Advertisement Self-Referencing

What it measures

Seven five-point Likert-type items measure the extent to which a person relates an advertisement to their self-concept, particularly through identification with the featured model. The construct emphasises the processing mechanism—how the ad is engaged with—rather than self-concept per se. Items tap personal experience linkages, personal relevance, model identification, imagined product use, and group membership with the model.

Response format

5-point Likert (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree)

Scale items

• The ad made me think about my personal experiences with the product.
• The ad seemed to relate to me personally.
• I can easily relate myself to the advertising model.
• The ad seemed to be written with me in mind.
• I can easily form similarity judgments between myself and the advertising model.
• I can easily picture myself using the product portrayed in the ad.
• The advertising model speaks for a group of which I am a member.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Adapted from a scale by Burnkrant and Unnava (1995). Validity was not formally examined, though items loaded together in a factor analysis. The scale is particularly relevant for studies examining ethnicity, cultural congruence, and endorser effectiveness in advertising.

Citation

Martin, B. A. S., Lee, C. K.-C., & Yang, F. (2004). The influence of ad model ethnicity and self-referencing on attitudes. Journal of Advertising, 33(4), 27–37.

Keywords