Measuring and Testing Advertising-Induced Rotation in the Demand Curve

Advertising can rotate the demand curve if it changes the dispersion of consumers valuations. We provide an elasticity form measure of the advertising-induced demand curve rotation in five demand models and test for its presence in the U.S. non-alcoholic beverage market. The AIDS model reveals that doubling advertising spending rotates the demand curves clockwise for milk, and coffee and tea with associated slope changes of 7.3% and 11.6%. Soft-drink advertising rotates its demand curve counterclockwise. Our policy suggestion is that milk and soft-drink firms might enhance profits by timing advertising to coincide with high- and low-price periods, respectively.