measured and properly assessed. By using multiple - item scale s the simple definitional operations that can be threat to con struct validity has been re duced (Bechtel, 1988). As a pre - test of the experimental treatments , m anipulation checks were conducted to see if the online workers do perceive the independent construct operational definitions and their variations in the experi ment such as manipulation of the standardization of color, visuals and graphics. Also and impact on brand equity ratings were pre - tested. Dependent Measure : Brand Equity Construct to Measure Standardization of Ad Elements Effectiveness The ten - item Measure of Brand Equity (MBE) developed by Yoo & Donthu (2001) was used as the dependent variable for this study. Brand awareness / associations with five items ; pe rceived 36 quality with two items and Brand loyalty with three items is the brand equity construct for this study . MBE help ed to examine the effects of the standardization of color, visuals, graphics and their various interaction s such as color x visuals ; gra phics x visuals; color x graphics ; and color x visuals x graphics on cognitive, affective and conative attitu des toward the ad campaigns, products and brands . Moderating / Dependent Measure: Globality as a Moderating Measure Dimofte, et al. (2008) contend ed that p revious research (Holt, et al. - known and liked global brand names (that) placed all respondents in the proglobals category. As such, their As a result, the authors departed from associating global brands with perception of superior quality. They built their argument on the affective aspects of co nsumer predispositions and stated that globality construct does not relate to quality but rather to identification with the global consum er culture (Dimofte, 2008; Batra, et al. 2000). In order to make sure that the important aspect of brand equity that is that of aspiration ( feelings ) is included in the tests, this study uses a categorical statistical design MANOVA to investigate the moderating effect of globality construct ( predispositions or prior attitudes toward global brands) and the four - item d ependent variable of aspiration on Measure s of Brand Equity (MBE). The criticism against MBE can be that global brands are shaped more by affect and much less by cognition (Dimofte, et al. 2008) and that the effect of quality is due to prevailing brand strength of big brands and not due to brand globality . Because in this study no international brand name i s used (a fictio nal brand name is created) then the main criticism b y Dimofte, et al (2008) does not hold and it can be eliminated by using globality construct as a moderator / dependent and it is 37 possible to use both MBE and globality construct to evaluate the effect of the standar dization of ad elements on the two constructs of brand equity and globality . The ten items of MBE and the fifteen items of globality construct are shown below. Ailawadi, et - set measures assess the awareness, at titudes, associations, attachments, and loyalties that customers have toward a brand and have been the focus of much Cobb - W algren, et al. (1995) stressed marketing literature, operationalization of brand equity usually fall s into two groups: those involving consumer perceptions (e.g., awareness, brand associations, perceived quality) and thos e involving consu Ten - item MBE M easures: BRAND AWARENESS / ASSOCIATIONS I can recognize Berg among other competing brands: I am aware of Berg: Some characteristics of Berg come to my mind quickly: I can quickly recall the symbol or lo go of Berg: I have difficulty in imagining Berg in my mind: (reverse scoring) PERCEIVED QUALITY The likely quality of Berg is extremely high: The likelihood that Berg would be effective is very high: BRAND LOYALTY I consider myself to be loyal to Berg: Ber g would be my first Choice: 38 I will not buy other brands if Berg is available at the store: I will buy Berg as a second choice: F ifteen - item Globality Construct M easures: REACH When traveling abroad, one can buy global brands: A global brand is available in most countries: People across the world are able to recognize global brands: ASPIRATION Purchasing a global brand says something special about the buyer: Global brands are more exciting: Users of global brands are more self - conscious: There is no unique a ura about a global brand: (REVERSE CODING) LOW RISK Choosing a global brand saves time compared to choosing another brand: Global brands are safer choice than other brands: Global brands have higher quality than other brands: ETHICS Global brands should be particularly concerned about the environment: The ethical behavior of a global brand is an important part of its image: Dominating the competition describes global brands: STANDARDIZATION Global brands do not customize their products to local tastes: Glob al brands are basically the same everywhere: 39 TREATMENT S AND MEASURES To administer the various treatment s as manip ulation of independent variable levels , a total of three ads were placed in a digital magazine and the Internet viewers were asked to flip th rough a digital magazine and view the three ads in the magazine. Because the idea is not to measure the effectiveness of the Berg ads in relation to other competitive brand ads and the purpose is to reveal the mean differences in brand equity ratings as th e ad campaign effect at the various levels of standardization of the Berg ad campaigns in terms of the number , type and combination of ad elements , then, only a small section o f the magazine and only Berg ad campaigns with different degrees of standardizat ion were placed in the magazine for testing purposes . quality and the idea was to see how bad ly cluttered magazines could harm brand equity by lack of recognition a nd recall of brand name (p.37). While Ha measure d the effect of the cluttered magazine on the ads, in this dissertation the mean differences that can be the cause of the clutter or lack of cohesiveness that might have been created by non - standardized ads v ersus standardized ads are measured . Also a digital magazine with a few pages is used so that the magazine does not dramatically interfere with the required attention on the ads. The reason is that it is essential for the participants pay adequate attenti on to the ads so that they can make up their opinion on the three ads that compr ise a campaign for Berg. A total of eight experimental groups were exposed to eight degrees of standardization of ad elements in eight different ad campaigns which from one end of the standardization continuum starts from a complete non - standardized ad campaign at all the three composite levels of visuals, graphics and color and then to the other end of the standardization continuum as a completely 40 standardized ad campaign. To e xplain how the experiment is designed and how it was executed in terms of the development of the various stimuli and the inducement of the treat ment , first the three ads were fully non - standardized. Then the fully non - standardized ad s were made standardize d on the basis of the color o f the ads (group I ), then fully non - standardized ads were made standardized on the basis of Visuals (group II ) and then again the fully non - standardized ad s were made standardized on the basis of the gr aphics (group III ). T his process for creating the eight different degrees of standardization treatments continues on t he non - standa rdized ad campaign and was made standardized on the basis of color X visuals (group IV ), respectively, the next treatment was standardization of visua ls X graphics (group V) followed by the standardization of color X graphics (group VI) and eventually the ads are standardized on the basis of all the ad elements of color X graphics X visuals (group VII). The latter treatment is equal to having all the th ree ads in the campaign exactly the same as in a one - off ad campaign repeated three times with exactly the same ads . The very original fully non - standardized ad campaign was designed simultaneously both as a control and experimental group (group VIII). In a way , the two control groups of fully standardized and fully non - standardized campaigns do act as experimental groups in their own right as the experiment is designed structurally in respect to its treatments and measures . In all the cases , Berg Shampoo ads were used . T he brand name and the product labels and packaging were treated as constants . Berg brand name, product packaging, package logo and the ads were created on the basis of the adaptation of real ads in the real world as such not to be associate d too closely with any known brands, however, it was kept in mind that some subconscious and subliminal resemblance was necessary to some global brands so that the ads and the product will not be looked at as a fake and non - relevant product . The look of th e label 41 and the pack ag ing was made similar in many ways as compared to Head & Shoulders so that some subconscious credibility as a constant is injected in all the ad campaigns without the all - powerful brand name of Head & Shoulders so that the respondents build some preliminary level o f confidence in the ad campaign. A pretest also determine d which brand category and which brand name to be used for testing purposes. Some of the other product categories such as mobile phones had inherent strong global brand equity due to the nature of the product and the limited number of the competitive products and brands ava ilable. Among the various newly generated brand names, Berg was better associated with a shampoo category and projected a more neutral association with either a local or a global brand. The idea behind the pretest was to address validity and reliability issues related to our experimental re search. A series of f ocus group s were used for pretest purposes. The pretest process is further discussed in detail . Experimental and Control Group s Level I M anipulation : With treatment one, a fully non - standardized ad campaign was shown to the participants only with the color standardized: T he same reading for Chroma , hue, value, saturation and exactly the same color adjustment for CMYK in all the three ads . Figure 1: Level I M anipulation Level II M anipulation : With treatment two, the visual elements were standardized while the 42 other parts of the ad campaign remain ed non - standardized. The visuals include the models , the product shots and the props (background elements) that were standardized. Figure 2: Level II M anipulation Level III M anipulation : Level three treatment include d the summation of graphic ad elements such as typeface, type weight, type family, type size, kerning and leading in respect to the typography and other major graphic elements such as bleed and or margin treatment, logo size, logo position and logo treatment that were standardized holistically for inducing graphic power. Figure 3 : Level I II M anipulation Interactive Manipulations and Effects The interaction effect of all the three ad elements of color, visuals and graphics were also examined in various meaningful combinations. 43 Level IV M anipulation : At the fourth level color and visuals we re standardized while all other ad elements were kept non - standardized. Figure 4: Level IV M anipulation Level V M anipulation : At the fifth level visuals and graphics are standardized while other ad elements are kept non - standardized. Figure 5: Level V M anipulation Level VI M anipulation : At the sixth level, color and graphics are made standardized and other elements are kept non - standardized. 44 Figure 6: Level VI M anipulation Level VII M anipulation : With the seventh group, color, graphics and visuals are standardized. In this case all the ads start appearing identical. Just repeat of one another. This group plays the dual role of experimental and control group. Figure 7: Level VII M anipulation Level VIII M anipulation : The eighth group is another co n trol group that at the same time plays the role of a benchmark experimental group . All the inducements in all the other experimental groups originate and start from this stage of complete non - standardization. This is the group that gets induced with no st andardization treatment at all. All the items in all the three main ad element categories of color, visuals and graphics are non - standardized. 45 Figure 8: Level VIII M anipulation Control Group s : The E ffects of the D egrees of S tandardization The main cont rol group as our eighth concurrent experimental group was not given the intended experimental treatment s that were meant for the main body of the research ; however, two control groups highly non - standardized and highly standardized campaigns as highly neg ative - positive benchmarks were used for comparison purposes. A fully non - standardized ( non - standardized on color , grap hics and visuals) and a fully standardized ad campaign ( standardized on color , graphics and visuals) were exposed to the participants of each group respectively . The control group s provide d us a two - way benchmark from the highly positive (assuming fully standardized on all the three summated items of color , graphics and visuals) and highly negative (assuming fully non - standardized on the th ree main elements). In a way , the two end of the continuum of non - standardization and standardization were established as a result of the two control group s for comparison purposes of the experimental and the control group s . The purpose is to see which of the three factors ( color , graphics or visuals) or which of the combinations ( color x g raphics; color x visuals; graphics x visuals or; color x visuals x graphics ) have more significant effects on the inadvertent or subconscious perception of the degrees o f standardization as an induced treatment and as an independent variable and its consequent effect s on brand equity of an ad campaign and the brand advertised . Multi - measure independent 46 construct s were used for color , graphics and visuals to create power fu l well - perceived treatments for the antecedents to induce standardization for each ad - element category . Similarly, a multidimensional scale of consumer - based brand equity related to cognitive, affective and predict ive behavioral attitudes was devised to me asure the moderation effect of globality on brand equity in respect to the number, different types, combination and degrees of standardization . The subjects attitudes were elicited through a series of 10 - point questions on well - established brand globality and brand equity items incorporated in a survey conducted within a laboratory online experiment as part of the observation of the participant s . 10 - point attitudinal questions were designed to measure sentiments and achieve higher v ariances on scores and ensure no neutral point is selected and the responses fall either on the positive or the negative tendencies . Construct Validity and Measures This experimental research follows the guidelines for avoiding threats to construct validi ty as described in Cook and Campbell (1979): 1) All the constructs are explicated with operations . This is to avoid wrong inferences on the relationship between operational definitions and the constructs. 2) To avoid incorrect inferences from confounding c onstructs, all the constructs are operationally defined . 3) Mono - operation bias is avoided by defining the constructs in several ways and instances. Inferences from the constructs that well fit operational definitions may fail to show the lower levels of t he construct and, therefore, multi - item constructs are used. 4) It is also attempted to avoid confounding constructs as regards to the lev els of the variables . These levels, in particular, in this e xperiment provide variance within each category or in - betw een the three categories of color , visuals and graphics. This step induce s power and assist s variability of the treatment and provides variation for the independent variable . This step also makes 47 manipulation checks more feasible as part of the various pre tests of the treatment to see if the online subjects perceive the variations in the independent variable . 5) Standardized ads are usually seen from one city to another city or from one country to another and through a mix of media from TV, to radio, magazi nes, newspapers, billboards and online while in this experiment, the treatment involves artificiality of only 3 print ads in a digital magazine online . The Treatments and Related Reactive Threats Reactivity to the experimental situation remained a construc t validity problem as much as an internal and external validity issue that can further confine and limit the statistical conclusion validity. Here the variables can be confounded with the experimental situation and the measure might not be the result of th e treatment but as much the result of the particularistic situation that is referred to as reaction to experimental setting (Rosenthal and Rosnow, 1969). Rosenberg (1969) concluded that experimental subjects are apprehensive about being tested by researche rs and will put their best up front so that they look competent. 6) Treatment - sensitive factorial structure problem can occur when the instrumentation variances can occur because of different treatments given to the subjects in the eight different groups a nd this can be much apparent if the use of different browsers by the research participants causes different effects and looks in the computer interface that can bias the experimental treatment and endanger internal and external validity . The relevant actio n is to do proper coding for all types of online browsers to avoid different views of the stimuli on different computers and operating systems. 7) Reactive self - report bias is relatively easier. Subjects assigned to all eight groups knew that they were goi ng through a substantial test and not just part of a control group having no involvement leading to boredom (Aiken and West, 1990). Fortunately, no control group boredom effect is foreseen in this case because the fully non - standardized campaign and the fu lly standardized cam paign were 48 as substantial stimuli as the inducement in the other experimental groups. 8) The problem of experimenter expectancy stands out when the experimenter tries to induce his expectancies into play. This problem can be solved as suggested by Rosenthal (1991). No leading questions are used and the questions are not worded to lead. 9) Resentful demoralization can occur if there are not substantial variation of independent and dependent variables as perceived by the subjects in the experimental groups (Shapiro, 1984). Therefore, it is again very important to have powerful variations so that the participants feel they are actively involved. Substantial efforts have been made to induce power with the treatments in all the eight experim ental groups. It is ensured that in the experimental and control groups there are ample variations to be observed by the eight testing groups. 49 PRETESTING OF PRODUC T CATEGORIES AND B RANDS Product Category Pretest In order to ensure neutral brands are used , a pretest of product categories and brands were undertaken on a qualitative focus group basis . The product categories that were tested included : 1 . Automobiles 2 . Fashion products 3 . Body wash 4 . Cereals, and 5 . Mobile phones The purpose of the product category pre test was to ensure that a neutral product category that least influences the brand equity of the campaign, product and brand is selected for the experimental research in order to avoid internal validity issues and prior dispositional product concept, produ ct category or brand awareness bi as. Through a series of in - depth focus groups, t he following categories were dropped for the following reasons: Automobiles: This category was figured out from the very start as a global brand. Cars were basically consider ed to be big multinational companies and, therefore, the brand surely is a global (BMW) or local brand (General Motors) . The product almost dominates the ad as opposed to ad elements which are the focus of the study . Fashion Products: Since fashion does n ot carry a product packaging it was found immediately very difficult to 50 execute the tests. Most fashion ads hardly have body copy or headline and the visuals are all powerful and over - dominating compared to color or graphics. It was found also too sharply skewed in terms of fashion gender dichotomy . Mobile Phones: The focus group participants , during mobile phones ad reviews , had I - phone, Samsung, HTC, LG or Nokia in mind and all of them came through as global brands outright when sample ads shown to them . The unknown brands did not work well and were discarded as low - end, fake or some cheap Far Eastern product . Mobiles were found extremely brand driven and again they are not packaged driven. Mobiles are product driven because the products are not shown wit h their packag ing in ads . Cereals: With so many sub - categories and varying consumer demographics and because of their busy and non - descriptive packaging was found difficult for testing purposes. Shampoos : The hair and body wash category stood out as the ideal candidate in the various pretest focus groups for the purpose of selecting a product category . It was possible to have a definitive product package in the ad. Shampoo category was found well suited for both gender. For being a relatively low interes t product compared to a car or a mobile, it did not dominate the ad elements in the ad campaign . It seemed it was among a few product categories that one could present an unknown brand name and still pretend the product and the brand name is global . Brand Pretest Once the neutral and the least influencing category is selected , then a number of brand names are 51 tested within this selected product category of shampoos . For example, if shampoos are selected as a category , as it is the case in this dissertation , then the following hypothetical brand names were tested to investigate which brand is most neutral (as a constant for the experiment) and having least influence on the perception of brand equity for the campaign, product and brand: 1 . Sun Silk 2 . Head &Shoul ders 3 . SunFresh 4 . Garnier 5 . HairFresh 6 . Berg If the product category selected were mobile phones, then hypothetically the following brands would have been tested: 1 . Nokia 2 . Cellephony 3 . Samsung 4 . VaVa Mobile 5 . Blackberry 6 . Mobili A combination of existing and non - exis tent fictional brand names in equal numbers were used for the pretesting of the brand names to be used for this experimental research . SunFresh, HairFresh and Berg in shampoo category and Mobili, VaVa Mobile and Cellephony in mobile category are non - existe nt brand names as examples. The selected brand in the opted product 52 category as the most neutral item was used for the main experiments. HairFresh and SunFresh go with Dandruff sh ampoo and sound nearly like existing and non - fictional shampoos and Berg as the third to sound German and trustworthy and reliable. Cellephony as a parallel to telephony and cellphone, VaVa Mobile as a vavavoom sort of a mobile and Mobili as connoting mobility and Mobile. The qualitative focus group pre - test research results reve aled that Berg as a hypothetical brand name and shampoo s as a product category was found the most relevant and appropriate for this experimental research . The package and the label design as drivers of brand equity are constant in all the focus group tests . The purpose of using a more familiar look and feel of Head and Shoulders has to do with the idea of building some levels of brand strength, equity and trust as a constant in all the ads in order to avoid a fully dismissive response toward the brand due to the complete unfamiliarity of the product, brand and package. This relative subconscious familiarity of the layout , the product and the label contributes to having the respondents engaged with the product and the survey, however, it will not bias the re search since the package design look and feel is kept constant in the ad campaigns in all the experimental groups. At the same time , to fend off the influence of brand strength of a well - known and trustworthy brand such as Head & Shoulders , a neutral brand such as Berg was chosen which came very positively throughout the qualitative pretest . It was attempted to use a neutral product category and a neutral brand name through a pretest so that the stimuli will not bias the brand equity measure of the ad campa ign or the brand equity of the product. T he pre - test indicated that the shampoo category as a packaged goods product group, as referred to more often in Europe, as Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) is considered less of 53 a global brand automatically as comp ared to other categories such as mobile. Further, the mobile ot hers that either you use a well - known brand that will be considered a global brand or a non - globally p erceived brand will have no chance at all to provide adequate power for experimental inducement as a viable treatment . On the basis of the pretesting of the strategic product category and brand name , a shampoo category was considered that is a very clutte red product category with many brands yet many global markets still have their own local shampoo brands even if they do not have their local mobile device brands. Compared to all other brand categories, shampoo was placed on a more neutral ground and the n ame Berg as well neither projected a global brand nor a local brand. As a follow - up to the qualitative outcome of the pretest, Berg Shampoo was considered for the experimental research . Pilot Test of Treatments A pilot test of the standardization treatmen ts was conducted to ensure that the participants can perceive the inducements as the antecedents and that they can respond to the questions properly and that the digital magazine can be v iewed without any technical or I nternet glitches . 54 STATISTICAL METHO DS A series of in - between groups, analysis of variance tests (Nolan and Heinzen, 2008) were conducted . One - way ANOVA tests were employed to measure the effects of various levels of standardization as in color , visual and graphic ad elements as independent factors on the global brand equity scale of ad campaigns and brands as the dependent variable. The mean differences were compared for brand equity as a result of the differently standardized ad campaign s to measure the effectiveness of the ad campaigns in all the eight groups . In this case , there is one independent variable or factor at three levels and one dependent variable subjected to single - factor analysis of variance at three levels of standardization . Various one - way ANOVA tests were conducted for hy pothesis testing . The independent variable in this case has a few levels and is nominal while the dependent variable is normally distributed and is a ratio measure or a scale . One - way ANOVA is deemed the appropriate test and it closely follows the statisti cal methodology and design of the experimental study by Gorn , et al. (1997) measuring the effect of categorical independent variables of Chroma, v alue a nd s aturation on ad and brand attitude. In this experimental study , the independent categorical factors of color, visuals and graphics are used . This research also follows Gorn , et al . (1997) experimental design in terms of combining the independent factors and measuring the effect s on the dependent variable . A M ultivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) stat istical design is used to test the moderating effect of the prior cognitive and affective reactions (as perception of globality) on brand equity . Brand equity and globality are tested as two dependents through MANOVA. SPSS V 23 was used for the statistical analysis of this experiment al research . 55 FINDINGS The tests of the six hypotheses are presented below. Analysis of Variance ( One - way ANOVA) and M u ltivariate Analysis of Variance ( MANOVA ) are used for hypothesis testing. Setting the Groundwork fo r Statist ical Design and Analysi s An analysis of variance , one - way ANOVA showed that the effect of the standardization of either color, visu als or graphics as a on e - component ad - element variable , individually, on its own, was not statistically signi fi cant on the me an difference of brand equity as administered on a non - standardized ad campaign . From a conceptual and theoretical point of view the findings can make sense for this proposed statistical methodology and design. It is not just the standardization of mere co lors, visuals or graphics , on its own and individually, that can produce a statistically significant mean difference in the measure of the dependent variable in different groups . The research revealed that i t is the integration , the i nterplay and the stand ardization of numerous ad - element components that kick start render ing a standardized look and feel to an ad campaign . A word of cau tion is that w ith this online research design , the ad elements might not have all - powerfully come through and for that reas on the power of the various treatments might have been weaker than it would have been through a traditional research and media such as a real magazine in a laboratory or field setting. To overcome such experimental problem s , p rior to conducting the online research, special website codes were written to ensure that the Amazon master workers (research subjects) would not have be en able to respond through mobile phone because the ads would have been too small and the effect of the ad elements would have been t oo minimized substantially for being noticed . F or the computer interface, maximum size and space was provided online for the computer screen s and adapted to most browsers for the purpose s of 56 reviewing the digital magazine and the ads. Although the research was done digitally, however, the spirit of the research was within the traditional advertising print in a traditional medium as in a magazine even though presented in a digital format that can be the cause for some contamination of the experimental treatm ent . The analysis of variance provided the opportunity of measuring the effects of the standardization of color, visual and graphic ad elements and their impact on ad campaign s and brand equity. This paper presents , for the first time, a n innovative conc eptual, theoretical and practical research approach toward studying standardization and globaliz ation of ad campaigns and brand equity within a new communication paradigm and a new domain of study with focus on standardization as an independent variable th at can address many of the unanswered standardization questions in the academic realm to this date : H ow to standardize or globalize ad campaigns ; how to optimize global campaigns and ; how to measure the effectiveness of the degrees of standardization in ad campaigns for building and strengthening brand equity for global brands. This disruptive methodological and statistical research design on standardization of ad campaigns provides a novel means and ways of measuring and optimizing ad campaign equity and b rand equity through the manipulation of the type , combination and number of ad elements comprising the degrees of standardization . Effects of Visual s Standardization on Brand Equity Those exposed to ad campaigns carrying only standardization of visuals did not rate the ad campaign and the produc t with statistically significant higher brand equity ratings . Statistical significance was not detected in the standardization of either color or graphics , on their own merit , individually . However, keeping color sta ndardized while keeping graphics non - standardized as a constant , then standardization of visuals cause d the brand equity mean to 57 increase . An analysis of variance showed that the effect of visual standardization was significant and increased brand equity m ean (Rating scale: F ( 2,162) = 15.040, P < 0.01, Eta Squared = .157, means = Color Standardization: 4.2, Color & Visual Standardization: 5.3 and No Standardization : 4.5. Eta Squ a red comparatively measured the effect size of the ad campaign with color stand ardization in conjunction with visual standardization vs. the ad campaign with c o lor standardization only and versus the ad campaign with no standardization at all. It appears that v isuals can be an important vehicle for delivering cognitive messages such as product information on features and attributes . Visuals also play an important role in transferring and translating aspirational and emotional message s in terms of cosmopolitanism, modernism , love, passion and lifestyle that are the hallmark of consumer globalism and globalization of ad campaigns, brands and products . Table 2 : Hypothesis Testing I Table 3 : Hypothesis Testing I 58 Table 4 : Hypothesis Testing I Again , as further statistical analysi s will show, visuals as in the case of color or gra p hics, on their own will not create adequate effect on standardization for the very reason of not reaching the impact threshold . It is not until the visuals and color, or visuals and graphics are combined before any substantial changes are effected in the campaign effectiveness and for the brand equity mean di fference to be statistically significant . The graph below shows how visual standardization when added to color standardization , then the combined stan dardization of color and visuals increases the bran d equity ratings . 59 Figure 9 : Hypothesis Testing I Hypothesis I , was supported with the precondition that visual standardization has to be combined with color standardization as a constant. As the graph above indicates, color standardization on its own doe s not demonstrate any impact on brand equity mean unless it is combined with other levels of standardization such as visuals in this case to produce a statistically significant effect . To further test the impact of visual sta ndardization , in the next expe riment, the graphic component encompassing all the graphics w as kept standardized as a constant to see the impact of visual standardization on brand equity mean. When graphics standardization was kept constant and visual standardization was added significa nt difference was found in brand equity mean. K eeping graphics standardization constant while visual standardization is manipulated, an analysis of variance was run and the results showed , as also indicated in the graph below , that the mean difference of v isual standardization was significant when combined with the standardization of graphics (Rating scale: F (2,162) = 20.085, P < 0.01 , Eta Squared = . 199 , 60 means = Graphics Standardization: 4. 4 , Visuals & Graphics Standardization: 5.7 and No Standardization 4 .5. The combination of graphics standardization and visuals standardization demonstrated the highest brand equity mean and the largest effect size. Hypothesis I is supported with a second O ne - way ANOVA hypothesis test . Table 5 : Hypothesis Testing I Table 6 : Hypothesis Testing I 61 Table 7 : Hypothesis Testing I As noted above, h ypothesis I was again tested , however, this time by keeping graphics standardization and color non - standardization as constants in order to see the effect of visuals standardizatio n ( visuals is used as a plural noun at times to indicate a set of visual ad elements in an ad instead of an adjective as in visual ad elements ) on ad ca mpaign and brand equity mean . It was demonstrated that those exposed to an ad campaign with standardized visuals versus an ad campaign with non - standardized visuals will rate the visually standardized ad campaign and the product advertised with higher brand equity mean . Therefore, h ypothesis I was supported with two experiment s and two ANOVA analys e s. 62 Figure 1 0 : Hypothesis Testing I Effects of Color Standardization on Brand Equity In order to test hypothesis I I , color standardization is administered as a treatment while the visuals are kept standardized and the graphics are held non - standardized both as con stant factors. Those exposed to ad campaigns containing combined standardized colors and standardized visuals reported higher values of brand equity for the ad campaigns and the product advertised as opposed to ad campaigns carrying non - standardized color or no standardization at all . The analysis of variance showed that the effect of color standardization was statistically significant, (Rating scale: F (2,162) = 11.224, P < 0.01, Eta Squared .122, means = Visual Standardization: 4.3, Color & Visual Standard ization: 5.3 and No Intended Standardization 4.5. Hypothesis II was supported. 63 Table 8 : Hypothesis Testing II Table 9 : Hypothesis Testing II Table 10 : Hypothesis Testing II The graph below shows how color standardization when added to visual standar dization increases the mean of brand equity. 64 Figure 11 : Hypothesis Testing II However, again, the very fact that there was no significant effect of standardization of color on its own as in the case of visuals standardization individually , it does not m ean that color or visuals are not important factor s in standardization. The finding s merely indicate that standardization of color on its own merit if not combined with the standardization of other specific ad elements such as visuals or graphics , it will not produce adequate required impact to achieve a statistically significant difference and sizable effect. S tatistical analysi s confirmed that combined standardization of color with an existing standardization of visuals or in combination with both visual s and graphics as constants displayed statistically significant difference in brand equity mean. T hen color was found to play a pivotal role in respect to the standardization of an integrated global communication for ad campaigns and brands to leave an imp act on improving the bran d equity mean. 65 The findings above supported hypothesis I I that t hose exposed to an ad campaign with standardized color versus an ad campaign with non - standardized color will r ate the color standardized ad campaign and the product advertised with higher brand equity mean . A pre - condition is required to support this hypothesis. C olor standardization must be used in combination with visual standardization or in combination with both graphic standardization and visual standardization for optimizing campaign and brand equity. This pre - condition is meaningful because just for a few ads in a campaign having the same color do not render them consistent, uniform, standardized and global in look and feel and there must be something beyond s imilar color to build an ad campaign . For standardization to take shape and leave an impact , a series of ad elements must be standardized (higher degrees of standardization and with specific types and combination of ad elements) for the effect to be realiz ed and higher scores of brand equity to be elicited . Effects of Graphics Standardization on Brand Equity An analysis of variance showed that the effect of graphics standardization was statistically s ignificant on brand equity when graphics standardization was induced and the color was kept constant . (Rating scale: F (2,162) = 8.050, P < 0.01, Eta Squared = .090, means = Color Standardization: 4.2, Color & Graphics Standardization: 5.1 and No Standardization 4.5. Hypothesis III was s upported that those expos ed to an ad campaign with standardized graphics versus an ad campaign with non - standardized ad graphics will rate the graphically standardized ad campaign and the product with higher brand equity mean . 66 Table 11 : Hypothesis Testing III Table 12 : Hypothes is Testing III Table 13 : Hypothesis Testing III 67 Figure 12 : Hypothesis Testing III Another test is conducted toward supporting hypothesis III, and this time by manipulating graphics standardization and keeping visuals standardization constant whi le keeping color non - standardized. Analysis of variance showed that the effect of grap hics standardization was significant and caused changes in the mean of brand equity (Rating scale: F (2,162) = 22.885, P < 0.01 , Eta Squared = .220, means = Visuals Standa rdization: 4.3, Visuals & Graphics Standardization: 5.7 and No Standardization 4.5. Hypothesis III was again supported and the effect size in this case is substantial. Table 14 : Hypothesis Testing III 68 Table 15 : Hypothesis Testing III Table 16 : Hypothe sis Testing III 69 Figure 1 3 : Hypothesis Testing III Effects of the Degrees of Standardization on Brand Equity Hypothesis IV states that those exposed to an ad campaign with increasingly more ad elements standardized in various combinations of color, visu als and / or graphics versus an ad campaign with fewer standardized ad elements, will increasingly rate brand equity with higher mean . This hypothesis is tested by adding more ad elements to the ad campaign to see if changes can be observed in the elicited brand equity scale results. To test this hypothesis, the ad campaign was standardized with visuals standardization ( visuals s) in one group , in another group color standardization was added to standardized visuals ( visuals s x color s ) and in the third gr oup standardized g raphics were added to the standardized visuals and standardized color (visuals s x color s x graphics s) . An analysis of variance showed that the effect of visuals standardization in combination with color standardization and further grap hics standardization was significant as 70 compared to standardizing visuals only or no standardization at all . (Rating scale: F (2,162) = 19.840, P < 0.01 , Eta Squared = .197, means = Visual Standardization: 4.3, Visuals & color Standardization: 5.3 and Visua ls & Graphics & Color 5.8. Tukey HSD Post Hoc tests as co nducted in most of the hypothese s testing showed that analysis of variance was statistically significant to produce higher brand equity mean once color standardization was added to the standardized v isuals (visuals s x c olor s ) , or color standardization added to visual and graphic standardization combined (color s x visuals s x graphics s) as compared to the first group (color s) . Therefore, hypothesis IV was supported. H owever, analysis of variance did not show the effect to be statistically significant between (visuals s x color s) group mean and that of (visuals s x color s x graphics s) . Table 17 : Hypothesis Testing IV Table 18 : Hypothesis Testing IV 71 Table 19 : Hypothesis Testing IV Figure 1 4 : Hypothesis Testing IV 72 To test h ypothesis IV, further analysis of variance was conducted with other ad element groups . The second test started with standardization of color, then additional standardization of visuals and followed by adding further stan dardization of graphics. An analysis of variance showed that the effect of combined standardized color (color s) and standardized visuals (visuals s x color s) with that of combined standardized color, standardized graphics and standardized visuals (visual s s x color s x graphics s) were both statistically significant when compared to an ad campaign standardi zed only with the visuals (visuals s). (Rating scale: F (2,162) = 26.8 , P < 0.01 , Eta Squared = . 248 , means = Color Standardization: 4. 2 , Color & Visua ls Standardization: 5. 3 and Color & Graphics & Visuals 5.8. Tukey HSD Post Hoc tests as showed that analysis of variance was statistically significant to produce higher brand equity mean once visuals standardization was added to the standardized color ; or standardized visuals added to standardized graphic s and standardized color as compared to the first group (color s) . Again hypothesis IV was supported. H owever, analysis of variance did not show the effect to be statistically significant betwee n (visuals s x color s) and that ( visuals s x color s x graphics s). Table 20 : Hypothesis Testing IV 73 Table 21 : Hypothesis Testing IV Table 22 : Hypothesis Testing IV 74 Figure 1 5 : Hypothesis Testing IV The third test for hypothese s IV started with standardizatio n of graphics , then followed with adding standardization of visuals and followed by adding further standardization of color . An analysis of variance showed that the effect of combined standardized graphics and standardized visuals (visuals s x graphics s) a nd combined standardized color x standardized graphics x standardized visuals (visuals s x color s x graphics s) were both statistically significant as compared to standardizing only the graphics (graphics s). (Rating scale: F (2,162) = 20.131 , P < 0.01 , E ta Squared = . 199 , means = Grap hics Standardization: 4.4 , Graphics & Visuals Standardization: 5.7 and Color & Graphics & Visuals 5.8. Tukey HSD Post Hoc tests showed that the effect was significant and provided higher brand equity mean once graphics standa rdization added to the standardized visuals ; or standardized graphics added to standardized visuals and color as compared to the first group of merely standardized gr a phics . Hypothesis IV 75 was again supported with this third experiment and ANOVA test. H owev er, analysis of variance did not show the effect to be significant between standardized visuals and standardized graphics group (visuals s x graphics s) and that of standardized color, standardized visuals and standardized graphics group (visuals s x color s x graphics s) . What can be inferred here is that visuals and graphics can have significant impact on standardization and once the summated measure of these two ad elements are executed in an ad campaign, then color standardization at that point can hav e less impact on brand equity and as it can be seen in the graph below the line flattens indicating softening of effect as a result of further standardization. Table 23 : Hypothesis Testing IV Table 24 : Hypothesis Testing IV 76 Table 25 : Hypothesis Testin g IV Figure 1 6 : Hypothesis Testing IV To further test hypothesis I V , g r a phics are standardized again, however, this time standardization of color is added first to the standardized gr a phic ads and then standardized visuals added. A nalysis of variance s howed sign ificant effect in this case (Rating scale: F (2,162) = 12.747, P < 77 0.01 , Eta Squared = .136, means = Grap hics Standardization: 4.4, Graphics & Color Standardization: 5.1 and Color & Graphics & Visuals 5.8. Tukey HSD Post Hoc tests showed that the effect was significant when color standardization was added to graphic s standardization and higher brand equity ratings were elicited . Table 26 : Hypothesis Testing I V Table 27 : Hypothesis Testing I V Table 28 : Hypothesis Testing I V 78 Figure 1 7 : Hypothe sis Testing IV The implications here are that the more ad elements are standardized, the higher will be the impact of the effect on the brand equity mean, however, the extent of the effect will be influenced based on the type and combination of ad elemen ts employed in addition to the degrees of standardization (the number of standardized ad elements). Therefore, hypothesis IV was supported with a total of four hypotheses tests conducted with manipulation of various ad element s standardization. To summari ze, when one - component ad elements standardization (color or visuals or graphics) is added to a non - standardized ad campaign , no statistical significance is observed. When two - component ad elements standardization (color x visuals) or (color x graphics) or (visuals and graphics) is added to a non - standardized ad campaign , then there is a significant difference between the non - standardized ad campaign and the two - component ad elements standardization. 79 There is also a significant difference between the non - st andardized ad campaign and the three - component ad elements standardization even though the ad campaign turn s into a one - off ad (repeat of one another) . Hypothesis IV is supported. However, there are no statistically significant difference between the non - s tandardized ad campaign and the one - component ad elements standardization. However, t here is a statistical significance found between the two - component ad elements standardization and the three - component ad elements standardization due to the importance of visuals standardization when added to the two other components of graphics and color standardization . As it will be discussed, the one - component ad elements standardization does not reach the impact threshold and once the third component ad element standa rdization is added to the two - component ad elements standardization groups, then t he ad campaign turns into a one - off ad as if repeated three times in the digital magazine . However, a significant difference is detected exceptionally in this case on the mea n difference of the brand equity rating s between the two component and the three - component standardization because of the weaker interaction effect between color standardization and graphics standardization and the high impact of visuals standardization wh en added as a third component . This is in contrast to the last two cases where graphics or color are added as the third component and no significant difference is found in between the means of the two - component and the three - component standardization. Ther efore, through the comparison of the two - component and the three - component standardization, when visuals standardization is added to the latter two combination of color and graphics , then a significant differe nce is detected and hypothesis V is partially s upported in addition to hypothesis IV through the latter experiment and ANOVA analysis . 80 The Importance of Visual Standardization as a Global Strategy In terms of various one - way ANOVA tests conducted, it appears that though color is a very important ad el ement in standardization of ad campaigns, however, it is the visuals and the graphics that provide the highest standard deviation for brand equity mean , however, the difference was not detected to be statistically significant . The comparison of the last tw o tests showed that combined graphics standardization and color standardization showed the weakest mean difference and visual standardization having the strongest effect seemingly in com bination with other ad elements. T hough in neither cases any signifi cant mean differences were found except when visuals standardization was added as the third component, then a significant difference was displayed between the mean of the two - component and the three - component standardization . This was the only two - componen t and three - component standardization that exhibited a significant statistical difference in brand equity mean due to the weak effect of graphics and color standardization combination and the strong effect of visuals standardization . Otherwise, t he various ANOVA tests did not show a significant statistical difference between the groups within either the three - component ad element standardization levels , or within the two - component ad element standardization levels or within the single component ad element s tandardization levels . Therefore, hypothesis V was not supported through various ANOVA tests , while MANOVA tests provide support for hypothesis V and also through a comparison between the two - and three - component standardization when Visual standardization is added to graphics and color standardization then a significant statistical difference is detected in the mean of brand equity due to the overpowering impact of visuals . However, the above statistical analysis is indicative of the strong interaction of visuals standardization. 81 For hypothesis V to have been supported strongly, it was required to have a statistically significant difference between either the three groups of one - component ad element standardization; or a statistically significant differenc e between the three groups of two - component ad element standardization; or a statistically significant difference between the three groups of three - component ad element standardization. No such statistically significant difference was found and, as a resul t, hypothesis V was not supported through the various ANOVA tests . The statistically significant difference in the mean of brand equity could only be found once a one - component ad element group is compared to a two - component ad element group or a one - compo nent ad element group is compared to a three - component group. There is also no significant statistical difference between the two - component groups and that of the three component ad element groups. Although hypothesis IV is supported, Hypothesis V is not s upported because the mean difference is not found statistically significant even though it was clearly shown that visuals have the highest mean difference in combination with color and graphics, while graphics and color show the smallest mean difference. T herefore, despite the fact that visual component plays a very important role in standardization and that it shows a high mean difference , however, the statistical analysis does not show a significant difference between visuals, color or graphics either on their own or in equal combination with each other. Prior C ognitive and Affective Globality Reactions on Brand Equity A Pearson Correlation is conducted to see if the respondents who measured higher on brand equity scale also reported higher scores on thei r prior cognitive and affective reactions to global statistically significant linear relationship ( p < . 001) . The direction of the relationship is positive (brand equity and globality constructs are positively correlated), meaning that these two scales 82 tend to increase or decrease together. The magnitude or strength of the association is moderate (.3 < | r | < .5). Therefore, hypothesis VI is support ed that p affective reactions (brand globality predisposition) of those exposed to more standardized ad campaigns moderates positively the cumulative impact of the standardization of color, visual and graphic ad elements on brand equit y ratings. Therefore, those who had more prior knowledge or stronger attitude toward the globality of brands in general scored higher on standardized ads and on brand awareness and recognition, brand associations, trust in the brand, willingness to purchas e the brand and loyalty toward the bra nd and repurchase of the brand. Figure 1 8 : Hypothesis Testing VI T he scale by Dimofte, et al. (2008) is more of a prior knowledge or emotional attitude s and feeling s toward global brand s or a globality sentiment ge nerically and does not necessarily measure the comparative effectiveness of the stan dardization of the ad campaigns on the basis of ad elements as specifically as opposed to the brand equity measure of Yoo & Donthu (2001). The latter scale gauges advertisi ng effectiveness in terms of awareness, associations, trust, 83 purchase intentions and brand loyalties while the former measures globality attitude . For that 2008) is considered in this paper as a moderator and not a media tor or dependent variable that can be the consequence (brand equity measure) of standardization of ad elements. For this reason , in this paper globality measures are not However, t o further examine globality as a mediator or dependent , MANOVA was conducted to analyze brand equity and globality simultaneously through General Linear Model and multivariate analysis of variance procedures to analyze the difference between the levels of the various groups as independent variables in relation to the linear combination of the two variables of brand equity and globality . As a n approach to checking multicol l inearity, the correlation between the two dependent variables must be low to moderate. Otherwise correlation of .60 and in some cases .80 or above are viewed as high and in that case the two scales could have been combined as one scale of brand equity or if it is low , then one of the two would be dropped . As a result of the correlations tes t in the previous pages, it was not necessary to resort to either decision of combining the two scales of brand equity and globality or dropping one. As the correlations above showed, the relationship is moderate and the cell numbers are rather equal that provides an ideal scenario for additional MANOVA tests by using brand equity scale as a dependent variable and globality as a moderator . The following hypothese s testing are undertaken in addition to the one - way ANOVA tests already conducted . Through MANOV A the globality scale will be used as a mediator / dependent instead of a moderator as in correlation test above . ovariance Matrices validated the homogeneity of covaria n ce across the groups using p < . 00. There is no concer 28.67) is not 84 significant p (.134 > (.001). This means that there are no significant differences between the method of analysis for the MANOVA test . Table 29 : MANOVA Box's test of Equality of Co variance Matrices a , F was not found significant p > .05 and the assumption is met for both brand equity and Globality variables: Brand equity .075 > .05 and global ity . 322 > .05. Table 30 : MANOVA Levene's Test of Equality of Error Variances a Hypotheses Testing with MANOVA A one - way MANOVA revealed a significant multivariate main effect for dependent variables relationship to various independent variables of stand ardization in terms of the number, types, 85 combination and degrees or extent of standardization of color, visuals and graphics. .79 F (14, 420) = 7.802, p < .001, multivariate partial 2 = .11. The significant F demonstrates that there are statis tically significant differences among the various types, combination , number and degrees of standardized ad element components on a linear combination of the two scales of brand equity and globality. Table 31 : MANOVA Multivariate Tests a Because the MANO VA is significant then the univariate ANOVA results which are the Tests of Between - Subjects Effects can be examined for results . Both univariate and multivariate tests provide measures of effect size (eta squared) a nd both were found significant. To see ho w differently the dep endent variables of brand equity and globality vary for the independent variable s of standardization , it is required to conduct Tests of Between - Subjects Effects. It was found that standardization of ad elements did have statistically significant effect on both brand equity scale ( F (7, 4 35 ) = 14.5; p < .05 partial 2 = .190 and on Globality (prior cognitive and affective sentiments) as a mediator dependent : ( F (7, 4 35 ) = 4.2; p < .05 partial 2 = . 064 though 86 as expected weaker effect due to the nature of the sentiment questions measuring globality . Therefore, hy po thesis VI was again supported. Table 32 : Tests of Between - Subjects Effects / Hypothesis Testing VI However , the Eta squared and observed p ower is low for globality as a direct effect of the standardization, though it has a strong moderating or a correlat ion effect on brand equity score s as a result of standardization of ad elements as a globalization strategy . The ANOVA between - subjects and Parameter Estimates table results led the investigation to determine whether the groups differ on each of these var iables when examined alone. The ANOVA tests contribute to the understand ing as to what type of ad element standardization, what combination of ad e lement standardization and what extent of standardization of ad elements will have an impact on the optimizat ion of brand equity ratings . Univariate Fs were analyzed to grasp where the differences are when there is a significant multivariate F. ANOVAS 87 usu ally create type I error, while MANOVA by measuring the variables at the same time avoid type I error. For thi s very reason , it was attempted to re - test the standardization of ad elements with more robust testing and rigor of MAN OVA and see if the high standard deviation found for the visual standardization versus color and graphic visualization can provide statis tical significance. Parameter Estimates tests and multiple comparison tests were undertaken . Tukey HSD Post Hoc Tests were run and multiple comparisons were made . Because the MANOVA test was significant, multiple comparisons of pairwise groups were used to further support the hypotheses presented in this paper while having Type I error under control . The following tests evaluate the impact of standardization on the two dependents of brand equity scale ( Yoo & Donthu, 2001), and globality scale ( Dimofte, et a l. 2008) whilst, the previous one - way ANOVA and correlation analysis tested the hypotheses on the basis of brand equity scale as the dependent and globality as a mere correlation. A g raphic s standardize d ad campaign when compared to a combined g raphic s an d visual s standardized ad campaign, the mean of brand equity was found statistically significant ( p < . 05) with mean difference of - 1. 289 . The Significant overall MANOVA F (14, 420) = 7.802, p < .001, multivariate partial 2 = .11. and Tests of Between - Subjects Effects with statistically significant effect of dependent variable on brand equity scale ( F (7, 435) = 14.5; p < .05 partial 2 = .190 and two single pairwise significant mean difference analysis supported hypothesis I , that t hose expo sed to an ad campaign with standardized visuals versus an ad campaign with non - standardized visuals will r ate the visually standardized ad campaign and the product advertised with higher brand equity mean . 88 Table 33 : Hypothesis Testing I A v isuals standar dized ad campaign when compared to a combined color and visual standardized ad campaign, the mean scores of brand equity was found statistically significant ( p < . 05) , however, with smaller mean difference of - .9796. The Significant overall MANOVA .79 F (14, 420) = 7.802, p < .001, multivariate partial 2 = .11. and Tests of Between - Subjects Effects with statistically significant effect of dependent variable on brand equity scale ( F (7, 435) = 14.5; p < .05 partial 2 = .190 and two single pairwi se significant mean difference analysis supporte d hypothesis II that those exposed to an ad campaign with standardized color versus an ad campaign with non - standardized color will rate the color standardized ad campaign and the product advertised with high er brand equity mean . 89 Table 34 : Hypothesis Testing II Graphics standardized ad campaign when compared to color and graphics standardized ad campaign, the mean scores of brand equity was not found statistically significant ( p > . 05) with mean difference of - . 7193 . This indicates that there is a pre - condition for hypothesis II to be supported and that color has to be standardized in combination with visuals standardization to elicit a significant difference. The Significant overall MANOVA F ( 14, 420) = 7.802, p < .001, multivariate partial 2 = .11. and Tests of Between - Subjects Effects with statistically significant effect of dependent variable on brand equity scale ( F (7, 435) = 14.5; p < .05 partial 2 = .190 and two single pairwise signifi cant mean difference analysis supporte d hypothesis III that those exposed to an ad campaign with standardized graphics versus an ad campaign with non - standardized ad graphics will r a t e the graphically standardized ad campaign and the product with higher br and equity mean . However, color standardized ad campaign when compared to color and graphics standardized ad campaign, the mean scores of brand equity was not found statistically significant ( p > .05). While one - way ANOVA showed statistical significance wi th the latter test, however, here with MANOVA, standardization of graphics and color provided no significant difference in brand equity mean . This finding shows that with 90 MANOVA hypothesis V is supported when graphics standardization is added to visual sta ndardization with significant difference as opposed to adding graphics standardization to color standardization that showed no significant difference according to the charts above . The finding also affirmed that color and graphics standardization do not pa rtner well on their own for leaving an impact on brand equity ratings, while visuals when combined with either graphics or color demonstrate statistically significant difference in the mean of brand equity. Therefore, MANOVA, for not suffering from type I error, supported hypothesis V while one - way ANOVA failed to support the same hypothesis, while, at the same time, MANOVA imposing a pre - condition for the support of hypothesis III. It is important to note that as in the one - way ANOVA tests, in conducting MANOVA , it was also found that standardi zation of one of the ad element components be it either color, visuals or graphics on its own , individually, did not produce any mean difference of statistical significance unless at least two components of ad elemen ts are standardized as in color and graphics; or v isuals and g raphics with the exception of graphics and color which indicated the importance of visuals in the ad - element combination of standardization . It was found that as long as two sets of ad elements are considered for standardization, then the impact on brand equity will be statistically significant on the basis of the type of standardization added and the degree s of standardization , however, no statistically significant difference was found among the two - component ad element combination of standardization of color and graphics standardization that , as a result, led to the support of hypothesis V and created a pre - condition for the support of hypothesis III. T he mean scores of brand equity were not fo und statistically significant ( p > .05) among the various group comparisons of standardization combinations at the two - component levels of 91 combined color and visuals standardization compared to visuals and graphics and compared to combined visuals and colo r . - .4179 and . 1519. Table 35 : Hypothesis Testing III It was also discovered that an ad campaign with combined standardization of visuals and graphics (found significant) or combined standardization of color and visuals (found significant) as opposed t o the combined standardization of graphics and color (not found significant) to have the strongest interaction effect when compared with other singular ad element s standardization components such as color, visuals or graphics with the highest mean differen ces as shown here respectively at 1.2891 , 1. 1221 and .7193 . Considering the Significant overall MANOVA F (14, 420) = 7.802, p < .001, multivariate partial 2 = .11 and Tests of Between - Subjects Effects with statistically significant effect of dependent variable on brand equity scale ( F (7, 435) = 14.5; p < .05 partial 2 = .190 and three single pairw ise significant mean difference analysis all led to the support of hypothesis V that visual standardization moderates most positively in conjunction with either color standardization or graphic standardization in improving the brand equity ratings for the ad campaign and the product. 92 Table 36 : Hypothesis Testing V Table 37 : Hypothesis Testing V 93 Table 38: Hypothesis Testing V A pairwise comparison of various groups demonstrates that if ad elements are added to a visual standardized ad campaign, then an y further standardization of ad elements of other components will induce a statistically significant difference ( p < .05) in the mean of brand equity as opposed to the combined standardization of graphics and color . Hypothesis V is robustly supported. As m ore ad elements are added as in the case of combined standardization of g raphics , v isuals and c olor a statistically significant difference is found again ( p < .05) with mean difference of - 13.329. The Significant overall MANOVA F (14, 420) = 7.802, p < .001, multivariate partial 2 = .11. and Tests of Between - Subjects Effects with statistically significant effect of dependent variable on brand equity scale ( F (7, 435) = 14.5; p < .05 partial 2 = .190 and two single pairwi se significant mean difference analysis supporte d hypothesis IV that t hose exposed to an ad campaign with increasingly more ad elements standardized in various combinations of color, visuals and / or graphics versus an ad campaign with fewer standardized a d elements, will increasingly rate brand equity with higher mean . 94 A s in one - way ANOVA test s, it was demonstrated that as ad elements are increasingly standardized, it reaches a threshold level of diminishing return and from that point , the ad campaigns end up as one - off ads (all exactly the same) . As a result, the pairwise comparisons showed statistically significant difference between a standardized color ad campaign and an ad campaign with combined s tandardized color and standardized visual ad elements ( p < .0005). H owever, there was no statistically significant difference ( p > .0005) between the combined standardized g raphics and standardized c olor ad campaign with that of the fully standardized ad campaign with standardized c olor , standardized g raphics a nd standardized v isuals with three components of ad elements . At a specific point of full standardization, the ad campaign turns into a one - off single ad as if repeated with the exact same color, graphics and visuals . At the same time, the fully standardiz ed ad campaign provides statistically significant mean difference compared to non - standardized ad campaign or as compared to the ad campaign standardi zed with one type of ad - element component standardization. Table 39 : Hypothesis Testing IV 95 When the pai rwise comparison of groups is done in relation to globality mediator as a dependent , then th e fully standardized ad campaign was found statistically significant ( p < .05) in the means difference of globality. The subjects that scored the highest on the glo bality scale were in the fully standardized ad campaign group. As opposed to the brand equity scale that was impacted even by the standardization of two types of ad elements either by standardization of combined color and visuals; or visuals and graphics; in the case of globality mediator / dependent it was only impacted by the higher standardization level of combined color, visuals and graphics. When a fully standardized ad campaign with color , visuals and graphics was compared to standardized color campa ign with mean difference of .6303, standardized visuals campaign with mean difference of .9618 and standardized graphics campaign with mean difference of .6909 and a non - standardized ad campaign with mean difference of .7334 , all were found statistica lly s ignificant. I t was demonstrated that the higher the standardization , the higher will be the globality mean or the tendency of the respondents to score higher on brand equity scale as they did also score higher on globality scale . The Significant overall MA NOVA F (14, 420) = 7.802, p < .001, multivariate partial 2 = .11. and statistically significant effect of standardization of ad elements on Globality (prior cognitive and affective sentiments) as a mediator dependent: ( F (7, 435) = 4.2; p < .05 partial 2 = .064 ( though as expected with weaker effect as compared to brand equity scale) and the four pair wise mean differences analyses support ed hypothesis VI that predisposition) of those e xposed to more standardized ad campaigns moderates positively the cumulative impact of the standardization of color, visual and graphic ad elements on brand equity ratings. 96 Table 40 : Hypothesis Testing VI Figure 1 9 : Related to Hypothesis Testing VI 97 Fi gure 20 : Related to Hypothesis Testing VI The above two graphs not only summarize the MANOVA test of the two dependent variables of brand equity and globality , but also show how closely the two dependent variables responded in terms of the degrees of sta ndardization of the ad elements . However, this paper treats globality not as a mediator or a dependent , but rather as a moderator for brand e quity scale as a measure of advertising campaign effectiveness for evaluating the degrees of standardization on the basis of the number, type and combination of ad elements of visuals, graphics and color. Reliability Test of Brand Equity Scale irst table shows the number of v alid cases in the onl ine sample . No missing data can be detected after cleaning coefficients for our testing. Usually above .70 represents reliability. Also the fact that the Alpha 98 is below .90, it indicates that the items are not repetitious or that we have more items in the scale than are really necessary for an internally reliable measure of the brand equity . Table 41 : R eliability Statistics The Corrected Item Total Correlatio n in the The Item - Total Statistics is moderately high above .40 and the items in the brand equity make a good component of summated rating scale for brand equity. Therefore, there was no need for modifying or deleting any item with low correlation. Item 10 had to do with the certainty of purchasing only Berg that obviously showed lower correlation. Table 42 : Reliability Item - Total Statistics 99 CONCLUSION OF RESULT S The prime purpose of this paper is to measure the impact of the standardization of color, vi sual and graphic ad elements on consumer - based brand equity. The study examined the impact of the degrees of the standardization on the basis of the type, combination and the number of ad - element components on brand equity ratings. The study succeeded to m easure the effectiveness of the standardization of ad campaigns at different levels as a result of the manipulation of the aggregate ad - element components. This research addresses the prevailing concerns of the scholars by demonstrating how to standardize ad campaigns ( Harris, 1994); and the study can be found of importance by the very fact that standardization remains relevant, timely and an on - going topic of discussion in scientific journals (Ford, et al. 2011); and ever - increasingly being stated that st andardization has become more feasible than in the past in practice (Ford, et al. (2011). This paper attempted to develop a Theory of Standardization of Ad Elements as a Globalization of Ad Campaign Processes despite poor and scant application of strong co nceptual and theoretical work in the past international advertising studies (Taylor, 2010). Through a number of one - way ANOVA and MANOVA tests it was demonstrated that standardization of ad elements in an ad campaign builds and strengthens brand equity. Sc holars emphasized that standardization builds brand image (Mueller, 1992) and other relevant studies pointed to the importance of measuring brand image cohesiveness (Hsieh 2002) on the basis of the degrees of brand globalization (Mueller, 1989). The above conceptual and theoretical arguments around standardization provide the foundational theoretical framework for implying globalization of ad campaign processes through standardization of ad elements. 100 Visuals as a standardization component is considered a p rimal means and ways of associating a brand with global consumer culture to improve brand equity (Alden, et al. 1999) and to build preference and trust (Levitt (1983). Visuals through pictures and imagery convey globally shared meanings that strengthen bra nd equity (Steenkamp, et al. 2003). Standardization is about consistency which develops credibility (Aaker, 1996) through endurance, repetition and permanence (Kapferer,1992). The visuals can provide continuity with uniform imagery that are standardized to deliver the same look and feel with respect to brand identity (Aaker and Joachimsthaler, 2000). Standardized visuals are used from West to East (Okazaki and Mueller 2008) and from back then in the 60s when it all ignited in practice and academia (Buzzell, 1968; Fatt, 1965; Roostal,1962; Elinder, 1965). Other scholars have found models in ads as a form of visual standardization (Nelson and Paek, 2007) and the global phenomenon was viewed as a global mass culture and cultural production (Hall, 1997) that res ulted in convergence in advertising appeals (Okazaki, et al. 2010, Taylor, et al. 1997). Standardized ads can transfer meaning ( McCracken,1986) through lifestyle imagery. Advertising information is processed through pictures (Unnava and Burnkrant, 1991) an d modernity can be projected through globally - based brands (Holton, 2000) and global cosmopolitanism has taken over the world ( Alden, et al. 1999). Due to the importance of global imagery, modernity and cos mopolitanism, visuals as a very important componen t of standardization was tested as part of hypothesis I, and it was found that those exposed to an ad campaign with standardized visuals such as global, cosmopolitan and modern images in a campaign versus an ad campaign with non - standardized visuals will r ate the visually standardized ad campaign and the product advertised with higher brand equity mean. 101 ANOVA and MANOVA hypothesis tests demonstrated the pivotal influence of visual standardization in ad campaigns to build brand equity. MANOVA tests revealed the combined standardization of visuals and graphics as the two types of standardization components with the strongest interaction effect as opposed to other components combined in order to increase brand equity ratings. This finding was in support of hypo thesis V that visual standardization moderates most positively in conjunction with either color standardization or graphic standardization in improving brand equity ratings for an ad campaign and the product advertised . MANOVA confirmed that standardizatio n of visuals is more important than standardization of graphics or color (or graphics and color) because when standardized color was added to standardized graphics component of an ad campaign, no significant statistical difference was found in brand equity mean. It was found that when a totally non - standardized ad campaign is used as a test and either visuals, graphics or color standardization component is induced , on its own individually, then no statistically significant difference can be found in the me an of brand equity ratings. The findings revealed that , at least , up to two aggregate standardization components of ad elements are required to reach the threshold point of leaving an impact on brand equity ratings. MA N OVA revealed that the visuals compone nt was the only standardization mechanism that had a statistically significant impact on the mean of brand equity in all standardization types and combinations with both graphics and color standardization components and supporting the vast literature in te cosmopolitanism and modernity as a visual example . Therefore, standardization of visuals component can be implied as an effective global strategy to build and strengthen brand equi ty through global ad campaigns. 102 Despite the importance of visual standardization as in the case of partnering with color standardization or graphics standardization , however, visual standardization, on its own, individually, as a single ad - element compone nt, does not trigger an effect on brand equity for the very reason of not reaching the impact threshold. Th e key take away is that even strong visuals of Lionel Messi Soccer player in Gillette, Adidas or Pepsi requires accompanying gr aphics or color standar dization to reach an impact point for communication effectiveness despite the inherent high influence and persuasiveness of such global personality endorsement imagery . It is not until the combined visuals and color standardization, or combined visuals and graphics standardization is employed before any substantial changes are detected in the campaign effectiveness and for the brand equity mean difference to be statistically significant. The findings reflect the reality of ad campaigns in practice. Advertis ers in general, use standardization of visuals on packages, logo treatments, the models on the main body of an ad and the background effects of the ad campaigns as the key drivers for the standardization and globalization task. Furthermore, Graphics that i ncorporate typography and various logo treatments are employed by advertisers to standardize ad elements to ensure that the ads travel well through the cultural, social, psychological and economic bumps in the various international markets without confront ing geographic - bound barriers. Visuals have always played an important role in ad campaigns. Typography and related graphics together with visuals standardization can render a strong signature to ad campaigns. The fact that visuals and graphics intrinsical ly have their own consistent color, then by default and innately , the ad campaigns when consistent with visuals and graphics , then they do appear natively consistent with the same color, to some extent, even if the background color is changed as in this re search project. In other words, the exhaustive or exclusive 103 overlapping and inclusive operationalization of visual, color and graphic var iables is required. ANOVA and MANOVA demonstrated that those exposed to an ad campaign with standardized visuals versus an ad campaign with non - standardized visuals will rate the visually standardized ad campaign and the product advertised with higher bran d equity mean. Hypothesis I is supported. The true definition of an advertising campaign as opposed to a static one - off ad has to do with some creative variation, in particular, in visuals and even in color and usually not much variation is noted in graph ics or typography. Creative variation in major global standardized ad campaigns can be found in the form of slight alterations in visuals , sometimes , also in terms of a variety of hues by introducing modern and contemporary colors , while, hardly much varia tion or modification can be observed in graphics or typography for the very reason of maintain in g a consistent imagery with an enticing , fresh and dynamic campaign look and feel . The research findings appear aligned with the reality of ad campaigns as deve loped on a global basis. Color could vary depending on how much of other ad elements are standardized as it has been the case with some Apple iPhone ad campaign. Nowadays, even logos have changed color as in he typical red and yellow of Ronald! Creative v ariation does take place in some elements of visuals and color in order to add novelty and excitement to ad campaigns or make it more relevant to some market sentiments, otherwise, if visuals, graphics and col or are totally standardized then a one - off ad is the result as opposed to a vibrant ad campaign with nuances of creative and artistic variation. This is the case in this research as a drawback because the ad elements are composite components and degrees of creative variation within each component , in particular, in visuals, is not measured . 104 The second standardization component is color. It is said that color is under - theorized and attempts have been made to approach color theory and practice relationship wi thin a framework of visual culture (Anne Dauppe, 2011). Color preferences and color psychology has been studied for long (Guilford, 1934). Many studies have focused on color meanings and preferences that are said not be consistent in different cultures (Ma dden, et al. 2000; Moore, et al. 2005) or higher value colors are found to be liked better (Sharpe, 1974). Studies have been conducted to identify what ideal colors are as a background for products (Middlestadt, 1989) for more effectiveness, such as red pr ojecting heat and passion (Mille, 2014) or color having arousal effects (Walters, et al. 1982). Decision on color - choice is given importance (Bellizzi and Hite, 1992) and color is considered highly subjective and extensive empirical studies have been done on the effect of color on arousal (Gorn, et al. 1997) as the effects of colors have been studied on consumers (Crowley, 1993). It appears that studies on color indicate that people respond differently to different colors and more so than people merely res ponding differently to color in different parts of the world. The refore, the main task of marketers is to ensure the product , brand colors and brand imagery thematic color s are conveyed correctly and accurately through homogeneous ad campaigns. For this re ason, the above theories and conceptual framework around color makes it essential to maintain a consistent color with all its values for global brands. Color standardization impact on brand equity ratings was examined. To test the hypothesis in respect to color standardization, a visuals standardized ad campaign was compared with an ad campaign with the combined standardization of color and visuals and it was found that color had a positive impact on brand equity ratings. Hypothesis II was supported. 105 Howev er, the combination of color standardization and graphics standardization as a two - component standardization did not reach the impact threshold to improve brand equity ratings when MANOVA hypothesis testing was conducted. This finding signifies the importa nce of visual standardization and the fact that color and graphics standardization when not accompanied with standardization of visuals will not be as effective toward optimizing brand equity ratings. Marketing organizations put a great deal of efforts in to maintaining a steady and constant color in terms of the unchanging four primary colors of CMYK and in respect to the dependable color specs such as hue, value, saturation and Chroma. Then as a result of such elaborate executions, the correct and accurat e global reds, blues and yellows are standardized within ad campaigns and throughout the global media. Consistency in color can operationally have immense ramifications in terms of having a rigorous quality control on CMYK, cyan, magenta, yellow and black colors. Global companies with packaged goods products, FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) also known as packaged goods advertisers, and in other sectors such as services do heavily focus on standardizing the color of the logos, brands, products and various ad elements from the background to the foreground of produced material including the mnemonics and logos. Color goes beyond CMYK and other factors come into play such as color saturation, color value, color hue and color Chroma. Such aspects of colorizati on, as a whole, play an important role in building and maintaining a global look and feel in color and branding. Most ad agencies and marketers put a great deal of care in keeping color consistent in all advertising material online and offline and througho ut time as red in Coca Cola, the green and yellow in Subway, the blue in Oral - B or the yellow and the red in Pirelli. 106 The finding s that standardization of color , graphics and visuals , on their own , as one component do not have an impact on brand equity do es not imply the lack of importance of these ad elements for standardization. The results merely indicated that standardization of either color, visuals or graphics, on its own merit over a non - standardized ad, if not combined with the standardization of o ther ad elements, it will not produce adequate required impact level to achieve a statistically significant and sizable effect in terms of brand equity mean difference . Therefore, Color, graphics or visuals standardization on their own were found not to ha ve any statistically significant effect on brand equity means as a single ad - element component. MANOVA showed no significant effect of color standardization when added to a non - standardized ad campaign or added to a standardized graphic campaign. In other words, the standardization of either graphics or color on their own individually or even combined, without the standardization of the visuals did not induce any st atistically significant effect. Therefore, for hypothesis II to be supported certain conditi ons must be met. Not only the number of ad element components, but the type and combination of ad element components were influential toward the support of hypothesis II. Color or graphics standardization has to be accompanied with visual standardization f or hypothesis II to be supported . The findings show that a pre - condition is required and that color standardization must be used in combination with visual standardization or with the combined graphic and visual standardization in order to build and stren gthen ad campaign and brand equity. This pre - condition is meaningful because just for the ads in a campaign to have the same color do not render them consistent, standardized and global in look and feel and there must be something beyond similar color to b uild an ad campaign. Further, the graphic elements as important as they are, they seem to have had weak treatment power to induce adequately further effect on the brand equity mean because 107 they are void of visuals standardization. For standardization to ta ke shape and leave an impact, a number of ad elements must be standardized for the effect to be noticeable and higher scores of brand equity to be elicited and for this reason components that are aggregate of numerous ad elements are devised as multi - item variables. The above rationalization is probably more applicable and relevant to the methodology used in this research because the ads are tested online and the images are smaller than the usual size as in real magazines and the unnatural setting contamin ates the validity and the reliability of the results. Additional ad - element components must also be standardized for color standardization to take effect. Further, it appears that a stronger treatment is required by having more ad elements standardized to reach a specific threshold for standardization effect to take place. This line of thinking supports the real world practice in standardization of advertising campaigns and a large number of ad elements from color to graphics and visuals are standardized in order to attain consistency and cohesiveness in global advertising. It is not surprising for hypothesis II to be supported in conjunction with the use of visual standardization. Standardization of color plays a principal role in developing global adverti sing toward building brand equity for ad campaigns , products and brands in the global markets. Standardization of color is probably one of the most important aspects of the work in print, outdoor and video advertising in traditional media and online. Color is, perhaps, one of the single most fundamental ad elements of a campaign in the field of advertising responsible for standardization despite the findings. From an experimental research point of view, standardization of color is a treatment as an independ ent variable that can be well perceived by the subjects and the uniformity and the continuity of an ad campaign can be observed for a better observation as a cause for the desired effect of brand equity. The higher ratings of brand equity 108 as a result of st andardization of color with visuals is indicative of the prevailing global standardization guidelines and implementation efforts to maintain color harmony and color consistency. Color standardization in combination with visuals and graphics remains the cri tical, tedious and painstaking task as undertaken by marketers and ad agencies for building and strengthening brand equity for ad campaigns and products on a global basis. Beyond visuals and color, graphics also play a paramount role. Font size and type c olor influence on brand personality has been given attention (Grohmann, et al. 2013) and spatial separation of sentences for improving awareness and comprehension was experimented (Carver, 1970), and need for further study on type size and modes of present ation were encouraged (Moore, et al. 2005). The impact of type color and the background color was reviewed in the literature (Fernandez and Rosen, 2000) and other scholars accrued typographic legibility and clarity to better reading (McCarthy and Mothersba ugh, 202) and web banner colors in relation to type and background were also scrutinized (Moore, et al. 2005). It appears that typography and graphics can project personality and influence recall and comprehension. For that purpose , the standardization of such attributes becomes important for a global campaign. Graphic standardization which includes typography, logo features and the margin treatments was used as the third standardization factor. Graphics in combination with visual standardization demonstrat ed to comprise two most important components and having substantial effect on building brand equity. Graphics is the component that produces either the least effective or the most powerful combination of standardization factors depending on which other com ponent it partners. When graphics component becomes the composite partner of color component, it will have the least impact on brand equity as a standardization device, while on the other hand, when graphics component becomes the composite partner of visua ls, it will have most impact on brand 109 equity as a standardization mechanism. Graphics comprising primal ad elements such as logo position, logo treatment, logo size, border treatment, and typography from font size to type face, type family, kerning and lea ding as an aggregate component can have substantial impact on standardization of ad campaigns, in particular, when combined with visuals. Hypothesis III is supported that standardization of graphics has an impact on brand equity, however, with the precondi tion that at least two standardization components must be used and one has to be a visual component. The degree of standardization is measured on the basis of the number of ad element components, type of ad - element components, the combination and the inte raction of ad element components and accordingly hypotheses I, II, III, and V were supported with ANOVA and MANOVA and with specific pre - conditions as noted above . The end result is that statistical analysis of the ad campaigns among the eight experimental groups encompassing no - ad element standardization component versus standardized one - component ad element standardization versus two - component ad element standardization and three - component ad element standardization demonstrated that color, visual and gra phic standardization have a statistically significant impact on brand equity mean differences depending on the number, the type and combination of ad element standardization. As a conclusion , this research measures the degree and the extent of standardizat ion on the basis of the most important and practical ad elements used in developing global ad campaigns. The results disclose that graphics play a salient role in standardization of ad campaigns to project a global image. Graphics include logo size, logo position, logo treatment plus an array of typographic ad elements such as bleed, margins, typeface, type size, type family, type kerning 110 and type leading. How important are they? If you have a specific image of Apple ads in your mind, then it is mainly due to typography! Steve Jobs would not have been able to bring billions of fans to McIntosh, I - phone and Mac Pro if it was not because of a stint as a typography student and because of his strong creative tendencies and feel for typography and graphics from the earlier times of McIntosh in the 80s. His work at an apple farm brought the world the brand names McIntosh and Apple, however, the product differentiation of Apple McIntosh from PC ography which was defined by type face, type family, kerning and leading at the very start of the Apple venture. printing invention. Typeface, varying font sizes, k erning and leading defined the look and feel of the printed page. For that reason, kerning or leading respectively refer to the metal bits horizontally placed in between the letters or words or vertically placed in between the lines as used in California b leadership. New York Times still has the same look and feel because of the typography that it has retained throughout the decades. Many advertisers and publishers have adopted, adapted and updated their typographic and graphic imagery, however, once they embark on a specific graphic development or pagination, they maintain a standardized framework for a competitively differentiated design and a consistent look for their publishi ng and branding. Some visual elements can be slightly varied as it has been a common occurrence in advertising and marketing of packaged goods and so can color in some very specific cases vary as long as the latter is not the product or the logo color (Do ve grey for men, Dove white for women and European green McDonald as an exception while graphics kept basically similar). Graphics that 111 incorporate typography appear to be the key ad elements employed to effectively standardize and give a global and consis tent look and feel to a brand or product. Hypothesis IV measured the degrees of standardization, specifically, in terms of the number of standardization components and their effects on brand equity. On the basis of the conceptual and theoretical framework of visuals, color and graphics, it was noted that marketers use a large number of ad elements to construct standardization in ad campaigns. The conceptual and creative idea has been to combine standardization of a number of ad elements, copy and design (El inder, of standardization conceptualization is the basis for hypothesis IV. The proposed concept encompassing hypothesis IV hinges on the number of the standardiz ation components of visuals, graphics and color added to an ad campaign and the measure of its resulting impact on brand equity ratings . It was tested and demonstrated that if, increasingly, further standardized ad element components are added to a visuall y standardized ad campaign, or to a graphics standardized ad campaign or to a standardized color ad campaign, then the resulting effect will produce a statistically significant difference in the mean of brand equity. Hypothesis IV was supported again with some pre - conditions . Therefore, degrees of standardization in terms of the number, type, combination and the interaction of ad element components was measured and tested and all the five hypotheses were supported with relevant and specific pre - conditions d efined for this experimental research design that is relatively aligned with practice. The overall analysis of the results demonstrates that one - component ad element standardization such as color, visuals or graphics over a non - standardized ad campaign ha s no impact on brand equity. Two - component ad element standardization comprising two of either color, visual or graphic components will have an impact on brand equity as compared with non - standardized ad 112 campaign or ad campaigns standardized with one - compo nent ad elements as long as visuals standardization is partner ed with either graphics or color standardization . However, as standardization peaks in number, type and combination of ad - element components, then it reaches a retraction point or a diminishing return point and the standardization of ad elements no longer elicits a statistically significant difference in brand equity mean between the two - component and the three - component standardization. One interpretation is that once standardization goes too f ar and is overdone, the ad campaign literally turns into a one - off ad and all the ads look the same and it will no longer be an ad campaign with subtle variations in visuals, color or graphics. If the visuals component had been broken down into subset s of variables , probably the visuals would have looked similar with slight creative variation rather than looking exactly the same and the results would have been different. Some of the Amazon workers in the fully standardized ad campaign group even emailed bac k to comment if the survey had any mistakes for having had the same three ads placed in the digital magazine as a campaign! The implications here are that the more ad elements are standardized, the higher will be the impact of the effect on the brand equit y mean, however, the extent of the effect will be influenced based on the number, type and combination of ad elements employed. Therefore, hypothesis IV was supported with a number of hypothesis tests conducted with various ad elements standardization. Th ough the standardization of visuals displayed the highest mean difference tha n color and graphics, however, o ne - way ANOVA results were not statistically significant to be reported and hypothesis V was not supported that visual standardization moderates mos t positively in conjunction with either color standardization or graphic standardization in improving the brand 113 equity ratings for the ad campaign and the product. However, MANOVA affirmed that visual standardization when combined either with color or grap hic standardization then the impact on brand equity is statistically significant, while graphic standardization and color standardization together have the least impact on brand equity and the results are not significant. The overriding purpose of this di ssertation research is how to test the impact of color, visual and graphic standardization components on brand equity ratings , rather than coming up with generic, generalizable or specific statements of what ad - element component standardization is more eff ective than the other which is not the primary purpose for this research. This is because the effectiveness of the standardization of different components depend mostly on the product, the product category, the brand, the creative, the content, the product features, the positioning, the desired personality and a set of other factors that can influence the importance of color versus graphics or visuals for a specific ad campaign standardization. The main purpose of this research is to show that standardizati on of ad elements in an ad campaign can contribute to building and strengthening brand equity and that standardization is influenced by the number, type and combination of color, visual and graphic ad - element components. The conceptualization, the theoreti cal framework , the research design, the statistical methods and the findings of this dissertation lead to a viable paradigm and a new domain of experimental, survey, observational and case study research for future researchers for the purpose of measuring and testing the impact of standardization of ad elements on brand equity and other ad effectiveness measures, both in traditional and online ad campaigns that comprise visuals, graphics or video content. In this paper, brand equity is used as a measure of standardization for achieving globalization of ad campaign effectiveness. To measure the moderating effectiveness of prior cognitive and affective reactions to globality, MANOVA was conducted and globality scale (Dimofte, et al. 114 2008) was used as a modera ting dependent. The Equality of covariance Matrices validated the Equality of Error Variances showed that a significant multivariate main effect was found for dependen t variables of brand equity and globality scales relationship to the various independent variables of standardization in terms of types, combination and degrees of standardization of affective reactions as brand globality predisposition s of those exposed to more standardized ad campaigns moderates positively the cumulative impact of the standardization of color, visual and graphic ad elements on brand equity rating s. Th is paper will provide a partial, yet a significant starting point for examining and evaluating the proposed Theory of Standardization of Ad Elements as a Globalization of Ad Campaign Processes. The dependent variable for this research is consumer - bas ed brand equity that is the advertising effectiveness measure for evaluating the standardization of color, visual and graphic ad - element components which are the independent variables. Using brand equity for measuring advertising effectiveness as a result of the standardization of the various ad element components makes conceptual, theoretical and practical sense. Nowadays, most marketers tend to talk and care about building and strengthening brand equity. Marketing communication appears to be playing a piv standardization will be brand equity scale (Yoo, et al. 2001) that is comprised of brand awareness (Aaker, 1996) , brand associations (Keller, 1998; Steenkamp, et al. 2003) , brand image (Kapferer, 1992) , perceived product quality (Levitt, 1983), brand purchase intentions and brand loyalty (Aaker, 1996; Keller, 1998; Kapferer, 1992). 115 d testing. Also the fact that the Alpha is below .90, it indicates that the items are not repetitious or that there are more items in the scale than are rea lly necessary for an internally reliable measure of the brand equity. The Corrected Item Total Correlation is moderately high above .40 and the items in the brand equity make a good component of summated rating scale for brand equity as higher - level measur es of communication effectiveness. What makes this paper different is that standardization is used as a proxy independent variable for the globalization processes of ad campaigns because one of the key purposes of standardization is the globalization of a d campaigns and measuring brand equity market by this research is brand equity. The aim is the optimization of the desired effect of brand equity being transform ed into brand equity measure of global brands in numerous markets for the benefit of consumers, marketers and stakeholders through this globalization process as a result of the standardization of ad campaigns. Therefore, the higher the degree of standardiz ation, the higher the ratings for brand equity for each market and such standardization once implemented in global markets can exponentially increase global brand equity. Globalization is a latent and non - visible conceptualization that is actualized as a reflection of the surrogate independent variable of standardization and is subjected to manipulation as standardization of visuals, graphics and color. Simultaneously, globalization of ad campaigns can be reflected by the aggregate brand equity ratings of the active markets that can be gauged by marketers one market at a time . The aggregate sum of the brand equity, market by market, can then be transformed and ascended into a measure of a global brand equity. Globalization of ad 116 campaigns, put it another wa y, is represented by categorical measure of standardization proxy and, at the same time, gauged by the proxy measure of brand equity that is morphed into global brand equity once brand equity is measured in numerous global markets one market at a time. Sta ndardization leads to optimization of brand equity in each market and globalization is represented by standardization in various markets and measured through global brand equity which is simply the aggregate of brand equity measures in each of the active m arkets. Globalization of ad campaigns and globalization of markets is actualized and occurs through the standardization of markets and thereon realized through the measure of brand equity in a number of markets that the global marketer operates. The resea rch design in this paper for the study of standardization of ad element components is proposed as an effective approach toward systematically, methodically, scientifically and empirically examining standardization and globalization of ad campaigns toward t he standardization and globalization of markets and optimizing brand equity of global brands through standardization as the prime objective of this dissertation. Past standardization, globalization and international advertising and marketing communication studies have been scattered, non - conclusive and, in many cases, research programs were conducted without relevant operational definitions of standardization or globalization as a construct within a conceptual or theoretical framework. Most scholars focuse d on how globally the ads are perceived from a cultural, social, psychological, organizational and financial platform. In other words, how ads were standardized or adapted and perceived in terms of strategy and execution in US vs. India, China, Japan or Ko rea. Most international advertising and standardization investigations have been about cross - cultural studies and simple marketing standardization steps in packaging, and creative developments of the copy and the visuals in 117 general terms. Research has been abundant in the past on what to be standardized and what not to be standardized, and whether it should be standardized or adapted, however, not much was said in terms of what, how and why to standardize and globalize ad campaigns effectively. Many of the studies in the past 60 years or so have not advanced the field of standardization and globalization in specific terms or to its full potential by not throwing light on what globalization is and its relationship to standardization and its effectiveness mea sures and the use of brand equity as a robust measure of ad campaign effectiveness. Scholars in international advertising and marketing have not focused on : 1) What, how and why to standardize for globalization of ad campaign purposes; 2) How to measure th e effect of standardization, and; 3) Conducting the research experimentally as in this paper as opposed to descriptive and content analysis that have dominated most standardization and globalization research in the past. For one thing, because globalizatio n has been an ambiguous, nebulous, non - palpable, multi - faceted and latent conceptual construct, it has not been studied properly and adequately in the field of international advertising. How can standardization relate and lead toward globalization? What is standardization and globalization of ad campaigns? What is standardization as the toolkit or the mechanism for globalization processes of a fully integrated ad campaign? The purpose of this paper has been to address partially some of these relevant questi ons on standardization and globalization of ad campaigns and brands. The problem has been that many of the scholars failed to truly understand how standardization and globalization of ad campaigns take place and what processes are involved. Most scholars, except very few, understood globalization merely as a phenomenon and an effect and did not examine standardization as a set of processes providing creative and strategic treatments as the cause for that very phenomenon of the globalization of ad campaigns leading to brand equity 118 value in the global markets. Globalization without brand equity measures in various international markets cannot be observed and the extent of its occurrence is measured through brand equity ratings of numerous markets. This study p rovides the conceptual, theoretical, methodological and statistical design for a rigorous and robust approach and procedure to standardize ad campaigns for building and strengthening brand equity. Marketers can undertake the required research in all the co ncerned markets to measure the aggregate global brand equity. For example, scholars looked at aspirational lifestyle, modernity or cosmopolitanism solely as a phenomenon and dependent variable due to the effect of global content and media on societies. Sta ndardization and globalization does not appear to have been studied as a strategic creative process and as an independent variable. Even though the ad industry all along has been going through regular processes of standardization for the purposes of globa lization of ad campaigns and working on global guideline books, kits and white paper documents, unfortunately, such important areas of standardization have not yet been well absorbed within the academic studies on standardization toward globalization of ad campaigns. The reason could have been twofold: First, the whole realm of ad element standardization is mistakenly viewed as a creative and possibly graphic design domain of study and not relevant to communication, advertising management or marketing studi es; second, the prevailing disconnect and divide between academia and the industry that should be narrowed. If there are no standardization, then there are no globalization of ad campaigns in terms of the assumptions and theoretical conceptualizations of t his paper. Globalization of ad campaigns and brands is the purpose of standardization, and globalization is not necessarily the effect of standardization. Globalization of ad campaigns is also a concept that is defined operationally by 119 the measurement of brand equity in every single market that in turn transforms and ascends into global brand equity after the measuring of brand equity in various international markets as an aggregate. It all depends on how standardization and globalization of ad campaigns a re defined and contextualized and for that reason it is very important to have detailed, meaningful, practical and applicable operational definitions within a conceptual and theoretical framework when standardization or globalization of ad campaigns is stu died. Therefore, in many cases when globalization is studied as a dependent variable and the perception of that globality or globalness is measured, it is more of a dependent variable and a phenomenon. Many of the academic studies did not truly and substan tially advance the science and the profession of international or global advertising and marketing for not examining standardization and globalization as an independent variable and as a process of building brand equity and global brand equity as a consequ ence. The profession also failed to advance standardization and globalization to its maximum potential because marketing organizations and ad agencies assigned more of an organizational and administrative role to the processes of standardization and global ization and at times limiting such tasks to the creative and production departments as opposed to the strategic management and marketing divisions. What many international advertising researchers failed to address was what really standardization is. What really globalization is. What, how and why to standardize and globalize ad campaigns in the field of marketing and advertising is the core effort and the prime focus of hundreds of billions of dollars being spent on global advertising and media, new and ol d. This paper provides an operational definition of standardization toward globalization of ad campaigns. As a result, both in practice and in academia, these concepts can be defined , refined and expounded upon as to what globalization is and how and why it is induced through 120 standardization as a means and ways of globalization of ad campaigns for future academic and professional research. Globalization of ad campaigns is achieved through standardization of ad elements for the desired effect of building an d maintaining a strong brand equity in every single market of the world. Lifestyle and modernity have mostly been studied and philosophized as a globalization phenomenon or an effect. This paper through its literature review and deduction of the hypotheses demonstrated that globalization of lifestyle and modernity can also be a strategic creative process by having lifestyle images of modernity standardized in visuals as a component of an ad campaign and, as a result, develop brand equity in various markets of the globe through transfer of meaning that encompasses modernity and cosmopolitanism for the brand. This paper offers a new research platform for properly and effectively studying standardization toward globalization and measuring the effects of standar dization as a mechanism to increase the performance of ad campaigns in building brand equity for global brands in numerous markets. Scientifically and from a research methodology and design point of view, most scholars studied standardization as a depende nt variable, as a consequent or an effect, whereas, it was overlooked that standardization of ad campaigns is not necessarily a dependent or an effect. Such huge oversights for over half a century of international advertising and marketing were no fault of the scholars in academia, because supposedly it was and it still is the dependent variable that has received much attention and most commonly been acceptable and the focus of the international marketing communication studies for advancing knowledge and sc ience. Therefore, this investigative report conceptually and theoretically defines and explains standardization toward globalization of ad campaigns as a set of processes and as a multi - 121 featured construct that is an antecedent that is the very process of globalization of ad campaigns through standardization mechanics presented in this paper as the operational definitions of the ad elements. Standardization of ad elements with the purpose of globalizing an ad campaign is not an end to itself as an effect or a dependent, but rather, it is simply something done or manipulated that serves as a set of signals for communication performance . The goal is neither standardization, nor globalization of ad campaigns, but rather building brand equity in as many markets as possible toward a global measure of brand equity. Standardization is simply a mechanism or a means of achieving a unified look and feel in an ad campaign through treatment and manipulation of ad elements and then the goal is to achieve a series of commu nication objectives that starts at the lower - level brand awareness recognition to the higher - level measures such as brand purchase and brand loyalty that comprise the effectiveness metrics for standardization of ad campaigns. Standardization of visuals, m nemonics, color, typography and graphics has been used as a global communication strategy by global marketers and ad agencies to globalize ad campaigns. Globalization of ad campaigns has been achieved through standardized aspiring global images of models ( Shakira in Activia), standardized mnemonics (Energizer Bunny), standardized graphics (specific typography used by Apple and Clinic), standardized color (the red of Coke and the blue of the C rest). The subject matter of this study is standardization of ad e lements for the purpose of globalizing ad campaigns through practical and culture - neutral ad elements and demonstrating its effectiveness as a measure of building and strengthening brand equity in various markets. This research demonstrates through rigoro us and robust hypothesis testing that standardization of ad campaigns as a result of the standardization of ad - element components can effectively and efficiently be employed by advertisers to add value and equity to brands . This paper contributes 122 to advanc ing the art and science of standardization of advertising and media, old and new, toward the globalization of integrated ad campaigns. Standardization as a global strategy or globalization of ad campaigns and markets works, hand in hand, efficiently and ef fectively to build brand equity, market by market. Ad campaigns can be conceptually globalized through standardization mechanics of inspirational photos, unified graphics and mnemonics that project specific looks and feels through exacting color component implementation. Standardization as a global ad strategy can be manipulated for differing and varied communication effects and can be measured and tested for effectiveness and optimization. Standardization for globalization of ad campaigns is implemented an d achieved through ad element components of visuals, graphics, typographics and color. The global factor in the measure of brand equity is the inherent aspect of standardization that is most important aspect of globalization of ad campaigns. This paper em pirically establishes how to globalize ad campaigns through standardization of ad elements. Standardization is not the end game. Standardization is only a set of creative and strategic processes for the purpose of actualizing globalization of ad campaigns that are measured and realized through effectiveness metrics of brand equity scale and reflected more broadly through multi - market brand equity. 123 FUTURE RESEARCH The domain of this study will broaden the area of research in standardization and globalizatio n of advertising with the prime focus on standardization of color, visual and graphic ad elements that is unique to this investigation . Future studies can employ ad elements with multi - item constructs presented in this experiment for conducting research to improv e ad vertising effectiveness and build brand equity through standardization of ad elements . Future researchers can take advertising standardization theory further by treating standardization as an independent variable as opposed to a dependent variab le as covered unnecessarily and extensively in most scientific studies . The methodological and statistical design of this research will help to better understand how global ad campaigns are standardized and what kind of impact standardization of ad element s can have on advertising effectiveness. This paper demonstrates that degrees of s tandardization now can be s tudied at the strategic and executional ad element levels. Th is research program offer s a conceptual and theoretical framework for future research ers to direct international advertising and marketing studies toward practical and meaningful aspects of standardization that can mainly be phrased as what and how to standardize ad campaigns . Additionally, the investigators will be able to measure the imp act of standardization as an independent variable by applying strong theories of ad effectiveness models as dependent measure s in research and in practice. Once the measurement components of this study as the independent variables are broken down into sma ller units of visuals, color and graphics in the future studies, variations in creativity within a standardized format can be measured more accurately and robustly and the nebulous realm of creativity might be brought under the fold of empirical scrutiny f or more compelling 124 creative thinking processes. The fact that multi - items of ad elements are incorporated in each of the proposed components, nuances in creative work can be missed out. For example , typography and graphics can each be a separate variable. Visuals can be broken down into pack shots, models and background settings. Color as well can relate to typography, background setting or the border lines. Further, the future studies can fine tune the effectiveness measures for brand equity (Aaker, 1996; Keller, 1998; Kapferer, 1992) to make it more relevant to evaluating degrees, types and combination of standardization. Ad campaign standardization is an important step toward adding further value to brand equity. Specific questions can be added to the bra nd equity questions that relate to the product features, personality and the specific content of the ad campaign. This research study can be applied to TV, radio, billboards and online media. In the case of video ad campaigns on TV or internet , the final p ack shot, the tagline, the product shots, the model shots, the length of the takes (each scene), the cuts, edits and transitions such as straight cuts or fades can be compared in addition to various ad elements discussed in this paper . The sound track, the jingle, the voiceover and sound effects are among other ad elements for video advertising standardization . In the case of internet, additionally, it can be studied if video, banners and the n all markets. Studies in advertising standardization can go beyond the content and the standardization of the type of media can be surveyed as well. Is the brand using only TV, online, outdoor, only traditional and / or digital media as a vehicle for mark eting communication? Such other strategies can further contribute to the standardization of ad campaigns and toward building brand equity of brands on a global basis. A fully integrated research project in the future can involve a complete media mix includ ing the p oint of sales at the stores level as a field survey 125 study . The research can be conducted among the professional advertisers and ad agency executives as well through a survey method to build expert - based brand equity in contrast to this research t hat took a consumer - based brand equity approach . The ad professionals in practice might have greater subconscious appreciation of the role of color , visuals and graphics in standardization and globalization of advertising and, as a result, better perceive the manipulation of the independent va riables. In this case , more variance in means can be obtained through a survey with the advertising and marketing professionals than with the consumers . Field survey can be used to study standardization and brand equi ty b y considering a thorough ad campaign and media mix in the form of integrated marketing communication and media (IMC) . For such research a content analysis of the real world advertising messages and media mix of a number of competitive brands will be re commended in addition to brand equity survey measures . The field study should focus on content analysis of the degrees of standardization of the ad campaigns of the various major brands on the basis of color, visuals and graphics and then to do a field sur vey of the various brands and measure the brand equity of the competing global brands in order to measure and evaluate the effect of th e standardization of ad element components on brand equity . It is intended that this paper will provide a new realm and d omain of study or an innovative paradigm in the areas of advertising standardization, globalization of ad campaigns and ad campaign effectiveness . 126 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS Whenever a research project involves new areas of studies and attempts to approach new communication paradigms and touches a new domain of study, then the findings can be subject to much weaknesses and criticism. This paper is just a starting point for a fresh and disruptive approach to studying standardization of ad element components and i ts effect on brand equity . This research is limited to print advertising. Print is only part of the overall med ia mix and is most probably one of the traditional media that is losing its im portance compared to TV, radio, billboards and, in particular, onli ne media. Though for the purpose of conducting th is research , an online magazine was used and the media format makes it slightly relevant to online, however, the basics of the conceptualization of the ad elements relate to a magazine advertising even if it is presented online to the participants. On the positive side, most of the conceptual thinking can be applied to other media . In this research a digital magazine is used and the importance or the life cycle of such format can be subject to doubt as much a s the actual magazine as a traditional medium . The online magazine used for the test might not be as easy or user - friendly to some of the research participants and this can be another drawback . Three ads as part of a campaign are run in one magazine as op posed to running the ads in three or more different magazines or through a mix of media that is more the norm for running a global ad cam paign . Further, the ads were not rotated at random to avoid exposure order bias. In the case of the non - standardized ca mpaign group, the a ds still remained very much similar and for that reason, the control group did not appear as neutral as it should have been, because even in that case the ads appeared still as part of a relatively standardized campaign and as a result y ielding smaller mean differences . 127 Local, regional or global ad campaigns are not exposed to the consumers in one shot. The consumers and readers see ads in consecutive times and in various media and there are inherent media mix and sleeper effect s that no ne are present in this research . The participants are expose d t o three ads at one point of time and the research assumptions are that research subjects will pay attention to the ad s and recognize subconsciously or consciously how standardized the ads are i n the communication campaign and realize the nuance s or the variations in the creative in between the ad treatments exposed to different groups . F urther , assumptions are made that if the subjects are exposed to standardized ad campaigns, then the subjects will recognize the brand name and find the ad campaign to deliver more quality and inspiring products that follows the liking of the brand and product to brand preference that finally lead s to purchase intention and brand loyalty . To overcome these integra l validity and reliability problem s , a longitudinal and fully integrated marketing communication campaign with old and new media mix in the real world through a field experiment (survey and content analysis) would have most certainly been more meaningful i n scope. Such futuristic studies not only would address most of the weaknesses in the inducement of standardization and the perception of the treat ment , but also would have provide d a more meaningful measure of th e standardization of ad element components and its impact on brand equity . B rand equity is not built within an experimental environment of approximately 20 minutes and with a couple of ads within the same digital magazine that hinders the validity and reliability of the research toward its power of generalization to natural circumstances and the real world. This research also does not address the theories of congruity or balance to reason out why standardized ads can actually build brand equity. Future research ers can take on all these challenge s he ad on . 128 MSU IRB Human Research Protection Program official permission before conducting this research in the U nited States . 129 STIMULI COLOR VISUALS GRAPHICS DEGREES OF STA NDARDIZATION OF AD E LEMENTS IN EIGHT DIFFERENT CAMPAIGNS W ITH EIGHT DIFFERENT GROUPS (EXPERIMENTAL & CONT ROL GROUPS) Figure 2 1 : Color Standardization ( Experimental Group I ) Figure 2 2 : Visual s Standardization (Experimental Group II) 130 Figure 2 3 : Gra phics Standardization (Experimental Group III) Figure 2 4 : Color and Visuals Standardization (Experimental Group IV) 131 Figure 2 5 : V isuals and Graphics Standardization (Experimental Group V) Figure 2 6 : C olor and Graphics Standardization (Experim ental Group VI) 132 Figure 2 7 : C olor, Visuals and Graphics Standardization (Experimental Group VII) Figure 2 8 : C olor , Visual s and Graphics No n - Standardization (Experimental Group VIII) 133 APPENDIX 134 ONLINE MAGAZINE AND QUESTIONNAIRE INT ERFACE Figure 2 9 : Instructions to the Participants Figure 30 : Demographic Questions on Workers 135 Figure 30 :(cont d) Research Participant Information and Consent Form You are being asked to participate in this research study. Researchers are r equired to provide a consent form to inform you about the research study, to convey that participation is voluntary, to explain risks and benefits of participation, and to empower you to make an informed decision. You should feel free to ask the researcher s any questions you may have. Study Title: The Impact of the Standardization of Color, Visual and Graphic Ad Elements on Consumer - Based Global Brand Equity Researcher and Title: Mark Carassi, Research Coordinator Department and Institution: Advertising a nd Public Relations at Michigan State University, Address and Contact Information: carassim@msu.edu 136 1. PURPOSE OF RESEARCH You are being a sked to participate in a research study of advertising effectiveness . You have been selected as a possible participant in this study because you are randomly selected with consideration of demographic information. From this study, the researchers hope to l earn how advertisements can be made more effective. Your participation in this study wil l take about 1 0 minutes. Your name has been provided through Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT). If you are under 18 you do not qualify for this survey. In the entire study, 1 2 0 0 people are being asked to participate. This is a university project for a doctoral program. 2. WHAT YOU WILL DO You will go through a digital magazine with content and a few ads in it. You are asked to look at some of the ads to answer the question provided online. You will be requested to glance through the magazine at least two times. You will be asked questions regarding the ads in th e magazine and not the content of the magazine. When we start asking you questions you will not be able to get back to the magazine and the ads. You can review the magazine up to 10 minutes if you wish. However, you cannot leave the page before two minutes that is the minimum required time for you to review the magazine. At the bottom right of the digital magazine you will see a note advising you the remaining time out of the two minutes after which you can go to the question section and answer all the 27 q uestions. When the one - minute minimum time is over, a click button appears requesting you to click to go to the questions to answer them at your leisure. The following 25 questions ask your opinion about specific statements on 10 - point questions that will assess your opinion on a series of statements in respect to the ads you view in the digital magazine. As a gesture of goodwill and our appreciation of your participation in this experimental survey in addition to the monetary compensation as specified in t his form, we can, upon your request send you the results of this research upon the completion of the report. Send your request for the results to mark.carassi@carassi.com 3. POTENTIAL BENEFITS The researchers will benefit from this study by discovering what aspects of an advertising campaign can be effective in selling specific brands by providing product information and inspiring consumers. Your participation will be a major contributio n to improving the art and science of communication and provides better means of strategic communication for governments, companies and institutions communicating with their target audiences. 4. POTENTIAL RISKS There are no potential risks associated or related to this study. 5. PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY The data for this project are being collected anonymously. Neither the researchers nor anyone else will be able to link data to you. The data for this project will be kept confidential. The data will be kept confidential in central databases of computers with secure passwords and no other individual except the researcher will have access to it. 137 The only persons that will have access to the data are the principal and the secondary researcher in this case and no other individuals will have access to the data even though they are coded and non - descriptive. Information about you will be kept confidential to the maximum extent allowable by law. The data will be stored in a password secure statistical analysis program and Excel sheets. The following individuals will have ac cess to the data: Principal research er and the secondary researcher . Institutional Review Board (IRB). Scientific Journals . The results of this study may be published or presented at professional meetings, but the identities of all research participants w ill remain anonymous . The data are collected via Internet and are being collected anonymously. For compensation purposes and confirmation of the qualifications of the subjects, AMAZON MECHANICAL TURK records the IP addresses of the participants according t o their prior agreements. 6. Your rights to participate, say no, or withdraw Participation is voluntary. Refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. You may discontinue participation at any tim e without penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. You have the right to say no. You may change your mind at any time and withdraw. You may choose not to answer specific questions or to stop participating at any time. 7. COSTS AN D COMPENSATION FOR BEING IN THE STUDY There are no incurring costs to the participants under any conditions. Procedures being performed for research purposes only will be provided free of charge by Amazon Mechanical Turk and the researchers. Amazon M echanical Turk will compensate you according to their guidelines and agreements with you. You will be compensated for participating in this research about $2 for completing this survey that is estimated not to take longer than 15 to 20 minutes. You will r eceive the amount in full from Amazon Mechanical Turk. 8 . Contact Information If you have concerns or questions about this study, such as scientific issues, how to do any part of it, or to repor t an injury, please contact the researcher: 10 Brookfield Road, Oakville, Ontario, L6K 2Y5; mark.carassi@carassi.com ; +1 416 219 9955. If you have questions or concerns about your role and rights as a researc h participant, would like to obtain information or offer input, or would like to register a complaint about this study, you may contact, - 355 - 2180, Fax 517 - 432 - 4503, or e - mail irb@msu.edu or regular mail at 207 Olds Hall, MSU, East Lansing, MI 48824. 9 . Documentation of Informed consent. Clicking the agreement box below means that you volunta rily agree to participate in this research study. box you will not be able to continue and participate in this research. You can print a copy of this letter of consent if you wish. 138 You are required to provide your agreement to go ahead with the questionnaire. Figure 3 1 : Instructions for the Review of Digital Magazine Figure 3 2 : Online Digital Magazine with flipping of effect 139 Figure 3 3 : Sample of Ads i nside the Online Magazine 140 Figure 3 4 : Main Body of the Questionnaire 141 Figure 3 4 142 Figure 3 4 143 Figure 3 4 144 Figure 3 4 145 Figure 3 4 146 Figure 3 4 Figure 3 5 : Amazon Code for Workers 147 REFERENCES 148 REFERENCE S 1 . Aaker, A. D. (1996) Building Strong Brands. Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications. 2 . Aaker, A.D. & Joachimsthaler, E. (2000) Brand Leadership. Free Press . 3 . Ai ken, L.S., & West, S.G. (1990) Invalidity of true experiments: Self - report pretest biases. 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