Journal of Advertising, vol. 38, no. 3 (Fall 2009), pp. 33–49. © 2009 American Academy of Advertising. All rights reserved. ISSN 0091-3367 / 2009 $9.50 + 0.00. DOI 10.2753/JOA0091-3367380303 Research designed to measure how ad-evoked feelings influence advertising effectiveness has produced a rich body of empirical data during the past 20 years (Batra and Ray 1986; Derbaix 1995a and 1995b; Edell and Burke 1987; Homer and Yoon 1992; Zeitlin and Westwood 1986; for a review, see Brown, Homer, and Inman 1998). However, most advertising research examines the influence of ads (e.g., television commercials) in isolation, even though in reality, commercials appear in blocks, embedded in or between programs. Because prior research fails to account for the influence of the surrounding commercials in a given sequence, previous research results that describe affec- tive reactions cannot be generalized to situations in which ads appear in blocks. The common practice of presenting a group of commercials in an uninterrupted sequence thus raises the question of whether commercials create affective atmospheres for other advertisements in the same sequence that enhance or reduce the persuasive effects of those advertisements (Brooker 1981). We also extend earlier research into the role of context on affect generation (Aaker, Stayman, and Hagerty 1986; Broach, Page, and Wilson 1997). Consequently, our work offers clear managerial implications. In this study, we attempt to define the effects of commercials as contexts for other commercials embedded in the same pod, specifically, how the affective reactions elicited by the target commercial are impacted by the affective reactions induced by other commercials in a block. Moreover, by demonstrat- ing that ad context is not merely a neutral or unimportant background but rather influences the effectiveness of an ad, we expand strategic approaches to context choices, which should help advertisers understand the potential effects of their ad context. To contextualize our study, we contrast it with two rela- tively similar research streams. First, our research does not deal with the effect of the program as the context for ads. Whereas program context influences the affective reactions induced by commercials (Aylesworth and MacKenzie 1998; Coulter 1998; Goldberg and Gorn 1987), much less is known about our topic, that is, the effects that occur within the commercial pod. Second, whereas Baumgartner, Sujan, and Padgett (1997) study sequence preferences on the basis of reactions within a single commercial, we investigate the sequence of affective reactions across different commercials in the same pod. This is important because copy testing is based on a single commercial or an artificial sequence, thus neglecting the fact that if ads create a context that influences the affective reactions induced by subsequent ads, pretest results and their diagnostic value may be virtually worthless. Our study extends earlier work by Wright-Isak (1997, p. 219), which suggests, “The first ad in a pod is the imme- diately antecedent context for the second, and both are the context for the third.” Therefore, we limit the context to the other commercials within the same commercial break. BACKGROUND The impact of context on advertising effectiveness is one of the most popular topics among advertising professionals (De Pelsmacker, Geuens, and Anckaert 2002; Kirmani and Yi 1991; Tavassoli, Shultz, and Fitzsimons 1995; Yi 1990a). Although little is known about affective responses to ads in a sequence within a commercial break or pod, the related issue of program context has been well documented. Research on Ingrid Poncin (Ph.D., Catholic University of Mons [FUCAM]) is a professor of marketing, Lille School of Management, Lille School of Management Research Center, Lille Norde de France University, France. Christian Derbaix (Ph.D., Catholic University of Louvain) is a professor of marketing, Catholic University of Mons (FUCAM), and head of LABACC (Consumer Behavior Analysis Laboratory), Mons, Belgium. COMMERCIALS AS CONTEXT FOR OTHER COMMERCIALS Threat or Opportunity? Ingrid Poncin and Christian Derbaix ABSTRACT: Most commercials designed to elicit affective reactions do not appear in isolation but frequently together. Consequently, a crucial question arises as to whether ads trigger affective reactions to ads shown in the same pod. The authors report on three experiments that use verbal and nonverbal measurement tools to assess these types of effects. Building on assimilation–contrast theory, they find that context effects such as ad sequence influence affective reactions. Positive results occur when an ad designed to invoke moderate or low emotional responses follows an ad evoking strong or moderately positive affect, whereas there is a threat when such an ad follows a strong negative emotional ad.