Advertising Division
2022 Abstracts
Research Paper • Industry Views On Enhancing Digital Advertising • Student • Ritika Agrawal • Advertisers of the industry that were once referred to as “Mad Men” are now incorporating data and becoming the “Math Men.” Marketers’ interest in data and analytics has increased from 8% to 12% in the past five years (Forrester, 2021). However, consumers are often reluctant participants in the use of their personal data for advertising targeting and messaging. This study uses social exchange theory to explore the process through which data are used in digital advertising to improve the e-consumer experience. Through in-depth interviews with executives from leading entertainment and media companies, advertising agencies, and tech firms, the researcher offers three attributes that may improve the ad experience for e-consumers: transparency, relevant and engaging imagery, and frequency of retargeting.
Research Paper • It’s OK to Not Feel OK; Representations of Mental Health in Advertising • Student • Christen Buckley, Pennsylvania State University • COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on mental health in the United States. In response, advertisements are incorporating representations of the mental health crisis. Using textual analysis to evaluate four television advertisements, (two pre COVID, two post COVID) from two brands, HBO and Headspace, this study investigates the key similarities/differences between the pre versus post COVID ads, and the key similarities/differences between the differing brands’ post COVID ads. Implications of mental health representations in advertisements are discussed
Extended Abstract • Advertising During the Pandemic: The Influence of Susceptibility and Severity on “COVID-19 Appeal” Perceptions and Advertising Effectiveness • Student • Colin Piacentine, University of South Carolina • The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between consumer perceptions of COVID-19 and the effects of advertisements using COVID-19 appeals (as defined in this study). Using an online survey, persuasion knowledge, perceived manipulativeness, and attributions (public- or self-serving) will be observed as mediating variables between susceptibly and severity (IVs) and attitudes and behaviors resulting from exposure to the advertisement (DVs). Implication will be discussed.
Research Paper • McAds: Where Collectivism and Culture Collide • Faculty • Sarah Scott, Kennesaw State University; Erin Ryan, Kennesaw State University • Cultural differences can be difficult for people on a personal level, but for a brand it is vital to learn how to understand these differences in order to run a successful business. American fast-food brands have had to learn how to deal with these differences when doing business in China. They struggle between keeping their original standardization from the US and knowing when to implement a more localized plan for their ventures in China. Many fast-food brands have tried and failed to open a successful business in China due to lack of knowledge of Chinese culture. One brand that has successfully integrated themselves into China is McDonald’s, with some people even having “weddings” in them. They appear to have found the balance between standardization, localization, and knowledge of the cultural differences between American individualism and Chinese collectivism. They implemented this knowledge in their marketing and product selection, and this study illustrates this by examining menu differences and advertisements to the Chinese populace. This study helps pave the way for future research into ways in which American brands can successfully market to the Chinese audience.
Research Paper • Humanity for Sale! A Textual Analysis of Zain’s “Mr. President” Commercial • Student • Raghad Sonbul, The University of Southern Mississippi • This paper analyzed media representation of Muslims through a textual analysis of Zain’s commercial in Ramadan 2018. It examines the commercial through the lenses of myths, Marxist theory, and hegemony, as well as Stuart Hall’s levels of analyzing media–“preferred, negotiated and oppositional” readings. The aim of the study was to evaluate the media representation of Muslims from a different perspective than the dominant stereotypes and to examine media effects on audiences. The findings indicated that the commercial was a response to President Trump’s determination that it is time to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, as well as other Arabs issues. The company used the Arab issues to reach millions of people around the world, draw attention and gain profits. However, the commercial raised a debate on social media among supporters and opponents.
Research Paper • When Deception Backfires: Attitudinal and Chilling Effects of Targeted Advertising on Social Media • Student • Marlis Stubenvoll; Alice Binder • The following experiment (N = 340) investigates whether individuals activate three dimensions of persuasion knowledge – perceived persuasive intent, perceived manipulative intent, and targeting knowledge – in response to targeted (versus not targeted) ads and the original sponsorship disclosure (versus no disclosure) on Facebook. Results suggest that individuals’ evaluation of targeted ads as manipulative sparks negative brand evaluations. Moreover, perceptions of manipulative intent could cause chilling effects, through which individuals might restrict their online behaviors.
Extended Abstract • Virtual or Real?: A Comparative Study on Virtual-influencer- vs. Celebrity- endorsed CSR Message • Student • Jeongwon Yang; Ploypin Chuenterawong; Heejae Lee, Syracuse University • Conducting an online experiment with a design of 2×2 between subjects, the study aims to 1) examine the roles of source credibility and source-message fit in enhancing the persuasiveness of messages, by comparing the CSR posts of virtual influencer and celebrity endorsement; and 2) make an interdisciplinary effort to explore an effectiveness of a non-human agent like a virtual influencer in promoting brand equity by drawing virtual reality (VR), influencer marketing, and CSR.
Research Paper • Consumer Responses to CSR during the Pandemic: Investigating the Role of Context/cause Fit and Attribution of Motives in Cause-related Marketing • Student • Huatian Zheng; Anqi Lin; Yixin Guo; Ziyi Pan • The study set out to explore the effect of context/cause fit and attribution of CSR motives on consumers’ responses, and whether cause involvement moderates the process during the COVID-19 pandemic. By using convenience samplings, the present study adopted a 2 × 2 between-subject experiment in which 146 college students were randomly exposed to one of four different CRM ads. The findings implied that exposure to high context/cause fit CRM ads encourages generally positive consumers’ responses. Although attribution of motives did not significantly influence participants’ judgement, the way participants perceive the motives behind CRM ads instead of the pre-existing motive shapes their attitude and purchase intention. Due to the special nature of the pandemic, most participants indicated a high involvement status, resulting in no significant moderating role for cause involvement. Surprisingly, female participants tend to be more sensitive to firm-serving motives and favorable to public-serving CRM ads compared to males.
Extended Abstract • Demystify Computer Generated Influencers: The Role of Perceived Anthropomorphism and Social Presence on Audience’s Attitudes toward CGI’s Sponsored Posts and the Endorsed Brands • Faculty • Regina Ahn, University of Miami; Su Yeon Cho, University of Miami; Sunny Tsai, University of Miami • This study explores how the perceived humanness of computer-generated imagery (CGI) influencers is associated with consumers’ attitudes toward the brand-sponsored posts and the endorsed brand. Our online survey with Gen Z consumers showed that both perceived anthropomorphism and social presence of CGI influencers positively influence consumer evaluation outcomes via the mediators of perceived physical and social attractiveness of the CGI.
Extended Abstract • Chinese Consumer Resistance and Coping Strategies to Live Stream Shopping • Faculty • Xiaofeng Jia, University of Miami; Regina Ahn, University of Miami • Given the explosive growth of live streaming shopping in China, it is critical to explore young consumers’ persuasion knowledge and their coping strategies towards live streaming shopping. Our study aims to understand Chinese consumers’ resistance regarding live streaming experience on e-commerce platforms. Twenty participants were recruited in a local Chinese university to conduct semi-structured in-depth interviews. The study captures several factors that evoke Chinese consumers’ annoyance and counterargument against live streaming tactics, platforms, and sellers.
Research Paper • Why Do We Click on Clickbait? Read on to Find Out Why Persuasion Knowledge Matters • Student • Emily Buteau, University of North Dakota; Joonghwa Lee, University of North Dakota; Soojung Kim • This study tested the moderating role in the effects of clickbait ad type and metadiscourse characteristics on attitudes and intentions toward clickbait advertising. The findings from a two-part experiment indicated that persuasion knowledge moderated the relationship between the effects of clickbait ad type and metadiscourse characteristic on intention to share the ad. Participants with high persuasion knowledge generated higher intentions when shown evidential metadiscourse and more negative intentions when shown exaggeration clickbait. Implications are discussed.
Research Paper • The role of product fit and brand fit on brand co-appearances in television programs • Faculty • Fanny Fong Yee Chan, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong • Brand clutter has gradually extended from traditional advertising to less conventional marketing communication tools. Although brand co-appearance in media content is likely to continue to proliferate, little is known about the phenomenon and its effects. Building on research related to co-branding and comparative advertising, this study systematically examined the moderating role of brand fit and product fit on the effectiveness of brand co-appearance on television programs. Several pre-tests and four experimental studies were conducted. It was found that product fit and brand fit significantly moderated attitudes and purchase intention toward the coappearing products. The empirical results have significant theoretical and practical implications for the field, which are discussed together with the research avenues.
Extended Abstract • Brand activism and political consumerism: Understanding determinants of consumers’ buycotting and boycotting behaviors in the context of brand activism • Faculty • Moonhee Cho; Minjeong Kim, university of tennessee • The study examined the factors influencing consumers’ boycotting and buycotting intentions in response to brand activism. Conducting an online experimental study among 367 consumers, this study found that the consumer-brand stance congruence significantly influenced consumers’ attitude toward the brand, boycotting, and buycotting intentions. The study also revealed moderating effects of issue involvement and brand trust while these moderating effects vary by the product involvement categories. The mediating role of consumer-brand identification was also found.
Research Paper • Understanding Ad-block Wall and Its Effects on Online Publisher and Advertising through Psychological Reactance • Student • Un Chae Chung, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; Chang-Dae Ham; Seo Yoon Lee; WooJin Kim, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; Sang-Hwa Oh, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign • As nearly one third of online users installed ad-blockers, websites relying heavily on the advertising revenue try to overcome this threat by installing ad-block wall on their website, which hinders users from accessing website’s contents. To understand the psychological process of website users when facing this wall, the paper adopted psychological reactance theory and found that different level of ad-block wall can generate different level of reactance outcomes and attitudes.
Research Paper • Advertising in the times of COVID: A Tight-Loose Analysis of Pandemic-Related TV Commercials • Faculty • Cynthia Morton, Department of Advertising, University of Florida.; Naa Amponsah Dodoo, Emerson College; Jorge Villegas, Department of Management, Marketing, and Operations, College of Business and Management, University of Illinois at Springfield; Sophia Mueller, University of Florida; Hye Soo Chang, Department of Advertising, College of Journalism & Communications, University of Florida. • This research explores normative beliefs advocated in the earliest stage of COVID-19 awareness campaigns. The exploration utilizes Tight-Loose Theory and the Hofstede’s dimensions as frameworks to analyze advertisements run from March to June 2020. A content analysis (n=377) found that ad appeals and themes did not strictly follow the predicted expectations of the U.S.’s dominate cultural orientation. This research establishes a benchmark for comparison with the evolutionary stages of COVID-19 advertising.
Research Paper • A Literature Review of Influencer Marketing and Research Agenda: From a Social Network Analysis Perspective • Faculty • Yang Feng, San Diego State University; Quan Xie, Southern Methodist University • The amount of literature on influencer marketing has increased dramatically in recent years. Although extant literature provides valuable insights into the mechanisms of influencer marketing, several research gaps remain, such as inconclusive findings and a lack of a holistic understanding of the endorsement process of influencer marketing. To address the research gaps, we performed a social network analysis (SNA) of findings from 46 journal articles that included 54 distinct studies using Gephi, a network visualization tool. The SNA results revealed seven topic communities and six most important bridging variables (i.e., influencer trustworthiness, parasocial interaction, influencer credibility, brand trust, influencer attachment, and message credibility) in the literature. On the basis of the SNA results and the meaning transfer model, we proposed an integrative theoretical framework to illustrate the independent, mediating, and outcome variables of the endorsement process of influencer marketing. A future research agenda on influencer marketing was also proposed and discussed.
Research Paper • Kidfluencing: The Role of Selling Intent, Logo Presence, and Disclosure Modality on Parental Appraisals • Faculty • Jason Freeman, Brigham Young University; Frank Dardis, Penn State University • Kidfluencers are emerging as valuable brand partners, capable of facilitating engaging peer-to-peer interactions with other child viewers. The current experimental study focuses on the role of disclosure modality, selling intent, and logo presence on parental reactions to kidfluencer content. Findings suggest that the negative consequences of advertising recognition can be ameliorated through sponsorship transparency. However, for some parents, advertising recognition led to greater perceptions of negativity, resulting in unfavorable outcomes. These results suggest that advertising recognition can have diverging consequences, depending the evaluation of the message. Advertising recognition acted as the primary predictor of outcomes related to perceptions of appropriateness of the sponsored content, attitudes toward the brand, purchase intention, and desire to regulate. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
Extended Abstract • Native Ads in the Neighborhood: Sponsored Posts Versus User-Generated Content on Nextdoor • Faculty • Benjamin Johnson, University of Florida; Susanna Lee, University of Florida • This study examines how older adults on the neighborhood-oriented app Nextdoor respond to native advertisements. A within-subjects experiment compared social posts, native ads, and traditional ads. Outcomes included credibility, fear emotion, persuasion knowledge, ad attitude, brand attitude, and purchase intentions. Differences were found in favor of social posts (i.e., posts from neighbors). Native ads were evaluated as more similar to traditional ads than social posts. Finally, the study examines potential mediation and moderation.
Research Paper • Seeing a New Self in Dadvertisements: Responses to Ads and Fatherhood Anxiety • Faculty • Benjamin Johnson, University of Florida; Bhakti Sharma, University of Florida; Sophia Mueller, University of Florida; Cynthia Morton, Department of Advertising, University of Florida.; Jon Morris • Advertising portrayals of fathers have the potential to influence new fathers’ self-perceptions. A 2×2 experiment of 269 men, aged 25-40, compared new fathers’ with non- or established fathers’ emotional response, anxiety, and boundary expansion to dad-targeted advertisements. Emotions and perceptions of the “dad in the ad” were proposed to mediate effects on the persuasiveness of the advertisement. The research found that new fathers felt more anxiety, which produced greater boundary expansion and wishful identification.
Research Paper • Contoured and In Control: African-American Women, Beauty Brand Representation, and Consumer Satisfaction • Faculty • Raegan Burden, University of Florida; Benjamin Johnson, University of Florida; Sophie Jean-Michel, University of Florida; Challet Jeong, University of Florida; Hà Nguyễn; Bijun Wu • Beauty brands such as makeup lines continue to struggle with representing the full diversity of women in their products and advertising. This study is a survey of African-American women aged 25-49, in which they provided their perceptions of 10 popular makeup brands. Self-determination theory was used to demonstrate how seeing one’s self represented in products and advertising increases feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and how this translates positively into consumer attitudes and behavior.
Research Paper • The Role of Perceived Interactivity and User Gratifications to Use Live-Streaming Commerce • Faculty • Eunsin Joo; Jing Yang • Live-streaming commerce has recently emerged as a popular selling channel that encourages consumer interaction and participation while shopping online. The purpose of this study was to investigate how consumers’ perceived interactivity influences the use and purchase intents of live streaming commerce, while exploring the mediating roles of cognitive and affective motivation in the relationships. A scenario-based survey study of 187 American consumers was conducted via Prolific.co. The results showed that perceived interactivity in the live-streaming commerce significantly influenced consumers’ usage intention of live-streaming commerce and purchase intention of the recommended products through live-streaming commerce. Specifically, results showed that perceived utility and enjoyment were significant mediators in between the perceived interactivity and consumers’ usage intention of live-streaming commerce. And perceived enjoyment also plays a significant mediating role in between the perceived interactivity and consumers’ purchase intention. Theoretical and managerial implications, limitations and future studies are also discussed.
Research Paper • Investigating the Marketing Effectiveness of Virtual Influencers • Student • Siu Ting Josie Kiew; ZhaoXi Phua; Jia En Celine Ong; Tze Yen Michelle Lee; Chen Lou • Guided by the Uses and Gratification approach along with the Uncanny Valley Theory, this study sought to understand the phenomenon of virtual influencers. Based on an in-depth interview with 26 participants who are following virtual influencers, this study identified user motivations – including information motivation, entertainment motivation, surveillance, aesthetics, and social identification – for following. We also found that followers perceive virtual influencers as uncanny and eerie. However, followers expressed acceptance towards virtual influencers where authenticity, human-likeness, and self-justification were found to mitigate the effects of the uncanny valley. Finally, in terms of its role in advertising effectiveness, we found that virtual influencers are effective for building brand image and brand awareness but lack persuasive ability to incite purchase intentions. The findings advanced extant literature on user motivations for following virtual influencers in the new edge of social media influencers, provided insights on mitigating factors of the uncanny valley, as well as delineated the efficacy of virtual influencers in advertising campaigns.
Research Paper • Rhetorical Devices in Agency Philosophies: An Analysis of Rhetorical Figures in Slogans of Top Ranking Agencies for Creativity and Effectiveness • Student • Heidi Makady, University of Florida; Kasey Windels, University of Florida • Rhetorical figures in slogans are one way agencies emphasize their philosophies. This study explores the use of textual rhetorical figures in agency philosophies of top ranking WARC agencies. In line with the advertising taxonomy framework, content analysis indicated that irregular models (tropes) were most frequently used. Slogan length and semantic complexity were also positively correlated with WARC creativity scores. The sampling frame for this study is the WARC 2019 – 2020 effectiveness and creativity global rankings.
Research Paper • Adding or Averaging? How Weak Arguments Influence the Persuasive Effects of Strong Arguments • Faculty • Magdalena Obermaier; Thomas Koch • Mostly relying on a “the-more-the-better” heuristic, persuasive communication research has rarely scrutinized the effects of the mutual presentation of weak and strong arguments. Building on research on judgment formation, we conducted four experimental studies on political and health-related topics and demonstrated that providing supporting arguments of moderate strength along with a strong argument increases persuasion (adding). However, presenting weak supporting arguments along with a strong argument reduces the persuasive effect of the strong argument (averaging).
Research Paper • Exploring the Influence of Advertising Spokesperson’s Racial Identity and Product Type Endorsed on Consumer Decision-Making • Student • LOUVINS PIERRE, University of Connecticut; Carolyn Lin • Limited research has examined how racially diverse models in advertising influence consumers’ decision-making process. This research tested how spokespersons’ racial identity and the product type they endorsed influenced evaluation of spokesperson attributes and consumer behavior. Results showed that spokespersons’ race had a significant effect on all variables, but product type only affected purchase intention. A path model also tested how the interrelations between spokesperson attributes, product involvement and information-seeking contributed to explain purchase intention.
Research Paper • Native Twitter Ads: Testing the role of Media Format and Disclosure • Student • LOUVINS PIERRE, University of Connecticut; Anne Oeldorf-Hirsch, University of Connecticut; Yukyung Lee, University of Connecticut • Native advertising is now a common strategy that marketers utilize to advertise effectively. This study used an experimental 3 (text only, text plus image, or video) X 2 (disclosure: present/absent between-subjects design (N = 322) to test how media format and disclosure influence attitudes and behavioral intentions. Results show that only media format has a main effect, such that richer media (videos) help to reduce persuasion knowledge. Moreover, skepticism, intrusiveness, and persuasion knowledge negatively predict attitudes, while manipulativeness predicts both attitudes and share intention. This study is one of the first to examine media format and disclosure, and by implication conclude rich media with disclosure help advertising effectiveness.
Research Paper • Seeker or Sentry? Consumers’ Coping Mechanism with Third-Party Cookie Driven Advertising: Multidimensional Persuasion Knowledge Perspective • Student • Un Chae Chung, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; Ayoung Seok; Chang-Dae Ham • Majority of digital advertising is delivered by third-party cookie-based targeting technology, but little is known how consumers cope with this unique persuasion technology. To fill the gap, this study integrated multidimensional persuasion knowledge, tactic evaluation, and target response strategy into a model. Employing an online survey (N=204), this study found that conceptual persuasion knowledge was both directly and indirectly associated with sentry or seeker strategy via evaluative persuasion knowledge and tactic evaluations. Implications are discussed.
Research Paper • To Tell or Not to Tell: Effects of AI-powered Virtual Try-on Feature and Transparency on Brand Attitudes and Purchase Intentions • Student • Yuan Sun; Jason Freeman, Brigham Young University; Heather Shoenberger; Fuyuan Shen • Through an online experiment (N = 204) where users virtually tried on products recommended from an augmented reality (AR) site, we found that AR experience positively affected product and brand attitudes through vividness and immersion while it also triggered perceived intrusiveness. Being transparent about data collection increased the privacy protection perception and mitigated perceived intrusiveness. Transparency perception functioned as a crucial antecedent of trust, which was moderated by users’ initial belief in artificial intelligence.
Extended Abstract • Extended Abstract: Examining Employee Reception of Corporate Social Advocacy Communicated by Leadership: Effects on Employee-Organization Relationships and Work Engagement • Student • Teresa Tackett; Lucinda Austin, University of North Carolina • The advertising industry engaged in corporate social advocacy (CSA) in response to #CommitToChange, which demanded meaningful action from advertising industry leaders regarding lack of BIPOC representation. Organizations have an obligation to understand how CSA efforts impact internal publics, as well as traditionally studied external perceptions. An online survey examines a sample of employees who work at creative agencies, and attitudes toward their agency’s (lack of) participation, communication and leadership authenticity, employee-organization relationships and work engagement.
Research Paper • Pride and Prejudice and Country-of-Origin Ecological Images • Faculty • Min Xiao; Paul Myers • Consumer demand for eco-friendly products is increasing. To respond to the increasing demand, brands and marketers are offering more products that they claim to be green or eco-friendly. Nowadays, many consumers purchase eco-friendly products online. However, it is very difficult for consumers to verify the validity or credibility of green claims of a product listed on online stores because marketers may not provide any evidence to support their green claims and consumers may lack the ability to authenticate the validity of the claims by themselves. Hence, consumers may have no better choice but to rely on information cues, such as the country-of-origin (COO) or the price of a product, to help them evaluate the credibility of green claims. Two online experiments were conducted to examine how product COO, product price, and product involvement affect consumer perception of product greenness and green claim credibility. The findings suggest that product COO exerts an overwhelming influence on consumer perception.
Extended Abstract • (Extended Abstract) Helping A Friend in Need: A Study of Facebook Fundraisers • Faculty • Fei Xue; Lijie Zhou • Based on Social Impact Theory, the current research examined the effects of different types of Facebook fundraising posts on perceived source credibility, attitude toward the post, intention to click, intention to share, and intention to donate. Three factors of social influence were investigated – relationship strength, immediacy of needs, and number of donations. Main effects were found for immediacy of needs and number of donations. Interaction effects were found in perceived credibility and intention to click.
Research Paper • “Do Good and Be ‘Liked’”: Corporate Messaging on Social Media During COVID-19 and Consumer Responses • Faculty • Jing Yang; Ebbe Bertellotti; Ava Francesca Battocchio, Michigan State University; Camila Teran • This study explores the types of corporate messaging on social media during the outbreak of COVID-19 in the U.S., and its corresponding differences in consumer engagement, attitude, and brand trust. Two independent studies were conducted. In Study 1, we content analyzed corporations’ social media posts and found four types of corporate messaging, namely, internal corporate social responsibility (CSR), external CSR, promotional CSR, and company statement. Among all, internal CSR received the highest consumers’ behavioral engagement as compared to the others. In Study 2, we adopted an online-experimental design to further valid and extend the findings of Study 1. Results showed significant differences among the types of corporate messaging in driving consumers’ behavioral engagement intention, brand attitude and brand trust. Robustly, promotional CSR was the least effective corporate messaging across all. Theoretical contributions, managerial implications and future study directions are also discussed towards the end.
Research Paper • Using Funny Memes in Social Media Advertising: The Moderating Role of Bandwagon Cues • Faculty • Guolan Yang • The study conducted a 2 (image type: funny meme vs. serious image) x 2 (level of bandwagon cue: high vs. low) between-subjects online experiment (N = 258). Results showed that using memes was more effective than using serious images in the setting of brand-related Twitter posts. Consumers perceived the meme post as humorous, which in turn resulted in positive attitudes toward the post and greater intention to share the post on social media. Furthermore, bandwagon cues moderated the meme effect on persuasion through perceived humor. Consumers’ humor perception was enhanced when they were exposed to a meme post with a large number of likes, comments, and retweets. This study used funny memes as humor stimuli, extending the humor literature to social media advertising. Plus, it illustrated the importance of bandwagon effects for humor persuasion.
Research Paper • Realistic skin vs. Flawless skin: An investigation of the appeal of retouch-free advertising • Student • Tingting Yang, Nanyang Technological University, WKWSCI; Chen Lou; Edson Tandoc Jr • “Using retouched models in advertisements to embody idealised beauty prototypes in certain cultures (e.g., flawless skin) has been a widely known yet controversial practice. Considering the emerging trend of “”bare skin look”” in advertising, female consumers’ beliefs about ideal beauty (i.e., skin ideal in this study) and the use of retouching may be changing. Guided by the corporate moral responsibility framework, this study conducted an online experiment to assess ad retouching and disclaimers’ effect on advertising effectiveness. A 2 (model skin: realistic skin vs. flawless skin) x 2 (retouch-free disclaimer: present vs. absent) between-subjects online experiment was conducted among Chinese female participants. Results revealed that although preference of flawless skin still drives Chinese female consumers’ purchase intentions, an ad portraying realistic skin model with a retouch-free disclaimer was more sought after for Chinese female consumers, and Ad honesty mediated the interaction effect of model skin and disclaimer on consumers’ purchase intentions. This study’s findings provide theoretical and practical insights into how brands can better appeal to contemporary female Asian consumers.
Keywords: corporate moral responsibility, disclaimer, retouching, ideal beauty, consumer behaviour”
Research Paper • Outdoor-sports Brand Communities on Instagram: How Message Attributes Relate to Consumer Engagement • Student • Jennifer Shiyue Zhang; Leona Yi-Fan Su • Brands are increasingly using social media to build online communities as part of their marketing efforts. The present study analyzes the Instagram strategies used by three global outdoor sports brands and their respective effects on consumer engagement, operationalized as the number of likes and comments received by posts. Content analysis of 957 Instagram posts from Arc’teryx, Salomon, and Patagonia, focused on messages’ textual, visual, and technical attributes, was conducted. Multiple regression indicated that task- and interaction-oriented posts received more likes than self-oriented ones. Messages that were shorter, posted photos rather than videos, presented “cute” visuals, and mentioned other users were also more likely to motivate consumer engagement. These findings’ implications for marketers seeking to develop Instagram strategies that will effectively boost consumer interaction are discussed.
Research Paper • Blending Sex-Positivity and Racial Justice Advocacy in Black-Centric Health Advertising: Intersectional Health Communication Targeting High-Risk Black Cisgender Heterosexual and Black LGBTQ Populations Through a HIV Prevention Social Media Campaign • Faculty • Minjie Li, The University of Tampa • Health disparity disproportionately impact people of colors, Black LGBTQ members in particular. In order to effectively persuade members from these communities on issues that impact them—such as HIV prevention, health advertising has started to apply the sex-positive approach in their crafting of visual and messaging. Through integrating intersectionality, social identity theory, and distinctiveness theory, the present study examines how different types of sex-positive depictions (i.e., heterosexual, queer) in a Black-centric health advertising campaign interact with audience’s identity to influence the Black cisgender heterosexual Americans and Black LGBTQ-identified Americans’ adaption of the PrEP regimen, advertising perception, and Black identification. Moreover, the study examines how such joint effects might be moderated by the ways in which the campaign incorporate social activism (i.e., intersectional, non-intersectional, no activism). The findings demonstrate that sex-positive depiction indeed interact with audience identity to significantly increase perceived susceptibility to contracting HIV, perceive response efficacy, intention to adopt the PrEP regimen when offered for free, and positive attitudes towards the PrEP ad campaign.
Research Paper • A woman’s view from a man’s world: The reality of being female in advertising • Student • Sophia Mueller, University of Florida; Eliana DuBosar, University of Florida; Kasey Windels, University of Florida • Few studies to date have sought to understand females’ experiences in all departments of an advertising industry. This paper seeks to explore the challenges women have faced in this industry through an analysis of in-depth interviews conducted with 24 practitioners in different agency roles. Interviewees discussed how gender impacted their careers, and their statements were analyzed, revealing five key themes. Implications for advertising practitioners and directions for future research are also addressed.
Research Paper • Pressing Issues of Ethnic Diversity in the Ad Industry: The Professionals’ Perspectives • Faculty • Fang Yang, Grand Valley State University; Robin Spring, Grand Valley State University • “The advertising industry has suffered from lack of ethnic diversity for decades and little progress has been made toward meaningful changes. To probe the reasons for advertising’s diversity lag, in-depth interviews with 17 advertising professionals and a national survey with ad agencies from all 50 states were conducted to gather sentiment and understanding. Research questions ranged from the potential benefits of diversity to the pipeline issue of ethnically diverse talent and the reasons for the persistent imbalance. Emerging insights from this mixed-method study suggest that unconscious bias fueled by political ideology, gender, and size of agency factor into the equation. Suggestions are made to advance ethnic diversity in the advertising workforce with the hope of realizing the many benefits a representative workforce can bring.
Keywords: advertising, ad agency, ethnic diversity, unconscious bias, political ideology”
Extended Abstract • Sell, Ignore, or Address? Examining Consumers’ Emotional Responses to Different Types of Social Media Influencers’ Posts During the COVID-19 Outbreak • Student • Maral Abdollahi; Wonsun Shin; Smitha Muthya Sudheendra, University of Minnesota; Jisu Huh; Jaideep Srivastava • This study examines consumers’ emotional reactions to different types of social media posts from three types of social media influencers during the COVID-19 outbreak. A computational research method was employed to analyze nine discrete emotions. While followers felt more “relief” toward COVID-related posts from micro-influencers, they also felt more “hate” toward their marketing posts. On the other hand, followers found it more acceptable if mega- and macro-influencers tried to sell something during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Research Paper • Social Media Advertising and Big Data at the Intersection: A Diversity Perspective to Interdisciplinary Communication • Faculty • Ye Wang; Huan Chen, University of Florida; Srichakradhar Reddy Nagireddy, BelowFive; Yugyung Lee • The purpose of this paper is to examine the current status of Big Data research on social media advertising, and investigate obstacles and strategies for effective communication across disciplines. The Big Data approach involves two disciplines: advertising and computer science. Thus, the focus of the studies is collaborative research of these two disciplines. Grounded in the theories of interdisciplinarity, weak and strong communication, interactional expertise, two studies were conducted. Study 1 used LDA+BERT topic modeling, pyLDA and wordcloud visualization, and analyzed 199 abstracts of Big Data advertising research papers from 2016 to 2020. Findings showed a clear trend of incorporating machine learning in interdisciplinary advertising research on social media. Study 2 adopted the perspective of the intercultural workgroup communication theory. By interviewing 20 researchers from each discipline, Study 2 found that there is a lack of adequate listening between the two disciplines. The current remedies rely heavily on a sense of openness at intrapersonal and interpersonal levels, and individual go-betweeners with non-authoritative leadership style and interactional expertise. More scalable solutions have to address the issues of evaluating interdisciplinary research in tenure and promotion systems, and institutionalized platforms for disciplines to mingle with each other.
Extended Abstract • Extended Abstract: What Ad Age’s A-List Agencies Learned from COVID-19: A Phenomenological Approach • Faculty • Frauke Hachtmann, University of Nebraska-Lincoln • This phenomenology explores how some of the most successful advertising agencies’ senior executives experienced the global health pandemic in 2020 and what they learned from serving clients when consumers were forced into lockdown, brands slashed their media budgets, and social unrest unfolded simultaneously. The study is based on in-depth interview data from 13 individuals who worked in 10 different agencies of varying sizes across the United States and reveals five qualitative meta-themes.
Research Paper • Effects of narrative-based corporate message and sponsorship disclosure in native CSR advertising • Faculty • Jiangxue Han; Shanshan Lou, Appalachian State University; Fuyuan Shen; Heidi Hatfield Edwards, Florida Institute of Technology • There has been a rise in the use of native advertising as a tactic to inform stakeholders of a company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. In addition, communicating CSR through storytelling has shown to be effective in generating positive brand attitudes through transportation, identification, and engagement. The present study explores the effects of message format (narrative vs. non-narrative) and disclosure prominence (subtle vs. prominent) when communicating a brand’s CSR initiatives on message effectiveness. The findings showed that a narrative CSR advertising message led to greater identification, transportation, and engagement than a non-narrative CSR advertising message. A message with subtle disclosure led to less ad recognition and more positive message evaluations than a message with prominent disclosure. Ad recognition had a negative impact on message attitude, brand attitude, and purchase intention.
Research Paper • Advertising’s Youthful Obsession: How a Valorization of Youthfulness Has Defined the Advertising Industry and Impacted Its Workforce • Faculty • Kasey Windels, University of Florida; Eliana DuBosar, University of Florida; Sophia Mueller, University of Florida • Advertisers serve as cultural intermediaries, using cultural references to create symbolic meaning for goods. Youthfulness is one highly desirable quality brands mobilize to create a sense of cutting-edge style. Based on in-depth interviews with 22 advertising practitioners, this study examines what youthfulness has come to represent in advertising and how that affects the experiences of workers in the industry. Findings suggest discourses of passion and hunger for younger workers and discourses of datedness and disillusionment for older workers are common. The valorization of youthfulness, along with its related discourses, prompt younger and older workers each to engage in particular forms of immaterial labor, or activities that contribute value, but are outside of the constraints of paid employment. While younger workers must spend considerable time engaging in the immaterial labor of following youthful social media and cultural trends, older workers must engage in immaterial labor to embody youthfulness.
Research Paper • Effectiveness of Corporate Social Responsibility Activities in the COVID-19 Pandemic • Faculty • Jueman (Mandy) Zhang, New York Institute of Technology; Yi (Jasmine) Wang, University of Louisville • This study compared two types of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities tailored to the COVID-19 pandemic—donation of tailored products and innovative manufacturing of needed supplies with two types of regular CSR activities—donation of regular products and release of CSR commercials regarding two nondurable products companies. The findings revealed that tailored CSR activities resulted in greater differentiation and innovativeness. The two types of tailored CSR activities, together with regular donation were superior to CSR commercials in terms of company function-CSR activity fit, CSR activity dynamic and company image. The impact of CSR activity type on CSR activity dynamic and company sincerity vary depending on the company and its detailed activities. Similar interaction patterns suggest the possible association between dynamic of CSR activities and company sincerity. All types of CSR activities increased the company CSR evaluations, with tailored donation revealing the salient advantage over others. None of the CSR activities improved brand equity.
Extended Abstract • Extended Abstract: Pinterest Discussions to Support Student Learning in Online Advertising and Media Courses • Faculty • Heidi Huntington, West Texas A&M University • Visual bookmarking app Pinterest, known for its aspirational and consumptive qualities of user’s “pinning” work, has recently made concerted forays into the online advertising and marketing space. At the same time, its visual and collaborative qualities offer unique potential for application in pedagogy. This extended abstract describes a pedagogical assessment study examining a Pinterest-based discussion board series, specifically Pinterest’s role in fostering collaboration and learning in an online digital advertising course.
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