Inside the Journal of Advertising Research: Going “Dark,” Causality, Gender and Creativity

At this Insights Studio, a global line-up of speakers from the U.S., Europe and Australia presented their research on the impact of halting advertising; methods to improve data analysis into TV ad effectiveness; gender-role signaling in ads; and the process for creating emotional advertising. The event offered hands-on, actionable insights into a broad range of topics, with new methodologies that advance knowledge in existing research.

Topics discussed:

• Going dark: What happens to sales when brands stop advertising for 12 months or longer, based on 20 years of data (1996-2015)?
• Methods matter: Lack of controlled experimentation in assessing causality can mislead researchers on TV ad campaign effectiveness.
• Gender signaling: Showing women in male-stereotyped job roles sends positive signals about brands.
• Creativity and emotion: Human truths, i.e. consumer insights, light the spark behind creative advertising, but how does that “magic” happen? A preliminary roadmap into finding the emotional pulse of the creative process.