The role of thematic congruence between a mood‐inducing event and an advertised product in determini...

<jats:p>We report the results of two experiments that examine the role of thematic congruence between a mood‐inducing event and an advertised product in determining the effects of mood on brand attitudes. Under incongruent conditions (manipulating mood using a sports stimulus followed by exposure to a casual shoe or casual shorts ad), positive mood affected attitudes by reducing the processing of ad message information. Under congruent conditions (manipulating mood using a sports stimulus followed by exposure to an athletic shoe or athletic shorts ad), positive mood affected attitudes by facilitating the processing of ad message information. The results suggest that whether positive mood reduces or facilitates message processing depends on the relation between how mood is manipulated and the topical areas for which the effects of mood are examined.</jats:p>