The effect of the motion attributes of spokes-characters on app launch pages on brand memory

PurposeThe use of brand slogans that represent brand concepts on app launch pages can improve user brand impressions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of using animated or static spokes-characters with brand slogans on app launch pages.Design/methodology/approachUsing the theory of attention selection, the authors conducted two experiments to study the boundary and mediation path of the influence of the motion attributes of spokes-characters (static vs animated) on brand memory based on app launch time (3 s vs 5 s), user engagement with spokes-characters and the level of attention to brand slogans.FindingsStudy 1 explores the effect of the interaction between launch time and the motion attributes of spokes-characters on brand memory. The results show that when the launch time of the app is 3 s, the advertisement memory effect of using a static spokes-character is better than that of using an animated spokes-character; when the launch time of the app is 5 s, the advertisement memory effect of using an animated spokes-character is better than that of using a static spokes-character. Study 2 shows that user engagement with spokes-characters and the level of attention given to brand slogans play a continuous mediating role in the effect of the interaction between launch time and the motion attributes of spokes-characters on brand memory.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the marketing literature by expanding the knowledge of spokes-characters and animated visual images, providing new insights for future research.