Chinese researchers have found that social media advertising can make a significant impact on people who are socially connected to the viewers of ads—even more so than on the targeted viewers. This effect is strongest among consumers with weaker rather than strong social ties, and it challenges targeting methods rooted in customer centricity models.
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At Europe’s principal conference on advertising research, a sense of urgency prevailed. ICORIA, held in Bordeaux in late June, saw its first-ever writer’s workshop on how to craft research that resonates with practitioners. It also had presentations on hot-button themes like AI, attention, social media and influencer marketing, as well as highlighting academics’ mission to find solutions to some of the industry’s biggest challenges.
Member Only AccessOn September 21, 2022, speakers from Kantar, Meta, Next Media Partners, Snap, VMLY&R, Wunderman Thompson Intelligence and XRGuild shared insights into how the Metaverse will impact marketers. They discussed implications for interoperability as well as paid advertising.
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.
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.
Member Only AccessAt this Insights Studio, authors from India, Hong Kong and the U.S. showcased their work published in the Journal of Advertising Research on why consumers follow influencers, why people tune out of advertising, what triggers memory and recognition of brands that co-appear in ads, and whether brands are overspending on sport sponsorships. In the concluding Q&A, talking points included parallels of engagement and context effects between the different themes, KPIs in attention and sales outcomes, influencers’ roles as media and creative, and risks for strong brand personalities in sports sponsorships.
At this Insights Studio, speakers on four different continents presented their work published in the JAR, with common themes of attention and frequency. Two presentations focused on banner blindness tactics: one compared the effectiveness of personalization and extreme creative strategies, while the other showed how unexpected ads like pop-ups and floaters drive attention and shape attitudes. A study on roadblock advertising tackled the question: Is this attention-getting tactic worth the substantial cost? And lastly: effects of influencer disclosures over time within a framework of consumer skepticism. A lively Q&A discussion explored the roles of attention and inattention in creative and media, contextual nuances, frequency effects of roadblock advertising and influencer disclosures, differences in attention factors across cultures, and the need for more research overall in the area of attention.
Over the last six months, social media has received a lot of attention on numerous fronts, from economic challenges the platforms are facing to changing hands in ownership to the recent Congressional hearings. This event looked at consumers’ current relationships to social media and their perceptions of social media platforms and use cases. Experts from the Social Council reported on the results of a survey of 2,490 social media users that they had conducted in partnership with Dynata that took a deeper look at social media’s role and function in the daily lives and experiences of its users. The findings unveiled eye opening insights and opportunities to help marketers understand where and how they can engage their target audiences on social media.
On March 16, 2023, the ARF Young Pros led an exploration of the ongoing transformation and future trajectory of social media to help organizations navigate the landscape and create more strategic social media plans. Panelists discussed trends, the role of influencers, creative branding campaigns and more.
AJ Dalal of Publicis Sapient defined the metaverse and outlined some pioneering moves certain brands have taken within it. He also shared advice on how to be successful in this burgeoning new phase of the internet. The interoperability of web 3.0 allows consumers to take their avatar and NFTs across platforms, which unlocks highly personalized and unique experiences and the ability to execute instant settlement in real time. To ensure success, a brand should remember its target market, which in this space is 16- to 25-year-olds, concentrate on what value their experience brings to the consumer, be authentic and specific and consider an evolving roadmap, being transparent with users that the experience rests on new technology and might evolve and improve over time.