Empathy with influencers? The impact of the sensory advertising experience on user behavioral responses

Short-form video influencer advertising offers new opportunities for user sensory experience to promote advertising effectiveness and induce positive user responses. This unique means of influencer-generated advertising via short-form videos has not yet been investigated. This study builds on the reciprocity norm of social exchange theory to investigate relationships among ad sensory stimuli (i.e., the sensory advertising experience), the efficacy of influencer advertising (i.e., empathy and altruistic motive), and user behavioral responses (i.e., ad avoidance intention, ad engagement, and purchase intention). It also seeks to shed light on the critical role of perceived influencer effort in these relationships. An empirical study using data from TikTok (Douyin) users and results indicate that sensory advertising experience positively affects user behavioral responses through the serial mediation of empathy and altruistic motive. Additionally, perceived influencer effort is found to be a crucial moderator of the effect of sensory advertising experience on user empathy, which further influences user behavioral responses. The findings provide insight into the persuasion effect and mechanism of short-form video influencer advertising and offer suggestions for advertising campaign designers.     

Effects of game‐product congruity on in‐app interstitial advertising and the moderation of media‐context factors

Advertising has become one of the major sources of game apps revenues and interstitial ads, in particular, are the most used monetization method among the types of in‐game mobile ad formats. Interstitial ads overlaid on top of a mobile game app have more obvious advertising intent and a higher degree of forced exposure and perceived intrusiveness. This study examined how the degree of congruity (high vs. moderate vs. low) between the promoted products in interstitial ads and the mobile game app environment affects consumers’ responses. The moderating effects of media‐context factors (i.e., excited– or calm–happiness game types and game immersion) were further assessed. The results of two experiments revealed that game‐product congruity lead to better consumers’ responses toward ads and advertised products. The positive effects of game‐product congruity were more salient when consumers played calm–happiness games and were less immersed in the game. Theoretical implications on integrating perspectives across disciplines such as schema theory, happiness, and immersion within the media‐context framework, as well as practical suggestions are discussed.     

Advertising and Word-of-Mouth Effects on Pre-launch Consumer Interest and Initial Sales of Experience Products

This study examines how consumers' interest in a new experience product develops as a result of advertising and word-of-mouth activities during the pre-launch period. The empirical settings are the U.S. motion picture and video game industries. The focal variables include weekly ad spend, blog volume, online search volume during pre-launch periods, opening-week sales, and product characteristics. We treat pre-launch search volume of keywords as a measure of pre-launch consumer interest in the related product. To identify probable persistent effects among the pre-launch time-series variables, we apply a vector autoregressive modeling approach. We find that blog postings have permanent, trend-setting effects on pre-launch consumer interest in a new product, while advertising has only temporary effects. In the U.S. motion picture industry, the four-week cumulative elasticity of pre-launch consumer interest is 0.187 to advertising and 0.635 to blog postings. In the U.S. video game industry, the elasticities are 0.093 and 1.306, respectively. We also find long-run co-evolution between blog and search volume, which suggests that consumers' interest in the upcoming product cannot grow without bounds for a given level of blog volume.     

The Key to 360-Degree Video Advertising: An Examination of the Degree of Narrative Structure

In this study, we compared three 360-degree video ads with their counterparts—three standard video ads—in terms of perceived ad novelty, presence (i.e., spatial presence, engagement, ecological validity), ad attitudes, and brand attitudes. We proposed hypotheses based on the narrative processing literature, presence literature, the limited capacity model of motivated mediated message processing (LC4MP), and novelty literature. We tested our hypotheses through three experiments. Results demonstrated that the superiority of 360-degree video advertising, compared with standard video advertising, is maximized when its standard version features a moderate degree of narrative structure and is attenuated when its standard version depicts either a low or a high degree of narrative structure.     

Advertising strategies for brand image repair: The effectiveness of advertising alliances

Advertising alliances are an effective shortcut to increase brand awareness and improve brand image. However, few studies have compared the effectiveness of advertising alliances with traditional (single-brand) advertising. Thus, this study focuses on a specific type of brand beliefs – namely, brand personality – and compares the ability of advertising alliances and traditional advertising to strengthen positive traits and downplay negative traits for a real brand in need of image repair. The results show that the advertising alliance is considerably more effective in upgrading positive brand personality traits than single-brand advertising. Importantly, this superior effect remained one week after exposure. The choice of advertising strategy had no effect on negative brand personality traits. Implications for advertising management are discussed.     

Examining the Effectiveness of Fear Appeals in Prompting Help‐Seeking: The Case of At‐Risk Gamblers

With a sample of Australian at‐risk gamblers, this research examines the impact of gender and individual difference in experiential avoidance (EA; cognitive and emotional suppression) on the processing of fear appeals. Study 1, through thematic analysis, explores fear appeal perceptions among at‐risk gamblers. The results identify that relevant threats, such as social and psychological, should be integrated into fear‐inducing advertising stimuli. Study 2 uses multigroup comparisons in structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the robustness of the revised protection motivation model (RPMM) in predicting the effectiveness of fear appeals to induce help‐seeking intentions in at‐risk gamblers. This research examines the boundary conditions of the RPMM through the moderating roles of gender and EA. The results provide evidence that fear partially mediates the impact of perceived susceptibility (PS) on help‐seeking intentions in low experiential avoiders, whereas high experimental avoiders resist fear elicitation. Furthermore, evoked fear does not lead to help‐seeking intentions in male at‐risk gamblers. In female at‐risk gamblers, while fear prompts help‐seeking intentions, PS (i.e., probability of harm) does not translate to behavioral intentions via fear. For both genders and low and high experiential avoiders, cognitive appraisals of PS significantly and positively impact help‐seeking intentions. This research demonstrates the unique roles of gender and EA on fear appeal effectiveness in at‐risk gamblers.     

WHY DO PEOPLE AVOID ADVERTISING ON THE INTERNET?

This study was designed to provide insights into why people avoid advertising on the Internet. Recent negative trends in Internet advertising, such as "banner blindness" and extremely low click-through rates, make it imperative to study various factors affecting Internet ad avoidance. Accordingly, this study builds a comprehensive theoretical model explaining advertising avoidance on the Internet. We examined three latent variables of Internet ad avoidance: perceived goal impediment, perceived ad clutter, and prior negative experience. We found that these constructs successfully explain why people cognitively, affectively, and behaviorally avoid advertising messages on the Internet. Perceived goal impediment is found to be the most significant antecedent explaining advertising avoidance on the Internet.     

Predicting Consumer Avoidance of Native Advertising on Social Networking Sites: A Survey of Facebook Users

Abstract

As a result of constant efforts to improve consumers’ online advertising experiences, native advertising has started to gain popularity on social networking sites (SNSs). This survey study examined antecedents of avoidance of native advertising on SNSs and the moderating role of consumer skepticism toward native advertising. Our findings suggest perceived intrusiveness and perceived informative and entertainment advertising value as major antecedents of consumer advertising avoidance. Additionally, the number of brands that consumers are following on SNSs and negative communication among peers on SNSs were found to be factors affecting native advertising avoidance. Finally, consumer skepticism toward native advertising was found to be an important moderating variable in the mechanism of advertising avoidance on SNSs.     

消费者对网络视频关联广告的躲避行为研究--基于逆反心理视角

视频播放页面中，关联广告的不恰当出现会干扰消费者正常观看视频，限制其自由，进而使消费者产生逆反心理，采取关闭广告的躲避行为。这严重影响了消费者对网络视频关联广告的接受意愿，造成商家大量广告费用的浪费。本研究针对超限逆反和评定逆反两种逆反心理构建消费者对网络视频关联广告躲避行为影响因素的理论模型，并利用结构方程进行实证分析。结果表明，消费者的躲避行为主要来源于超限逆反与评定逆反。信息暴露程度、恼怒感对超限逆反产生正效应，认知评价对其产生负效应；恼怒感、感知风险对评定逆反产生正效应，网络广告激励、关联程度则对其产生负效应，信息暴露程度对评定逆反的影响不显著。     

The Impacts of Consumer Personality Traits on Online Video Ads Sharing Intention

Abstract

Despite the increasing importance of advertisement sharing, research on the characteristics of people sharing advertisements with others is limited. This study examines the impacts of personality traits on online video advertising sharing intention (OVASI). The results show that extraversion, neuroticism, and openness to experience among big-five personality traits have positive impacts on OVASI. Particularly, the effect of extraversion on OVASI was positive and the largest among personality traits. Implications of the findings, as well as suggestions for further research, are discussed.     

The Power of Creative Advertising and Consumers’ Perceived Risk

Despite the growing importance of creative advertising as an effective marketing tool, little is known about the process through which it influences preexisting attitudes for familiar brands and factors that moderate its effectiveness. To fill this gap, A 2 advertising type (creative vs. normal) by 2 product category (high risk vs. low risk) experiment was conducted. Four creative ads and four normal ads were developed for some familiar brands and were exhibited for participants. Results indicate that creative ads significantly lead to more favorable ad credibility, ad attitude, brand attitude, and purchase intention than normal ads. Perceived product risk was found to moderate the effectiveness of creative ads.     

National culture and incentives: Are incentive practices always good?

This study evaluates national culture’s influence on the incentive practice-firm performance relationship. Hofstede’s work (1993) and institutional theory (North, 1990) suggest national culture will moderate incentive effectiveness, while others suggest it has minimal impact (Gerhart & Fang, 2005). We find performance orientation (PO), in-group collectivism (I-GC) and uncertainty avoidance (UA) dimensions explain strength and direction of incentive-performance relationships. Profit-sharing―performance relationships are favorably supported by cultures with high PO, high I-GC, and low UA; however, the individual-bonus―performance relationship is enhanced by the near-opposite culture profile. There was no evidence that the team-bonus―outcome relationship is influenced by national culture.     

Book Review

Media fragmentation and proliferation, in concert with declining television advertising efficacy, has engendered interest in developing more effective ways to reach consumers – particularly non-users of a brand. This study explores the effect of active product placement in computer games on both brand attitude (A_brand) and recall. Findings suggest that exposure to a particular brand in a computer game can increase A_brand among consumers whose pre-existing attitude towards the brand in question is fairly low. We conclude that product placement within computer games is an effective means of fostering high spontaneous brand recall and even of influencing consumers less positively predisposed towards a brand (analogous to non-users). These findings have promising managerial implications for firms looking to grow their customer base through acquisition and conversion.     

Television Advertising Avoidance: Advancing Research Methodology

New technologies have led to increased television advertising avoidance. In particular, mechanical avoidance in the form of zipping and zapping has gained momentum in recent years. Channel switching or “commercial zapping” studies employ diverse methodologies, including self reports, electronic monitoring, laboratory, and in-home observation which has led to a diversity of reported results. This article proposes advancing and standardizing the methodology to comprise a two-phase hidden observation and survey method. A number of research phases have led to the development of this method to collect both mechanical and behavioral avoidance data. The study includes a detailed outline of the hidden observation approach. The survey phase opens up the potential for the collection of viewer data that may further illuminate television advertising avoidance behavior.     

The Gamification of Advertising: Analysis and Research Directions of In-Game Advertising,Advergames, and Advertising in Social Network Games

The study presents a framework for the analysis of advertising in digital games. It reviews literature on in-game advertising, advergames and advertising in social network games. The framework distinguishes between stimulus characteristics of the game as well as of the advertising that lead to psychological responses toward the game and the brand and to actual behavior toward the game and the brand. It takes into consideration individual factors of the player and social factors surrounding the player. In addition, theoretical models of advertising perception in digital games and issues regarding regulation are addressed. Directions for future research in the area of advertising in digital games are provided.     

When I feel invaded,I will avoid it: The effect of advertising invasiveness on consumers’ avoidance of social media advertising

As companies increasingly use social media as the platform for promoting their products and services, it is critical for consumers to be receptive to social media advertising (SMA). However, consumers may feel invaded when viewing SMA. The literature on advertising invasiveness has focused primarily on consumers’ attention invasiveness (i.e., the interruption of their attention). We argue that such a focus is limited, and we propose space invasiveness as an additional dimension for understanding advertising invasiveness in social media. Data were collected from Chinese consumers, and the results show that space invasiveness had a stronger effect than attention invasiveness did on advertising irritation, and that irritation in turn led to advertising avoidance. Furthermore, psychological ownership moderated the relationship between social influence and space invasiveness. This study provides important guidelines for practitioners to reduce advertising avoidance in social media.     

Consumers’ responses to native vs. banner advertising: moderation of persuasion knowledge on interaction effects of ad type and placement type

Applying advertising contextual theory, we examined the conditions under which native advertising embedded in a news website was more effective. With the use of college students (n = 189), a 2 (type of ad: native vs. banner) × 2 (type of ad placement: solo vs. duo) × 2 (persuasion knowledge: high vs. low) online experimental design was employed. In the solo condition, native advertising was evaluated more favorably than banner advertising in perceived fit, ad credibility, brand attitudes and click intention. Significant interaction effects between ad type and placement type were found on all dependent variables, with native advertising showing a significant decrease in duo (vs. solo) placement. These interaction effects appeared to be more pronounced for consumers with high persuasion knowledge, confirming its moderating role. Theoretical and managerial implications were discussed regarding the strategic placement of native advertising in news websites.     

Universal differences in advertising avoidance behavior: A cross-cultural study

The avoidance of TV advertising categories often include either mechanical (e.g., switching channels) or behavioral (e.g., talking to someone). Previous research seeking to explain avoidance with demographic and attitudinal factors shows conflicting results. Our aims are: to identify from these factors any that might consistently predict avoidance (by conducting surveys in three quite different cultures, the UK, Chile and Turkey), and: to compare the influence of demographic factors on avoidance with those of attitude to advertising. Males use more mechanical avoidance methods, whereas females use more behavioral avoidance methods. More educated people generally report higher behavioral avoidance. Family size and age help to explain avoidance in some countries but not in others. A negative overall attitude towards advertising is important generally in explaining mechanical avoidance. Behavioral avoidance is more important and is best explained by a combination of demographic and attitudinal factors. Country of residence is significant in predicting behavioral avoidance.     

Towards effective advertising self‐regulation in Australia: the seven components

Despite claims of social and economic benefits, advertising has always had its critics. However, when dealing with unacceptable advertising, advertisers in developed countries usually choose a self‐regulatory approach in order to stave off government intervention. The recent breakdown of one of the world's longest established advertising self‐regulatory programmes in Australia has reopened the 20‐year‐old debate concerned with enhancing understanding of such regulatory systems. This article presents a framework for assisting in improving the effectiveness of advertising self‐regulation that is informed by both the literature and the key findings of an Australian study. The study used a mixed approach to data collection, including in‐depth interviews with regulators, advertisers and public participants and historical analysis of more than 10 000 complaints over a period of 10 years. From this research three key concepts are developed for assisting industry and regulators concerned with regulating advertising in eliminating undesirable features of such systems in the future. The empirical work succeeds in making both a practical and theoretical contribution to advertising self‐regulation specifically and industry regulation in general.     

Receptivity to advertising messages and desired shopping values

Advertising designed around the ‘value’ notion represents a way to deal with widespread retail competition and knowledgeable, empowered consumers. This study empirically examines the influence of receptivity to advertising messages (RTAM) on desired shopping values and assesses whether this relationship is moderated by gender, age, and income. The structural model indicates that, compared to low‐RTAM shoppers, high‐RTAM shoppers tend to perceive each of the six value dimensions, (i.e. monetary cost saving, time cost saving, energy cost saving, post‐sale customer support, engaging store environment, and personal leisure experience) as more important in making a retail patronage decision. Further analysis shows that the links from RTAM to monetary cost saving and to post‐sale customer support are stronger for younger male shoppers. Another interesting finding is that the link from RTAM to monetary cost saving is stronger for high‐income shoppers whereas the link from RTAM to engaging store environment is stronger for low‐ and middle‐income shoppers. If retail advertisers are aware of the value dimensions that are crucial to the high‐RTAM segment within specific target markets, they could achieve advertising goals more effectively and efficiently through tailored advertising messages.