Virtual experience vs. brochures in the advertisement of scenic spots: How cognitive preferences and order effects influence advertising effects on consumers

Virtual experience has begun to play a significant role in the marketing and promotion for the tourism industry. This article demonstrates that the advertising effects of traditional brochures vs. virtual experience would be contingent on consumers’ cognitive preferences. The traditional use of brochures in advertising would be more effective for verbalizers, whereas the virtual experience mode would be more effective for visualizers. Under a hybrid of the two advertising modes, a recency effect was found indicating that the subsequent or more recently experienced advertising mode would generate a greater impact. Moreover, the recency effect of traditional brochures was more apparent for verbalizers, whereas the recency effect of virtual experience was more pronounced for visualizers. The findings provide insights into the contingent use of traditional brochures, the use of virtual experience, and the use of hybrid advertising.