AR/VR

The Impact of Avatar Presence on Consumer Behavior in VR Environments

The Impact of Avatar Presence on Consumer Behavior in VR Environments

  • Journal of Advertising Research

This set of two studies, recently published on the Journal of Advertising Research’s website, investigates the impact of retail store employee avatar presence on consumer behavior within virtual reality environments. Not much research has investigated avatars in this context and what influence they may have on consumer attitudes and behavior.

This study duo reveals that consumers experience aversive responses to employee avatar presence in embarrassing shopping settings, such as the purchase of condoms or adult diapers. It also demonstrates that employee avatars decrease consumers' purchase behavior, including time and money spent on a purchase in embarrassing VR contexts. Consumers are also less likely to recall the brand of an embarrassing product.

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Current Opportunities and Challenges VR Presents for Advertisers

Current Opportunities and Challenges VR Presents for Advertisers

  • Journal of Advertising Research

Before the resurgence in interest in AI, virtual reality was the technology everyone was excited about. Despite the hype, advertisers have been slow to adopt VR environments. Why is this? This study, which was recently made available early online on the Journal of Advertising Research’s website, explores the potential and challenges of VR environments for advertising in its current state.

Widespread adoption has stalled, the study finds, due to obstacles such as limited reach, anticipated lack of ROI, lack of technical expertise and poor interoperability. However, the metaverse offers unique opportunities for advertisers, leaving a sort of resonating impact that other media cannot convey, because they do not engage the user in as immersive an experience as VR offers.

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Are Virtual Influencers More Effective in Real-World Settings?

Are Virtual Influencers More Effective in Real-World Settings?

  • Journal of Advertising Research

Virtual influencers are computer-generated personas that engage with audiences on social media and in the metaverse. This study explores whether virtual influencers are more effective in advertising when they include real-world elements, such as interacting with real humans or endorsing real-world products. The research is grounded in the Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) framework and investigates how social cues and product types influence consumer perceptions of authenticity and attitudes toward both the influencer and the brand.

The findings suggest that virtual influencers are perceived as more authentic and favorable when they are shown alongside real humans and endorse real-world products. This perceived authenticity positively impacts consumer attitudes toward the virtual influencer and the brand, providing valuable insights for advertisers looking to leverage virtual influencers in their marketing strategies.

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

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How Virtual Mirrors Influence Attitudes about Beauty Products

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.

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What About Brand Safety?

  • Posted: November 3, 2022

A major new study by Meta examined the impact of ad adjacency to risky content. The study concluded that there is “minimal-to-no association for content adjacent to ads regardless of risk severity of the content”.

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