Cognition Council: Values in Advertising or the Content Around It, Part I
Do social values, such as appeals to altruism, social justice, and sustainability in an ad impact consumers’ perception of the brand? If so, how and through which cognitive pathways, and for which population segments? Conversely, do ads that appear within potentially divisive content affect brand-related behaviors? Brand safety continues to be a major concern for advertisers in 2021 as news events and public comments on social platforms continue to ignite concern and controversy.
In 2020, the Cognition Council hosted an event with presentations about advertising in news programming and news sites. This event, which was held on Oct. 14—and the one that follows it in December (Part 2)—expanded on that research with fresh investigations from Twitter, an academic research team, and members of the Cognition Council.
Experts reviewed what is known about pro-social communication, an analysis of the characteristics of altruistic creative assets, research on public attitudes about brands’ embrace of social causes, and case studies focused on the impact of social values on attention and engagement.
The event concluded with a moderated discussion with the presenters on what still needs to be learned about the effects of potentially divisive content and altruistic appeals in advertising and whether the current inclusion of pro-social motivations in ads will be sustainable as we emerge from the pandemic.
This event:
- Provided additional evidence about brand safety concerns, such as placements in potentially divisive or social media conversations (Part 1) or news content (Part 2).
- Helped advertisers and agencies harness effective strategies for integrating pro-social messaging into their advertising.
- Discussed an issue of increasing importance in the current advertising climate, particularly for Millennials and Gen Z.
- Provided a research-based overview of the pathways through which altruistic appeals can be effective.
- Contributed to conversations about the good that advertising can do.
Speakers
Merchant Mechanics/Dartmouth College
Ipsos
RMT
ARF
