Advertising is a form of communication that intends to attract consumers to purchase the goods or services being offered. But, how do contextual elements affect the intended message that companies want to transmit to consumers through ads. Not just the message will influence user’s perception about the goods or services, but also their sensitivity will be modified by other secondary elements such as the location of the ad, the background where it is shown and the nearby atmosphere. Yet, intrinsic elements can also affect consumer’s perception about the ad such as their opinion about the brand and their mood for example.

Given this information one can conclude that the quality of the message is not the only element that matters when trying to gain new prospective clients. As mentioned previously the location of the ad is critical to capture attention. If the ad is located in a place that is crowded by ads with different shapes and colors it will be a challenge to catch anyone’s attention, unless you differentiate with creativity and innovation. But it is definite that the less surrounded by familiar things the easier that it will become for potential clients to be alert stimuli.

The background where ads are shown and the nearby atmosphere are two more vital elements that can influence the message. Being located in a public transited place gets the best receptive effect while being within a company’s walls the worst. On the other hand, regarding the atmosphere being placed in a crowded shopping street or even shopping center influences more the positive reception of the message.

Concerning the intrinsic elements that can affect perception, it’s difficult for the message of an ad to reach its goal if the consumer have a negative perception of the brand such as low quality, bad customer service or unreliable warranty. Equally important, a customer in a bad mood can have negative feelings about a brand or an ad with no reason, but this is certainly out of a company’s hands.

Furthermore, there are other elements that can also impact the perception of a message. This include the sort of content, the state of necessity, time of day, day of the week and even the date (day of month) among others.

Even if there are some potential influences that cannot be predisposed or corrected, a company should always evaluate those that can be improved before placing ads. This information can help you to avoid some common mistakes that can make your message less effective. Good Luck!