In Rich Media, Poor Media: The Impact of Audio/Video vs. Text/Picture Testimonial Ads on Browsers’ Evaluations of Commercial Web Sites and Online Products, Osei Appiah argues that increasing the vividness of a business Web site by integrating multimedia testimonial ads is expected to make the site more persuasive based. According to Coyle and Thorson (2001), increasing the vividness of a Web site by adding audio and animation is “directly associated with more positive attitudes toward the web site”. 

Appiah’s study attempted to test whether browsers’ responses to multimedia like audio/video testimonial ads on a commercial Web site would significantly differ from their responses to either a commercial Web site with text/picture testimonials or a commercial Website with no testimonials. Multimedia testimonials were expected to enhance the feeling of social “richness” and generate stronger beliefs of being the target audience of a site.  Participants were randomly assigned to browse through a site with or without specific multimedia testimonials. The subjects’ belief that the site was targeting them and their attitude towards the website were both positively impacted by audio/video testimonials more so than visual and text. Even the participants’ attitude towards the laptop they were using was more favorable with audio/video testimonials. 

Although there were significant differences in data that supported Appiah’s hypothesis, the amount the participants could recall the product information and their likelihood of purchasing had no significant differences within the various experimental procedures. These are two critical factors that must be further understood and developed in order to make an economic profit from investing in multimedia development for one’s website. 

Many companies have been reluctant to use “rich media ” features on their retail sites despite evidence that demonstrates a higher customer satisfaction rate and likelihood of revisiting the site compared to those browsed to a test-only version (Berry 1999). Although these studies were produced in the late 1990s and early 2000’s, it is expected that the results remain the same. Human attraction to instant gratification and constant stimulation is something that will continue to persist in our genetic makeup and as a product media marketing tool. With technological advancements and complexity in endorsements rising, it is imperative that companies begin to hone in on their image as well as their marketing strategies and research.