Understanding schema incongruity as a process in advertising: Review and future recommendations

Information incongruent to schema has the potential to increase interest, memorability, and persuasiveness in consumers. For this reason, strategies evoking schema incongruity have often been used in advertising. Despite its presence in practice, our knowledge of how and why incongruity works in advertising is limited. The current paper proposes a four-stage process model by integrating Mandler's Schema Incongruity theory and Optimal stimulation level theory to increase our understanding of incongruity in advertising. Each stage will be discussed in detail with a focus on the impact factors that need to be addressed for using a successful incongruity strategy. Implications for marketers and advertisers as well as future research suggestions are provided.