Abstract:

An implicit assessment strategy is outlined as a new method for the assessment of advertising and branding effects. It significantly extends currently available methods by allowing quick, easy, and unbiased access to people's unconsciously held attitudes. In essence, implicit assessment relies on the measurement of response times, the introduction of response competition, and on response windows to reveal the affective component of advertising effects. Data from a recent study will be used to support the claim that implicit assessment not only measures more sensitively than traditional methods, but also detects effects that would otherwise be overlooked.