The effect of design elements in social media advertising on consumers' attitudes and their purchase intention : a study conducted among local consumers

Abstract

Nowadays, consumers are bombarded with several advertisements across various mediums, with social media being the most popular. Thus, designers must carefully consider the use of design elements when creating an advertisement in order to effectively communicate their message and entice consumers to make a purchase. The aim of this study is to explore the effects of design elements, particularly visual hierarchy, colour, and negative space, on consumer attitudes towards advertisements on social media, and how these attitudes impact their purchase intention. This study is grounded in the theory of reasoned action by Ajzen and Fishbein (1975), which posits that an individual’s intention to engage in a particular behaviour is strengthened by their favourable attitude and subjective norm towards that behaviour. This research aims to investigate the influence of the three design elements on consumer attitudes and identify which of these elements have the most significant impact. It also aims to examine the relationship between the three design elements and consumer purchase intention, contributing to the field of advertising and design. The methodology involved fifteen participants between the ages of eighteen to thirty-five, who are jewellery consumers. Each participant in the study was presented with seven variations of the same advertisement, each manipulated using the three design elements mentioned earlier, in order to explore the impact on their attitudes. Additionally, two experienced graphic designers were asked to provide industry-specific insights upon viewing the original Mvintage advert. The results of the study revealed that the three design elements, especially colour, significantly influenced participants' attitudes towards the advertisements, resulting in a more favourable purchase intention when the design elements incorporated colour, adequate breathing area and a well-balanced composition. As a conclusion, this research study provides an opportunity to better understand the effect of the three design elements on consumer attitudes which enables advertisements to be created and targeted towards potential consumers.