Advertising Creative

• Targets & Segments
• Article

Learn the Effects of a Using a Dialect in Text Ads on Advertisement Recall

• JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

This study explores how dialect wording in advertisements can enhance consumer recall and deepen brand connections. By examining six studies conducted in China, the research demonstrates that dialect advertisements evoke a stronger feeling of groundedness, leading to better recall compared to standard Mandarin ads. The findings are supported by both adjusted recognition scores and eye-tracking data. The study also identifies boundary conditions such as bicultural identity integration, traveler versus settler orientation, and brand characteristics (warm versus competent) that influence the effectiveness of dialect advertising. These insights provide valuable guidance for marketers in choosing the appropriate advertising language to enhance consumer engagement and memory.

• Targets & Segments
• Article

Cause-Related Marketing Messages that are Customer-Centric have Greater Impact

• JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

This study explores the effectiveness of cause-related marketing and how brands can enhance consumer trust by attributing their charitable actions to customers rather than the brand itself. The research shows that when brands share the credit for good deeds with their customers, it reduces perceptions of bragging and increases brand trust. This beneficial effect is particularly significant for brands with high integrity.

The findings are based on three studies involving American adults, which demonstrate that attributing donations to customers (versus the brand) reduces perceived bragging and increases donation intentions and brand trust. The study highlights the importance of brand integrity in moderating these effects.

• Creative & Branded Content
• Article

Circular Economy Framing Increases the Effectiveness of Sustainability Claims

This study explores how circular economy framing can enhance the effectiveness of sustainability claims by making them more concrete and understandable for consumers. The research suggests that using circular economy metaphors can reduce the perceived abstractness of sustainability claims, thereby increasing consumers' willingness to purchase sustainable products. The study conducted three experiments to test this hypothesis and found that circular economy framing significantly improves the concreteness of sustainability messages and boosts consumer engagement with sustainable products. The findings offer valuable insights for marketers and advertisers on how to frame sustainability claims to enhance their effectiveness. By leveraging the circular economy concept, businesses can make their sustainability messages more relatable and compelling, ultimately driving a higher adoption of sustainable products.

• Targets & Segments
• Article

How the Deliberate Use of Slurs Impacts Prosocial Advertising

• JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

When a slur is used, people hear it. Usually, it is either morally wrong or used in a negative way. However, certain nonprofit organizations have turned these words into tools to grab attention in provocative prosocial advertising campaigns. This study examines how such sexist and homophobic slurs can influence consumer engagement and cognitive elaboration. The findings suggest that advertisements containing offensive language can increase the perceived importance of the issue and motivate individuals to seek help or register for training sessions. However, the effectiveness of such advertisements depends on the audience's prior exposure to sexism or homophobia and their perception of the issue's importance.

The study also highlights the potential risks and benefits of using offensive language in social marketing. While offensive advertisements can capture attention and provoke thought, they may also alienate certain audiences. Social marketers should carefully consider their target audience and the context in which offensive language is used to maximize the positive impact of their campaigns.

• Creative & Branded Content
• Article

Using “Containing Language” Effectively Boosts Price Communications Effectiveness

• JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

This study explores the impact of using "containing language" in advertisements on perceived offer fairness and consumer behavior. Identifying useful phrases like "That's it!" and "Period!" can reduce perceived price complexity and enhance perceived offer fairness, leading to higher purchase intentions, the researchers conclude. These findings suggest that marketers can use such language to communicate prices more effectively and responsibly.

The study involved multiple experiments and a large-scale field study, demonstrating that containing language can positively influence consumer perceptions and responses. The research provides valuable insights for marketing practitioners on how to design advertisements that improve consumer trust and engagement.

• Targets & Segments
• Article

How Virtual Mirrors Influence Attitudes about Beauty Products

• Journal of Advertising Research

Augmented reality holds much promise for advertising. However, little research has investigated the impact of it or virtual mirrors in advertising. This study, recently published in the Journal of Advertising Research, focuses on how self-referencing, self-awareness, self-focused attention and self–brand relationships affect consumer attitudes and purchase intentions within this new virtual frontier. The research highlights the potential of augmented reality to enhance consumer engagement and satisfaction by allowing users to visualize products on themselves in real-time.

The authors conducted a laboratory experiment with university students to investigate the effects of viewing perspectives, types of endorsements and the use of beauty filters in virtual mirrors. The findings suggest that while virtual mirrors can enhance product attitudes, they do not significantly influence purchase intentions. The study provides valuable insights for marketers on tailoring augmented reality advertising strategies to different cultural contexts.

More analysis and the full study is available to ARF members.

• Targets & Segments
• Article

Racial Minority Representation Increases Advertising Effectiveness in Mortgage Markets

Explore the impact of racial minority representation in TV advertisements on consumer choices in the mortgage market in this new MSI working paper. The study employed a double machine learning model to control for high-dimensional video and text features, ensuring robust estimates. Its findings reveal that higher minority presence can significantly increase TV advertising effectiveness.

• Creative & Branded Content
• Article

Music’s Impact on Visual Scene Interpretation in Media

The study explores how music influences the emotional and semantic interpretation of visual scenes in media. It employs a large-scale empirical approach to assess both implicit and explicit participant responses to various audio-visual combinations, revealing music's nuanced effect on semantic attribute ratings.

• Creative & Branded Content
• Article

Decoding Fusion Metaphors in Healthcare Advertising

Uncover the intricate dynamics of fusion metaphors in health advertising and their paradoxical effects on consumer attitudes. This article reveals how combining elements from diverse domains can alternately attract and mislead, shaping public perception in unforeseen ways.

• Creative & Branded Content
• Article

Generative AI Can Make Ad Creative Better Than Humans Alone

Have we reached the John Henry moment in ad creative where the machine can outperform a human in creating visuals for ads? Not quite. Generative AI does have a place in creative, however. This Marketing Science Institute (MSI) working paper found that GenAI when trained on ads which were rated the most effective by consumers can create ad visuals and text that outperform the originals in KPIs related to the purchase funnel and brand associations. Yet, the human element has not been cut out just yet. In fact, it might be pivotal to the process. The human AI combo saved time and effort and created pleasing visuals while maintaining a brand’s distinctive positioning.