Ad-context Congruence Effects Revisited: The Interplay of Online Content, Contextual Targeting Ads, and Retargeting Ads

Abstract

In the online domain, the congruence between web page content (context) and advertising is referred to as contextual targeting. Previous research has discussed moderators of the ad-context congruence effect. We suggest that an online advertisement is perceived not only in the context of the web page content but also in the context of a second ad appearing concurrently on the web page. Two experiments confirm a positive effect of the ad-context congruence in the case of a concurrent second ad that does not use the retargeting tactic. In contrast, under conditions of a concurrently appearing second ad that uses retargeting, the contextual targeting effect disappears. This change in effects is further moderated by consumers’ propensity to generate privacy concerns.