Investigating the Structural Evolution of Ad Design: Computational Analysis of Information Content and Interactivity in Ads
When watching ads from the 1980s versus ads from the 2010s, there is a glaring dichotomy. Whilst older ads tend to resemble a broadcast, directly communicating product features to the viewer, newer ads often have an air of informal-ness and casual energy. They incorporate humor, make internet refere...
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| Format: | Thesis |
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2024
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/156952 http://orcid.org/0009-0006-2542-9219 |
| _version_ | 1824457983540592640 |
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| author | Wang, Nina |
| author2 | Hauser, John R. |
| author_facet | Hauser, John R. Wang, Nina |
| author_sort | Wang, Nina |
| collection | MIT |
| description | When watching ads from the 1980s versus ads from the 2010s, there is a glaring dichotomy. Whilst older ads tend to resemble a broadcast, directly communicating product features to the viewer, newer ads often have an air of informal-ness and casual energy. They incorporate humor, make internet references, and, increasingly, have nothing to do with the thing they are supposed to advertise. In this research, I dissect this broader shift into changes in ad content and ad tone, specifically, changes in information content and interactivity levels. Using various methods, I collect data from Super Bowl advertisements from 1980-2023 and identify metrics that measure the information content and interactivity of the ads. I further introduce the information content-interactivity scale for ad classification, and show that ads have indeed become less informational and more interactive over time. |
| first_indexed | 2025-02-19T04:18:40Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | mit-1721.1/156952 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| last_indexed | 2025-02-19T04:18:40Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1569522024-09-25T03:52:37Z Investigating the Structural Evolution of Ad Design: Computational Analysis of Information Content and Interactivity in Ads Wang, Nina Hauser, John R. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science When watching ads from the 1980s versus ads from the 2010s, there is a glaring dichotomy. Whilst older ads tend to resemble a broadcast, directly communicating product features to the viewer, newer ads often have an air of informal-ness and casual energy. They incorporate humor, make internet references, and, increasingly, have nothing to do with the thing they are supposed to advertise. In this research, I dissect this broader shift into changes in ad content and ad tone, specifically, changes in information content and interactivity levels. Using various methods, I collect data from Super Bowl advertisements from 1980-2023 and identify metrics that measure the information content and interactivity of the ads. I further introduce the information content-interactivity scale for ad classification, and show that ads have indeed become less informational and more interactive over time. MNG 2024-09-24T18:22:37Z 2024-09-24T18:22:37Z 2024-05 2024-07-11T14:37:30.351Z Thesis https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/156952 http://orcid.org/0009-0006-2542-9219 In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted Copyright retained by author(s) https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/ application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| spellingShingle | Wang, Nina Investigating the Structural Evolution of Ad Design: Computational Analysis of Information Content and Interactivity in Ads |
| title | Investigating the Structural Evolution of Ad Design: Computational Analysis of Information Content and Interactivity in Ads |
| title_full | Investigating the Structural Evolution of Ad Design: Computational Analysis of Information Content and Interactivity in Ads |
| title_fullStr | Investigating the Structural Evolution of Ad Design: Computational Analysis of Information Content and Interactivity in Ads |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating the Structural Evolution of Ad Design: Computational Analysis of Information Content and Interactivity in Ads |
| title_short | Investigating the Structural Evolution of Ad Design: Computational Analysis of Information Content and Interactivity in Ads |
| title_sort | investigating the structural evolution of ad design computational analysis of information content and interactivity in ads |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/156952 http://orcid.org/0009-0006-2542-9219 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT wangnina investigatingthestructuralevolutionofaddesigncomputationalanalysisofinformationcontentandinteractivityinads |