Depicting Humans, Animals, and Objects in Motion: The Effect of Implied Motion on Engagement and Persuasion in Advertising

Over the past several decades, visual imagery has become the dominant element in modern advertising. A common content strategy involves depicting humans, animals, or objects in the midst of motion. Whereas previous research indicates that implied motion images enhance persuasion, it is unclear whether this effect is unique to depictions of moving humans or if it also applies to depictions of moving animals (e.g., a dolphin jumping out of the water) and moving objects (e.g., a car driving on a street, a burger being tossed in the air). Across a set of seven experimental studies, we provide robust evidence that images depicting animate and inanimate motion increase the persuasiveness of an advertisement and that this effect occurs through enhanced engagement. Our findings further indicate that the level of engagement is influenced by the complexity of the depicted motion, with more complex, nonlinear movements eliciting greater engagement than simpler, linear movements. Overall, this research contributes to the advertising literature by providing an empirically grounded account of implied motion imagery and by helping marketers create more effective advertising.