The Theory of Advertising

The founding book of advertising psychology, by the first psychologist to study ads in the lab. Scott explains how attention, memory, suggestion, habit and emotion decide whether an ad works.

Walter Dill Scott

A psychologist explains how buyers respond to ads and sales talks: attention, interest, persuasion and the value of each appeal. It is based on lectures given to the Advertising Men's League of New York.

Harry L. Hollingworth

An experimental study of what makes an ad noticed and remembered. Adams tests size, position, color, repetition and illustration, and turns the results into practical rules for advertisers.

Henry Foster Adams

Recent research on how children and teenagers recognize and deal with persuasive messages, from influencer posts to advergames. It explains what advertising literacy is and how it can be taught.

Brigitte Naderer, Nils S. Borchers, Ruth Wendt, Thorsten Naab