THE EMPTY SPACE EFFECT

Once upon a time I was a student mesmerized by the wisdom of Marketing gurus, their insights were etched into my mind in bold, golden letters.

Years later, the foundations of my Marketing beliefs were shaken when I stumbled upon an article that dared to challenge the mantra of modern advertising:

The article was based on a research done in 2017, titled "Contextual Influences on Message Persuasion: The Effect of Empty Space" by Prof. Dai Xianchi, Associate Professor of the Department of Marketing at CUHK Business School, Prof. Robert Wyer, Visiting professor of the same department and university, and PhD student Canice Kwan, now Assistant Professor at Sun Yat-sen University.

Research indicate that people’s reactions to a verbal communication are influenced not only by its literal meaning but also by their perception of the meaning that communicator intends to convey; such as facial expression or tone of voice in face to face conversations (Grice 1975; Higgins 1981; Sperber and Wilson 1986; Wyer and Gruenfeld 1995). The practical implications of a written message can also be deduced from various contextual factors such as the physical space surrounding it.

Advertising studies suggest that consumers infer a variety of product attributes (like quality, creativity, prestige, etc.) from the space surrounding a product's image (Homer, 1995; Jacobs, 1972 and Pracejus et al. 2006). Xianchi's study indicates that people can draw a quite different inferences from the amount of space that surrounds a verbal message (quote images, pamphlets, etc.)

It is a good time for you to ask "Why should I care?"

Understanding the power of empty space can be a game-changer in crafting impactful messages.

Picture this: you're crafting an email, aiming to captivate your readers. You skillfully place your main message in bold, center-stage, surrounded by a sea of empty white space. You sit back, confident that your champion message will reign supreme in the realm of persuasion, showcasing its value like a true maestro, right? WRONG! There is a plot twist.

While cultural factors certainly influence our perceptions of objects and stimuli, as shown by Pracejus et al. (2013), numerous other studies have highlighted the significant impact of contextual factors on our perceptions (Bahnsen,1928<; Koffka, 1935 and Rubin,1958). For example, a yellow dot is more likely to grab attention when surrounded by black dots than when surrounded by cream dots. This principle can be applied to product images, suggesting that they are more likely to stand out when surrounded by empty space.

I Know what you are thinking, advertising campaigns often integrate a harmonious blend of visual and verbal elements, with the aim of collectively enhancing consumer perceptions of product quality. So what happens to the empty space effect when there is a blend of visual and verbal elements?

Research by Hung and Wyer (2008) has demonstrated that when pictures and verbal descriptions are presented together, the verbal information is likely to be transformed into visual representations in the mind of the consumer. These mental images are then integrated, forming a comprehensive impression of the product or constructing a mental model of the scenarios in which the product might be used.

However, how does this process change when individuals are exposed to verbal statements that are less likely to trigger visual imagery?

Drawing from the research of Anderson (1981) and Fishbein and Ajzen (1975), it appears that recipients do not always rely on mental imagery to understand the implications of the information they receive. Instead, they tend to independently interpret the implications of each piece of information and then integrate these interpretations through an analytical process to form their final judgment.

Human cognitive resources are finite therefore we can't devote equal attention to all incoming sensory inputs (Kruschke 2011). Instead, we focus on a selected subset of features that capture our attention (Hoffman and Singh 1997). Pieters and Wedel (2004) findings suggest that the empty space surrounding a verbal message can draw our attention away from the message itself, reducing the cognitive resources allocated to processing it. Consequently, lessen the impact of the message.

Now here is an example from Xianchi and his colleagues research in 2017, you might find interesting; They collected 115 images of statements posted on Facebook over a one-month period, statement surrounded by empty space stimulated fewer responses (number of likes, shares and comments). People shared the statement images to a lesser extent when there was empty space and and gave fewer comments when empty space was appreciable.

Xianchi and his colleagues conducted a series of seven studies during their research, including the one previously discussed. In another study, they discovered a recommendation to take a free pamphlet led to less compliance when empty space surrounded it

In another one, participants were shown one of the four ads as part of an ostensible online survey. They first rated the extent to which they would want to (a) eat and (b) buy Snickers, along scales from 1 (not at all) to 7 (very much). Then, they evaluated the ad in terms of its interestingness, creativity, trustworthiness, impressiveness and funniness along similar scales.

Participants then reported the extent to which the ad “ looked good” and the extent to which text was (a) too difficult to read, (b) too small to read, and (c) too hard to focus on.

The results of the study confirmed that independent of ad size, the advertising effectiveness decreased as the space surrounding the text increased.

The findings discussed are focused on verbal messages, in contrast to visual elements such as product images. The impact on the persuasiveness of the message was specifically attributable to the presence of empty space, rather than other visual characteristics, including the size of the image or the contrast between the image and its background.

Now here is a plot twist, When the participants were told that a computer had randomly generated the verbal message, the empty space surrounding the message had no impact on it's persuasiveness.

The study also revealed that participants had better recall of the message when it was accompanied by empty space, suggesting that empty space can alter recipient's cognitive responses to the message.

For you curious souls who have remained steadfast on this journey of enlightenment, a well-deserved treat awaits!

To reward your endurance and perseverance, I present to you the crème de la crème, the cherry atop the lofty peak of knowledge:

The findings of the research also revealed that when a message opposes an individual's existing beliefs, the recipients experience a motivation to counterargue the message. However, this tendency is observed to be less pronounced when the message is accompanied by empty space. As a result, the presence of empty space around the message increases the likelihood of recipients accepting the advocated position.

Here is why I believe this finding to be the most important revelation of them all; Imagine scenarios where the advocated action is likely to encounter resistance such as donating to an unpopular cause, crafting messages surrounded by empty space can potentially decrease counterarguing and thereby enhance their effectiveness.

Or imagine political advertisements, limited space might amplify the impact of messages supporting a favored candidate or limited space might amplify the effect of messages promoting an opposing candidate as it could reduce counterarguing among the target audience.

In the spirit of transparency, It is essential to recognize that all written communications occur within a specific context, and the exact characteristics of a context-free control condition remain somewhat elusive. The effects of empty and limited space are obviously relative, and in the absence of a control condition, it is unclear whether empty space decreases perceptions of a message’s strength, limited space increases it, or both.

As our academic journey draws to an end, I am eager to hear your thoughts! Have you found the insights uncovered in this research to be refutable, challenging or do they align with your own experiences and understanding? I would be delighted to hear your perspective on this matter, as well as any related experiences you may wish to share. Lets keep the conversation going and inspire one another with new ideas ;)