Attitude Toward the Ad Scale

What it measures

Measures overall consumer attitude toward a specific advertisement — whether the ad itself is liked, regardless of the brand or product it features. One of the most widely used dependent variables in advertising research. A positive Aad is a strong predictor of brand attitude and purchase intention via the dual mediation hypothesis.

Response format

Semantic differential (7-point bipolar adjective pairs)

Scale items

• Bad / Good
• Unpleasant / Pleasant
• Unfavourable / Favourable
• Dislike very much / Like very much
• Irritating / Not irritating
• Not interesting / Interesting

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

Usage notes & scoring

Score = mean of all items. Higher = more positive attitude toward the ad. Central dependent variable in experimental advertising research — particularly in studies on ad claims, source credibility, emotion in advertising, and implicit attitudes. The MacKenzie, Lutz & Belch (1986) dual mediation model predicts Aad -> Ab -> PI.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Muehling, D.D., & McCann, M. (1993). Attitude toward the ad: A review. Journal of Advertising, 22(4), 25–58.

Keywords