shopper insight

How Generative AI Is Reshaping Discovery, Attention and Advertising Exposure

How Generative AI Is Reshaping Discovery, Attention and Advertising Exposure

  • ARF

Large language models (LLMs) are rapidly becoming a new gateway to online information, potentially disrupting traditional search engines, websites and advertising markets. Using detailed clickstream data from 2022–2023, this study examines how adopting LLM tools changes consumers’ online behavior. The authors find that LLM adoption gradually reduces traditional search activity and the browsing of smaller websites, while also lowering display advertising exposure. These results suggest that generative AI may reshape how users access information online and alter the distribution of attention and advertising revenue across digital platforms.

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

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.

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Why Personalization Persuades: What the Evidence Really Says

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.

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