Purpose – This study aims to investigate the effects associated with the strategic use of vague, as opposed to precise, advertised brand slogans
on various consumer responses.
Design/methodology/approach – A content analysis study was conducted to explore the pattern of vagueness in advertising slogans from 1,441
consumer-oriented brands. Based on the resultant delineation/definition of vagueness, two experimental studies followed. Vignette advertising
slogans were manipulated to achieve different level of vagueness. The initial 2 2 factorial between subjects design engaged vagueness level of
brand slogans and consumers’ need for cognition as factors. Brand recall functioned as the dependent variable. The second experiment featured
another 2 2 factorial design that used vagueness level and length of brand slogan as factors. Brand attitude, persuasiveness and purchase
intention functioned as dependent variables.
Findings – Vagueness level of advertising/branding slogans did not significantly affect brand recall. Interactions between vagueness level and
length of advertisement slogans exercised significant effects on evoked thought, brand attitude and persuasiveness but not on purchase intention.
At net, this study generated original theoretical and managerial insights about how and why desirable branding outcomes can be generated by
managing the vagueness and word count of brand slogans, and a platform from which future research on this topic could be based.