Current Issue Summary
June 2025 (Vol. 65, Issue 2)
Editor’s Desk
Whether We Know It or Not, We’re All Slowly Befriending AI Agents
This special issue of the Journal of Advertising Research explores the transformative impact of generative AI on advertising. Curated by guest editors Ben Lowe, Des Laffey and Eddie Luo, the collection covers AI’s role in creative workflows, consumer responses to AI-generated ads, and enhanced ad performance measurement. In his editorial, JAR Editor-in-Chief Colin Campbell discusses how AI agents are becoming digital companions, influencing consumer decisions. This issue offers essential insights into the evolving relationship between advertising and AI.
Advertising and Generative AI: How Can Advertisers Leverage New AI Tools? Introducing a Special Issue on Generative AI in Advertising
This introduction by the special issue co-editors outlines the transformative impact of generative AI (GAI) on the advertising industry, highlighting its promise and challenges. GAI tools now power many aspects of advertising—from content creation to audience targeting—and offer significant efficiency and personalization benefits. However, they also raise ethical concerns, such as authenticity, privacy, and consumer trust. The special issue brings together seven articles that examine GAI’s effects on creativity, consumer perceptions, personalization and data use, illustrating that while GAI can enhance advertising, it must be thoughtfully integrated to maintain brand authenticity and consumer engagement.
Harmony or Discord? The Intersection of Generative AI and Human Creativity in Advertising
This study explores how AI is reshaping creative processes while human insights drive brand strategy and emotional connections. Through interviews with senior advertising executives, the research reveals that AI can enhance efficiency by handling routine tasks, while human creativity ensures brand authenticity and emotional resonance. However, the study also identifies risks, such as creative homogenization and ethical concerns, emphasizing the irreplaceable value of human creativity in maintaining brand identity and fostering meaningful consumer connections.
Exploring the Integration of Generative AI in Advertising Agencies: A Co-Creative Process Model for Human–AI Collaboration
How are advertising agencies integrating generative AI into their creative processes? This new study in the JAR focuses on this question, specifically on text-to-image tools like DALL-E. Using interviews with industry professionals, the researchers develop a co-creative process model with four key stages: readiness, co-creativity, validation and execution. The study reveals that successful AI adoption requires an adaptive mindset, technical skills and a balance between human creativity and AI capabilities. The findings offer practical insights for agencies seeking to harness AI without undermining creative quality.
The Differential Impact of AI Salience on Advertising Engagement and Attitude: Scary Good AI Advertising
Explore the concept of AI salience in advertising, with this new research, which examines how the noticeable use of AI in ad creation affects consumer reactions. Across four studies, the researchers find that while AI-salient ads generate higher engagement (such as more comments), they also evoke more negative emotions, such as fear and anxiety, which negatively impact ad attitudes. The study demonstrates that consumers’ awareness of AI’s role in creating ads which trigger emotional responses that lead to resistance and negative perceptions. The findings suggest that while AI salience can boost engagement, it also presents a risk of harming brand attitudes if not managed carefully.
When AI Doesn’t Sell Prada: Why Using AI-Generated Advertisements Backfires for Luxury Brands
How do consumers react to luxury brand advertisements that disclose the use of AI-generated imagery? Through three experiments, one real-world field test and two lab studies, the researchers find that AI disclosures lead to more negative consumer responses when associated with luxury brands. This is largely due to perceptions that AI-generated ads require less creative effort, which undermines the perceived authenticity central to luxury branding. However, the negative effects of AI disclosure can be mitigated if the AI-generated imagery is highly creative, which restores a sense of effort and authenticity. The study concludes that while AI can offer cost-effective visual production, luxury brands should use it judiciously and strategically, particularly ensuring transparency and emphasizing creativity to avoid damaging brand perception.
The Inverted U-Shaped Effect of Personalization on Consumer Attitudes in AI Generated Ads
Investigate how consumers react to varying degrees of personalization in AI-generated advertisements. Through three experiments across different contexts (travel, sports drinks, and smart speakers), the researchers find that consumer attitudes toward AI-generated ads follow an inverted U-shape: moderate personalization leads to the most favorable responses, while low and high levels are less effective. The key factor is the balance between perceived utility and perceived threat (PUTD). Moderate personalization maximizes utility without triggering strong privacy concerns, whereas excessive personalization increases perceived threats and reduces trust. The effect is stronger among consumers with high privacy concerns, emphasizing the need for advertisers to tailor personalization carefully.
Choosing the Right AI-Generated Endorser: Human-like vs. Cartoon-like Avatars for New Product Endorsement
Investigate how consumers respond to two types of AI-generated endorsers—human-like and cartoon-like avatars—when promoting new products. Conducted across three experiments with over 1,200 participants, this research finds that human-like avatars are generally preferred, especially when consumers are more aware of them. The study also reveals that visual thinking plays a critical role in shaping consumer preferences and that positive emotions generated by human-like avatars can boost the effectiveness of ads, particularly in both freemium and premium pricing strategies. These insights offer practical guidance for advertisers on leveraging AI avatars for effective product endorsements.
Unleashing the Power of AI And Big Data for Advertising: A Framework for Intensive Longitudinal Mediation When Using AI to Study Advertising
Discover how AI and big data can transform advertising research by providing continuous, real-time insights into consumer behavior. The authors introduce a framework for using intensive longitudinal mediation, an advanced method that captures how advertising effects unfold over time—revealing when an effect begins, peaks, and ends. This approach goes beyond traditional methods by tracking the psychological processes that drive consumer responses, offering advertisers a deeper understanding of how their messages influence audiences at every stage. The study also provides practical guidelines and a case example to help researchers and marketers apply this method, making it a valuable tool for anyone looking to leverage AI and big data for more accurate advertising insights.