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Consumer Attitudes

Find the latest and most impactful research on consumer attitudes and behavior, including drivers and trends, here. All the research listed comes from the ARF or one of its subsidiaries: The Journal of Advertising Research (JAR), the Marketing Science Institute (MSI) or the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM). Feel free to bookmark this page, as it will be updated periodically.

How to Optimize Product Placement Interface Design for Mobile Food Delivery

  • JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

This study explores the impact of Gestalt psychology on consumer behavior in mobile food delivery marketing. By analyzing brainwave activity, the research demonstrates how organizing visual elements in a Gestalt format can influence purchase decisions. The findings reveal that products placed in a Gestalt format led to higher purchase rates and lower cognitive conflict compared to non-Gestalt formats. The study also highlights the importance of complementary cross-selling products in enhancing the visual Gestalt effect. When main and cross-selling products are placed together in a Gestalt format, consumers experience a more positive emotional response and are more likely to make a purchase. These insights can help marketers optimize product placement interfaces to boost sales and improve user experience.

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The Impact of Live Streaming on Digital Engagement and Monetization

Live streaming creators rely on paying viewers, but not all subscriptions are used in the same way. When viewers subscribe for themselves, the community tends to engage more through commenting, reflecting greater commitment. In contrast, gift subscriptions from other viewers lead to increased tipping within the community.  Additionally, viewers tend to gift more than subscribe in response longer, happier, faster speaking and louder content. The findings suggest that live streaming can be a considerably lucrative avenue for content creators. It also examines the effectiveness of different performance quality strategies and their influence on customer-to-customer subscriptions (C2CSubs) and tips, providing valuable insights for marketers and digital strategists.

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People’s Performance Goals Shape Their Use of Predictive Algorithms

This study presents a framework for understanding people’s use of predictive algorithms, emphasizing their role as tools designed to support human decision-making. It argues that users’ performance expectations are a primary driver of their decisions to adopt these algorithms. By reviewing and reinterpreting the literature through the lens of laypeople’s performance expectations, the study aims to clarify why some algorithms are accepted and others are rejected. It concludes by suggesting avenues for designing algorithms that better meet users’ expectations, enhancing their usability and acceptance.

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Unpacking Ad Effectiveness: The Roles of Media, Creativity, Branding, Targeting and Premium vs. UGC Content

  • ARF ORIGINAL RESEARCH

The ARF and MediaScience have conducted a comprehensive study to understand the relative contributions of media platforms, creative quality, brand recognition and targeting, as well as the impact of premium versus user-generated content (UGC) on overall advertising effectiveness. Using eye tracking, neurometric data and post-exposure surveys, the study examined ad effectiveness through consumer recall, recognition, brand favorability and purchase intent. Most prior research based on CPG sales concludes that creative is more dominant in the success of a campaign. This study, based on multiple categories and biometric and neuro measures concludes that media is just as important.

The study confirms key findings from prior research, such as the importance of media platforms (with podcasts and TV excelling in recall), high-quality creative improving sentiment, and targeted advertising enhancing engagement. It also supports the role of digital UGC in driving purchase intent due to its relatability. However, it challenges existing assumptions by showing no significant biometric differences between high- and standard-quality digital creative. Notably, UGC outperformed premium digital content in purchase intent and likeability, especially for unknown brands—a finding specific to mobile platforms where the comparison was conducted. These insights reflect shifting dynamics in ad effectiveness and the growing role of relatability and platform-specific optimization.

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Cause-Related Marketing Messages that are Customer-Centric have Greater Impact

  • JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

This study explores the effectiveness of cause-related marketing and how brands can enhance consumer trust by attributing their charitable actions to customers rather than the brand itself. The research shows that when brands share the credit for good deeds with their customers, it reduces perceptions of bragging and increases brand trust. This beneficial effect is particularly significant for brands with high integrity.

The findings are based on three studies involving American adults, which demonstrate that attributing donations to customers (versus the brand) reduces perceived bragging and increases donation intentions and brand trust. The study highlights the importance of brand integrity in moderating these effects.

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How Offline Versus Online Promotional Media Affects Consumer Response

  • JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

In the digital age, marketers are increasingly utilizing online sales promotions. However, this study hypothesized that offline (versus online) media more effectively induce consumer behavioral responses to sales promotion. Field and lab experiments supported this hypothesis, showing that sending print (versus online) coupons increased redemption behavior. This effect was mediated by cognitive engagement with the content and was more pronounced among consumers with low (versus high) brand attachment. These results were consistently replicated across different product categories.

This study provides behavior-based evidence supporting the effectiveness of offline media and highlights brand attachment as a new moderator of the effect. The findings caution against marketers’ overdependence on online sales promotion and suggest that offline promotional media can enhance consumers’ cognitive engagement with the content, leading to better behavioral outcomes.

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Circular Economy Framing Increases the Effectiveness of Sustainability Claims

This study explores how circular economy framing can enhance the effectiveness of sustainability claims by making them more concrete and understandable for consumers. The research suggests that using circular economy metaphors can reduce the perceived abstractness of sustainability claims, thereby increasing consumers' willingness to purchase sustainable products. The study conducted three experiments to test this hypothesis and found that circular economy framing significantly improves the concreteness of sustainability messages and boosts consumer engagement with sustainable products. The findings offer valuable insights for marketers and advertisers on how to frame sustainability claims to enhance their effectiveness. By leveraging the circular economy concept, businesses can make their sustainability messages more relatable and compelling, ultimately driving a higher adoption of sustainable products.

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How the Deliberate Use of Slurs Impacts Prosocial Advertising

  • JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

When a slur is used, people hear it. Usually, it is either morally wrong or used in a negative way. However, certain nonprofit organizations have turned these words into tools to grab attention in provocative prosocial advertising campaigns. This study examines how such sexist and homophobic slurs can influence consumer engagement and cognitive elaboration. The findings suggest that advertisements containing offensive language can increase the perceived importance of the issue and motivate individuals to seek help or register for training sessions. However, the effectiveness of such advertisements depends on the audience's prior exposure to sexism or homophobia and their perception of the issue's importance.

The study also highlights the potential risks and benefits of using offensive language in social marketing. While offensive advertisements can capture attention and provoke thought, they may also alienate certain audiences. Social marketers should carefully consider their target audience and the context in which offensive language is used to maximize the positive impact of their campaigns.

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How has Early Adoption of ChatGPT-4 Affected Subscriptions to Other Digital Services?

  • MSI

This study investigates how the adoption of GPT-4, the first paid GenAI service, influenced early adopters' payments to other digital services. The research provides insights into the payment behavior of early GPT-4 adopters and how it might help calibrate investor expectations of the GenAI market. The study uses a difference-in-differences approach to analyze payment data and offers a comprehensive view of the impact of GPT-4 on consumer payments for other digital services.

The findings suggest that early GPT-4 adopters were significantly more likely to pay for other AI tools like Github Copilot, which offers coding assistance. The study also highlights the potential of GenAI services to replace traditional web-based search tools and automate various service industries.

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How Accessible is Social Media to the Disabled?

  • JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

Social media has transformed how people communicate, access information and shop. Despite its widespread use, digital content remains inaccessible for blind and/or deaf consumers due to missing or inaccurate accessibility features like alt text and closed captioning. This study examines the utilization and accuracy of these features on social media platforms and highlights the challenges vulnerable consumers face.

The findings reveal that many social media posts lack proper accessibility features, resulting in lost opportunities for consumers and organizations. The study emphasizes the need for proactive interventions and changes in public policy to enhance digital accessibility for all users.

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