This study examines the effect of the mood induced by television program content on subjects' evaluations of commercials. Specifically, happy or sad commercials are viewed in the context of a television program designed to induce these respective moods. The competing predictions of Mood Congruence Theory versus the Consistency Effect are examined to interpret the results. For all dependent measures considered, findings were in accordance with a Consistency Effect interpretation of the results. For two such measures (i.e., liking for the commercial and purchase intention) the Consistency Effect was statistically supported. Hence for these measures, it was found that a happy commercial viewed in the context of a happy program was evaluated more favorably than the same commercial viewed after exposure to a sad program. For the sad commercial, the reverse effects for these measures were evident as this commercial performed more favorably in the context of a sad program relative to a happy one. The dominance of a Consistency Effect interpretation of the results over that of Mood Congruence are interpreted in the context of advertising strategy.

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ABSTRACT

This article reports on an innovative product development class project in which marketing and bio-resource engineering students work together. The project modifies a project suggested by Lunsford and Henshaw employing marketing and engineering students. The project is executed as a professional development activity designed to give students a broader perspective on their discipline as well as model the types of work teams they will experience on the job. This article describes the approach to the project used by the interdisciplinary team of instructors, the faculty and the students' responses to the project, and suggested improvements for further implementations.