Art work versus photography: An experimental study

Abstract

"Four paired advertisements, one using photography and the other using art work, were shown to a matched sample of 962 adults in the New York City area. The Ss ranked each advertisement on the dimensions of most liked, believability, and recall. No sex or socioeconomic differences emerged. Statistically significant differences were found for the photographic version of three advertisements, respectively showing a man, a woman in an office, and a man drinking coffee. Art work was favored in one advertisement, which semihumorously showed a dog in motion. Any decision to use either art work or photography for a communication depends on many factors, including the object to be reproduced, the medium of communication, the effect desired, and the associated text. The results of this study, based on advertisements from one consumer magazine, must be interpreted with caution." (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)