A global panel of experts synthesized their work, which was selected from the September edition. The timely and relevant topics connected with a number of touchpoints:
Emma Rodero — Professor, Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) Barcelona’s Department of Communication
Do Your Ads Talk Too Fast to Your Audio Audience?
With more insight into delivering messages that connect, Emma Rodero seeks to understand not just if consumers receive a message but how well they understand it. Her research is grounded in a sample of 200 English- and Spanish-speaking adults whose psychophysiological measures (heart rate and skin conductance), memory tests, and self-reported data were compiled to understand respondents’ ability to process speech at different rates of speed.
Harsh Taneja — Associate Professor, Department of Advertising at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Media
The Myth of Targeting Small, but Loyal Niche Audiences
As consumers enjoy unlimited choices in the digital marketplace, advertisers often turn away from websites with mass appeal toward niche outlets. But Harsh Taneja’s research provides strong evidence that the belief that small, niche markets are loyal and should be the focus of media efforts—can be ill-fated, diminishing the potential for reach.
Erik Modig — Assistant Professor, Stockholm School of Economics’ Center for Consumer Marketing
Quantifying the Advertising-Creativity Assessments of Consumers versus Advertising Professionals: Does It Matter Whom You Ask?
When they consider design components of their messages, advertisers need to clearly understand how the advertisement may be meaningful from a consumer point of view. Their view, in fact, can be quite different from advertising professionals’ —the two groups adopt significantly different perspectives as to exactly how to weigh the different dimensions of creativity. In their research, Erik and team found that the three best documented dimensions in the ad-creativity literature—originality, appropriateness and execution—contributed to the creativity ratings of the two groups. And, in examining prior research, they found a glaring gap: that most ad agencies have yet to develop any formalized definition of advertising creativity.
Yoon Joo Lee — Associate Professor, Washington State University, Edward R. Murrow College of Communication
How Do Generational Differences Drive Response to Social-Issue Ads?
In pursuit of understanding consumers’ unique needs and desires, marketers have been able to deeply engage with consumers. Research on generational differences has identified important segmentation strategies which support such engagement. But only a few studies have examined how different age groups’ value systems affect the perception of an advertising message. That’s where Yoon Joo’s research comes into play, focusing on how generational differences drive consumers’ response to corporate social responsibility (CSR) ads. Find out how her theoretical approach and measures can help CSR advertisers craft their messages more closely to their audience generational segments.