Abstract
The purpose of this article is twofold: First, within a Peircean framework it shall be demonstrated how there is a relation between the compositional structure of certain types of print advertisements and their bringing about inductive comprehension, and how the consumer can be understood as a bundle of habits. It is the assumption that advertising that supports an inductive effect particularly appeals to the cognitive tendency of habit formation in the consumer. Second, it is asked whether advertisements that predominantly invite inductive processes of comprehension also influence the formation of consumer satisfaction; the perspective is that of the confirmation paradigm within advertisement research. Inductive advertisements support cognitive habit formation through confirmation, and the confirmation paradigm explains exactly consumer satisfaction with reference to confirmation. Hence, the article can be seen as a contribution to a Peircean inspired semiotics of advertising that also concerns the discussion of some of the many processes and parameters active in the influence and formation of consumer satisfaction.
About the authors
Bent Sørensen (b. 1971) is an independent scholar 〈coeno@mail-online.dk〉. His research interests include semiotics, metaphor, and advertising. His publications include ``Effects in printed commercials: The moment of exposure and the significance-effect'' (with T. Thellefsen & B. Sørensen, 2007); and ``Some features of the normative function of C. S. Peirce's pragmatic maxime (with C. Andersen & T. Thellefsen, 2008).
Christian Andersen (b. 1973) is an assistant professor at Aalborg University 〈christian@hum.aau.dk〉. His research interests include semiotics, emotion, and advertising. His publications include ``Negotiating the meaning of artifacts: Branding in a semeiotic perspective'' (with T. Thellefsen et al., 2006); ``A semiotic note on branding'' (with T. Thellefsen & B. Sørensen, 2008); and ``Emotion and community in a semeiotic perspective'' (with T. Thellefsen & B. Sørensen, 2008).
Morten Purup Andersen (b. 1985) is an independent scholar 〈mortenpa@gmail.com〉. His research interests include the psychology of Human-Computer Interaction, music perception, sound quality, and experimental psychology.
©2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston
