CREATING A PROMOTIONAL MESSAGE: EXPLORING THE ROLE OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION IN ADVERTISING

The purpose of this paper is to explore the influences of different nonverbal elements, which are related to both products and personal characteristics, on individuals' perception of products advertised. Nonverbal elements augment the communication message that particular product or service aims to deliver to its target audience. Empirical research is conducted using two different sets of commercials, i.e. comparing video and static commercials for three different products in a fast consumer moving goods category. The research results indicate that the role of nonverbal communication is repeating, conflicting, replacing and highlighting or mitigating the verbal component of a communication message. In an advertisement equal attention should be addressed to both verbal and nonverbal communication components. Depending on the product category, non-verbal communication contributes to a greater or a lesser extent, but always in positive way in evaluating characteristics of the person that uses the advertised product. Non-verbal communication, therefore can be used to augment the desired brand perception. Managerial implications are also considered.