purchase intent

• Creative & Branded Content
• Article

Big vs. Small Influencers: Matching Follower Size to Message Strategy

• ARF
• JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

Should brands partner with influencers who have massive followings—or smaller, more niche audiences? New research shows that the answer depends on how the message is delivered. Using construal level theory, the study finds that follower size signals psychological “social distance,” which shapes how consumers process influencer content. Smaller influencers are most persuasive when brand information is explicit and shared on their own channels, while mega-influencers perform better when branding is subtle or when content appears on brand-owned channels. The results suggest that aligning influencer follower size with message diagnosticity can significantly improve campaign effectiveness.

• Article

Research on Super Bowl Ads

We are again seeing many rankings, analyses and polls about Super Bowl ads. Here is a reminder of lessons from past reports about them. Read more »

• Creative & Branded Content
• Article

When Confidence Cuts Through: How Arrogant Visuals Capture Attention—and When They Convert

• ARF
• JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

Can arrogance work in advertising? New research shows that visually arrogant expressions—such as confident, unsmiling, upward-tilted faces—can significantly increase consumer attention and brand recall. But attention alone doesn’t guarantee sales. Whether arrogance helps or hurts purchase intention depends on how well it aligns with a brand’s positioning. When arrogance reinforces a brand’s sense of leadership or distinctiveness, it can drive stronger buying intent. When it doesn’t, it can backfire.

• Targets & Segments
• Article

Why Personalization Persuades: What the Evidence Really Says

• ARF
• JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

Does personalized advertising really work—or does it risk turning consumers off? A large-scale meta-analysis of 53 experimental studies finds that personalized ads are, on average, more persuasive than non-personalized ones, improving consumer attitudes and behavioral intentions. Crucially, personalization works not because it feels intrusive, but because it increases perceived relevance. When consumers see ads that connect to their interests and identities, persuasion improves—making personalization a low-risk, high-reward strategy when done well.

• Article

ARF KC Key Takeaways: Brand Salience Measurement

Brand salience is a measure of a brand's prominence and recognizability in the minds of consumers, such as how easily consumers recognize and recall a brand when considering a purchase. Strong brand salience has been linked to brand selection and purchase, resulting in brand growth and profitability. Research on parent-line extension salience and benefits of brand salience for portfolio development are presented in these key takeaways.

• Article

ARF KC Key Takeaways: Familiarity & Mid/Lower Funnel

In a review of the limited literature on familiarity related to unaided awareness (also referred to as recall in this report) and consideration occurring in the mid to lower funnel stages, there is a general consensus that familiarity is indeed a prerequisite for consideration and purchase intent, but fewer references to a direct relationship. We did find one industry presentation that compared levels of brand familiarity against recall and consideration as measured by consumer attention that supports a connection between the three. In addition, we’ve included research that provides insights on messaging, creative and targeting for both familiar and unfamiliar brands in the mid to lower funnel.

• Article

ARF KC Key Takeaways: Ad Testing Methods for Brand Metrics and Creative Effectiveness

Over the past five years, a range of ad testing methodologies to evaluate brand metrics and creative effectiveness have been used by researchers. Approaches include early-stage creative tests like in-context concept ad research, neuroscience-based techniques, including eye-tracking and facial coding to gauge attention and emotion, detailed frame-by-frame content analysis, crowd-sourced feedback and AI-driven predictive modeling of ad performance. These methods help link creative elements to brand outcomes.

• Article

ARF KC Key Takeaways: Consumers and CGI/AI in Advertising

Consumer attitudes toward AI, CGI and digitally-generated content in advertising are evolving. These attitudes are highly nuanced and vary significantly across demographics and contexts. While there was no definitive prescription on whether AI or CGI generated ads should be used, the available research highlights the complexity of the issue and human biases, which may change over time as new technologies become more accepted and adopted.