Creative & Branded Content

• Targets & Segments
• Article

Enhancing Household Marketing: The Power of Dyad-Exposure Advertising

• JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

The household is a crucial unit of consumption that involves joint decision-making. While many studies have focused on individual-level advertising impacts, the interactions among household members have been largely overlooked. This study investigates a dyad-exposure advertising method that targets both spouses as decision-makers in purchasing household products. The findings reveal that dyad exposure significantly increases conversion rates by stimulating intra-couple interaction.

• Targets & Segments
• Article

Learn the Effects of Using a Dialect in Text Ads on Advertisement Recall

• JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

This study explores how dialect wording in advertisements can enhance consumer recall and deepen brand connections. By examining six studies conducted in China, the research demonstrates that dialect advertisements evoke a stronger feeling of groundedness, leading to better recall compared to standard Mandarin ads. The findings are supported by both adjusted recognition scores and eye-tracking data. The study also identifies boundary conditions such as bicultural identity integration, traveler versus settler orientation, and brand characteristics (warm versus competent) that influence the effectiveness of dialect advertising. These insights provide valuable guidance for marketers in choosing the appropriate advertising language to enhance consumer engagement and memory.

• Targets & Segments
• Article

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.

• Targets & Segments
• Article

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.

• Past Event Highlights
• Article

Human-Plus: A Future of Advertising to Algorithms

• AI Series

On January 16, we kicked off our AI Series while exploring what AI means for consumers, advertisers, and the rapidly evolving marketplace. Attendees gained access to new research, perspectives, and practical guidance for staying ahead. Panelists dove into actionable strategies for the future of shopping and unveiled Kantar’s groundbreaking “Human-Plus” framework — a human-centric perspective on AI that anticipates consumer needs, marketing opportunities and investment strategies.

• Creative & Branded Content
• Article

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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• Article

Virtual Influencers, Advertising’s Financial Impact, and Avatars in the Metaverse

• JAR INSIGHTS STUDIOS

At this Insights Studio, researchers from top institutions presented pioneering work addressing the evolving landscape of advertising. Topics of discussion included: an exploration of virtual influencers and the effectiveness of virtual influencers in real-world versus virtual-world settings, a comprehensive synthesis of over 250 studies examining the complex relationship between advertising and a company’s stock price, and a deep dive into the emerging world of the metaverse with a study on how the presence of employee avatars in virtual stores influences consumer behavior.

• Targets & Segments
• Article

Who is More Persuasive to an Audience, Micro-, Macro- or Mega- Influencers?

• JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH

This study investigates the impact of influencer follower size on brand responses. It examines whether micro-, macro- or mega-influencers are more effective in increasing brand awareness, positive brand attitudes and purchase intentions. The study finds that micro-influencers, with fewer than 100,000 followers, are more persuasive than larger influencers due to their higher perceived credibility and similarity to the audience. The research highlights the importance of choosing the right influencer size for marketing campaigns to achieve better brand outcomes.

The study also explores the underlying mechanisms that explain the effects of influencer size on brand responses. It identifies three key factors: wishful identification, perceived credibility and perceived similarity. The findings suggest that micro-influencers are more effective in enhancing brand awareness and positive brand attitudes because they are perceived as more credible and similar to the audience.