consumer behavior

How Effective are Cause-Related Messages in Advertising Today?

  • CMO Brief

During the last five years, we have seen an upswing and change in the inclusion of values in advertising, especially the increase in cause-related marketing (CRM) which includes messages about societal goals such as sustainability, ESG (environmental, social and governance) and DEI (diversity, equity/equality and inclusion). Given marketers’ interest in these issues—ranging from wanting to express support for causes to being concerned about a possible backlash—the ARF has reviewed the research on cause-related marketing as well as related issues, such as ads with more general pro-social and altruistic messages. ARF researchers conclude that ads with cause-related messages can be effective, but many are not. Future research should focus on which kinds of messages are most effective among different consumer groups.

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More Summer Reading

The Wall Street Journal has compiled a list of “the best marketing books.” They are mostly critical of advertising.  Read more »

AI, Chatbots and Market Research

While the impact of AI and chatbots on advertising is widely discussed, there has been less focus on their role in marketing research. MSI events and an MSI working paper have addressed the issue and reached noteworthy conclusions. Read more »

Do Mobile Apps Lead to More Equitable Customer Service?

  • MSI

Is there bias in terms of remediating service complaints? Do customers in wealthier, more educated areas get their complaints resolved easier or more quickly? The researchers behind this Marketing Science Institute (MSI) working paper analyzed data from Boston’s 311 information system to find out. The paper finds that service complaints from highly educated census blocks are more likely to be resolved more quickly than those in less educated neighborhoods. However, mobile phone applications can reduce this gap by giving customers a standardized communication tool for filing complaints. Researchers used an instrumental variable approach to address endogeneity in mobile app use.

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Advertising Effectiveness: Performance Measurement in the New World of Privacy and Tools

  • Insights Studio

On July 26, measurement practitioners discussed how to adapt to this new era of privacy with tools for measuring ad performance effectiveness. Panelists explored new considerations for existing methods, such as marketing mix modeling (MMMs) and multi-touch attribution (MTAs), and discussed the pros and cons of various privacy enhancing technologies (PETs), including multi-party computation, clean rooms, and more.

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How to Measure Trust in Brands

A new study indicates that most measures of brand trust are flawed because they are based on questionable assumptions about consumers’ understanding of “trust”.  Read more »

ATTENTION 2023

On June 7, 2023, attention economy experts came together in NYC to share case studies and participate in engaging discussions on the attention measurement landscape. Plus, attendees heard a recap of the issues debated at AUDIENCExSCIENCE and an update on Phase I of the ARF Attention Validation Initiative, an empirically based evaluation of the rapidly developing market for attention measurement and prediction.

Ad-Spend Cues, Deepfakes/A.I., Badass Endorsers and Influencer KPIs

At this Insights Studio, authors from three different continents showcase their recently published work—including the JAR Best Paper 2022 on how advertising expenditures drive consumers’ perceptions of ad and brand quality. Also featured are studies on deepfakes and AI reshaping the advertising industry, the success of using product endorsers who are actors known for roles portraying despicable characters, and KPI patterns of social media influencers across several platforms. Talking points in the concluding Q&A span the future of AI in advertising and influencer marketing, machine-driven decisions for choosing endorsers, and factors (product- and economic-related) affecting consumer perceptions of quality in TV ads and engagement in user-generated content.