Business Commons^™

Honesty In Marketing Communications: The Role Of Humor, Can Trinh

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Amid the crisis of trust in the marketplace, there have been increasing calls for advertisers to show more honesty in marketing communications. However, firms are still hesitant to follow suit out of concerns that more honesty may mean more losses than gains. Against such background, there is still scant empirical evidence about the effect of honest marketing communications on marketing outcomes to help provide practical guidance for marketers. The present research helps fill this crucial gap by examining the role of humor in honest marketing communications. Three studies in this research reveal novel insights that an interrelationship exists between humor …

The Impact Of “Humorous” Ads Featuring Social Media Influencers On Perceptions Of The Influencer, Brand, And Purchase Intention, Jason L. Snyder, Robert Forbus

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The present study explored the use of humor in social media ads that featured both a product being advertised and a social media influencer (SMI). Using extant literature and the theory of planned behavior as guides, the goal of the study was to explore the role of perceived humorousness on consumer perceptions of the SMI, the ad, the brand, and consumer purchase intentions. The experiment (N = 292) exposed self-identified males living in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 40 to one of two versions of an ad for a men’s grooming product. The ads were run …

Generating Clicks: Display Advertising Within Social Media, Ronda Mariani, Thomas Tanner, Loreen Powell

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This research study developed a comprehensive social community prototype and tested a variety of display advertising scenarios to determine which scenario motivated social media users to click. Empirical research based upon 503 users of social media led to the development of several independent variables, which were identified in the study as display advertising scenarios. The display advertising scenarios tested in the study were video, animation, engagement, and brand familiarity, as well as the size and location of the display advertising within each social media prototype web page. Data collected identified which display advertisement scenarios motivated a social media user to …

The Impact Of Insult Ad Reads On Podcast Listeners, Jason L. Snyder, Mark D. Cistulli

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Audio podcasts have grown in popularity. Forty-six million Americans tune into an average of six podcasts each week (Nielson, 2020) and ad revenues are projected to top $4 billion by 2024 (IAB, 2022). To enhance the appeal of ads, many podcasters use humor in their ad reads. Although humor can be effective (Weinberger & Gulas, 1992) and reinforce the parasocial relationship between podcaster and audience, are there times when that humor has negative consequences? In this study, we are concerned primarily with the use of insult advertising in which the podcaster uses humor that targes the brand/product being endorsed. Participants …

Who Cares More About The Environment, Those With An Intrinsic, An Extrinsic, A Quest, Or An Atheistic Religious Orientation?: Investigating The Effect Of Religious Ad Appeals On Attitudes Toward The Environment, Denni Arli, Patrick Van Esch, Yuanyuan (Gina) Cui

Faculty and Research Publications

There is a consensus among scientists that climate change is an existing, growing, and human-made threat to our planet. The topic is a divisive issue worldwide, including among people of faith. Little research has focused on the relationship between (non)religious belief and climate change. Hence, in Studies 1 and 2, the authors explore the impact of religious/non-religious orientations: intrinsic (religion as an end in itself), extrinsic (religion as a means to an end), quest (a journey toward religious understanding), and non-religious orientation (i.e., atheistic) on consumer attitudes toward the environment, focusing on recycling advertisements with (non)religious cues. Further, in Study …

Message Strategy And Consumer Engagement In Sponsored Posts On Facebook And Twitter, Cynthia B. Hanson

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Sponsored Messages In Facebook And Twitter News Feeds: An Examination Of Prevalence, Brands, And Products, Cynthia B. Hanson

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper compares the prevalence and nature of sponsored messages on Facebook and Twitter. Results of a content analysis of 180 sponsored messages from 65 screenshots provided by undergraduate student subjects showed significant differences in the product categories advertised on each platform, with sponsored messages for apparel and entertainment more prevalent on Facebook and financial products and services more prevalent on Twitter. The majority of the sponsoring advertisers on both platforms were from companies established after the year 2000; only seven percent were leading US advertisers; and only three advertisers—Amazon, Microsoft, and Toyota—appeared in both samples.

Native Advertising On Facebook And Twitter: A Content Analysis Of Sponsored Messages In User News Feeds, Cynthia B. Hanson

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Portrayals Of Hispanic Americans In Magazine Advertising: A 15-Year Analysis, Ivonne Torres

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Dynamite In Small Packages: The Engaged Elite As An Facebook Emerging Niche Market, Melanie Wiese, Gene Van Heerden, Tania Maree

The African Journal of Information Systems

Social networking sites, such as Facebook, have gained immense popularity as communication platform. Generation Y’ers have a strong need to engage and connect – both digitally, and in person. This paper examines the Facebook behaviour of Generation Y by means of a self-administered, campus-intercept survey of 383 university students. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether various clusters of Generation Y Facebook-users could be identified on the basis of their Facebook behaviour and usage. All multi-item constructs were subjected to an exploratory-factor analysis and a two-Step Cluster analysis. Three clusters, labeled ‘Engaged Elite’, ‘Neutral Masses’ and ‘Facebook Floaters’ …

The Effect Of Advertorial Format And Copy Length On Attitudes Of Female (Target) And Male (Non-Target) Audiences, Cynthia B. Hanson

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This study investigates the effect of the advertorial format and ad copy length on ad and brand attitude. Results of a 2 (advertorial versus non-advertorial) by 2 (light versus moderate copy length) study indicate that the advertorial format generated more favorable ad and brand attitudes for the female (target) subjects, but less favorable attitudes for the male (non-target) subjects. A marginally significant gender by copy length interaction suggests a differential effect of copy length for the male sample, as well: ad and brand attitudes were higher for lighter copy ads for the female sample but lower for the male sample. …

Analyzing The Effect Of Advertising On Hospital Choice And Selection: Advancing A New Truth For Hospital Selection And Its Implication For Other Service Providers, Michael A. Petrochuk, Trish Berg

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

Consumerism has long-been an important driver in other industries across the globe, as industries have embraced the importance of meeting customer and consumer expectations (Bennett and Mandell, 1969; Oliver, 1980; Bolton and Drew, 1991; Peyrot, Cooper, and Schnapf, 1993; Taylor and Cronin, 1994). Firms have attempted to understand consumer expectations prior to the delivery of service or product purchase.

Within the last ten years, this consumerism movement has infiltrated into the field of global health care (Herzlinger, 2002; Grazman, & Leifer, 2007). Tenets of the consumer-driven health care include increased demands for high performance, flawless quality, data analytics to support …

Does Thin Always Sell? The Moderating Role Of Thin Ideal Internalization On Advertising Effectiveness, James A. Roberts, Chloe' A. Roberts

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Much of the current focus on the use of ultra-thin models in fashion magazines can be attributed to Madison Avenue which still operates under a “Thin Sells” ethos. Research to date, however, has provided equivocal evidence of the efficacy of thin models in advertising (Yu 2014). The present study’s two related objectives include: (1) determining whether model size has an impact on advertising effectiveness, and (2) if internalization of the thin ideal moderates this relationship. Study results suggest model size in fashion advertisements has no main effect on advertising effectiveness. Additionally, thin ideal internalization moderates the model size – advertising …

Creating Consumuments: The Use Of Artistic Interpretation Of Text As An Insight Mining Device In Advertising Courses, Tracy Tuten

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The goal of any approach used to gain a foundation of knowledge about a consumer segment is to ensure one can make decisions that are sound strategically and effectively serve the segment. This paper describes a new technique for profiling a consumer segment: creating a consumument. A consumument is an artistic interpretation of text which reflects insight into a consumer segment. The exercise, based on Tom Phillips’ (2005) A Humument, seeks to encourage students to mine for meaning, reflect on consumer perceptions, emotions, and aspirations, and ultimately express their understanding of a consumer group artistically.

An Experiment In Testing Advertising Levels By Measuring Natural Test Market Variation, Michael Latta

Atlantic Marketing Journal

A field experiment utilizing a new experimental approach to measuring advertising exposure which provides a range of levels of exposure was conducted in eight main test market and eight fringe cities for a global Fortune 500 company consumer durable product. The results showed: a) targeted rating points of advertising delivered are strongly related to advertising effectiveness, and b) this effect is attributable to advertising level and to whether the members of the target audience live close to or far from the broadcast source.

Kasky V. Nike: Lurking First Amendment Time Bomb For Marketers?, Michael J. Landry

Atlantic Marketing Journal

While attention has focused on the U. S. Supreme Court protecting corporate political speech, the Court has left untouched a California Supreme Court ruling of significance to marketers in their efforts to use advertising and public relations to offset what they view as unfair criticism. The case, Kasky v. Nike, stems from 1995 accusations that athletic footwear and apparel manufacturer Nike exploited and abused employees in Asian sweatshops. Through advertising and public relations efforts, Nike denied the claims. In 1998, Californian Mark Kasky sued, claiming Nike’s denials violated laws regarding unfair competition and false advertising and, because the denials were …

The Impact Of Message Sequencing In The New Product Introduction Process: Boosting Message Retention And Its Impact On Product Attitude, Bobi Ivanov, Kimberly A. Parker, Jeanetta D. Sims, Chan Yun Yoo

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This study focused on providing a more nuanced understanding of the message retention-attitude (cognition-affect) relationship in new product introductions. Using advertising and publicity as independent and combined promotional tools, this study aims to determine an effective approach to strengthen the retention-attitude relationship as well as the level of new product information retention and, through it, the attitude toward the product. To that end, a two-phase experiment was conducted involving 423 participants. The results revealed that publicity, compared to advertising, in general, was a more effective strategy in boosting retention and that the publicity-publicity sequence strategy was the most effective in …

Social Media: Changing Advertising Education, Deborah A. Lester

Faculty and Research Publications

Creating an academic assignment that closely parallels an advertising agency's real world business experience is a challenge, but social media has destroyed many of the barriers that historically limited media options and completion of advertising plans. Because digital media is cost effective and easily used, commercials, videos, podcasts, and multimedia messaging can be filmed, edited, and broadcast, within the time frame of an advertising course This article presents an applied advertising project that incorporates YouTube, Flicker, MySpace, Face book, Twitter, Linkedin, Ning, Tagged, Google +, and other online social networking sites as the foundation for an integrated marketing communication strategy. …