This report presents theories related to the comprehension of print ads. Narratives were shown as a tool occasionally used in print ads. Print ads also often have an anchor present which re-contextualizes the ad. Examples of an anchor could be either a company-logo or a catch-phrase.
Theories related to narratives and visual rhetoric in ads were investigated and Ryan’s definition of narratives was used to categorize a series of images according to their level of narrativity. These images were then used in a within and between-group experiment in which subjects were shown 5 ads, each with different degrees of narrativity. The presence of an anchor and the level of narrativity were the two independent variables in the experiment. While looking at the ads, an eye-tracker was used to record their gaze. In between each image, the subjects were presented a questionnaire in which they were asked to explain the story behind the ad.
The results showed that the gaze-patterns and intelligibility of ads with low levels of narrativity were less likely to be influenced by the presence of an anchor.